David R. MacIver

I’ve just finished reading In Defense of Flogging by Peter Moskos

I can’t remember how I encountered it, but I’ve been aware of it for a while and intending to read it. I noticed it was on the Kindle (cue a million spam bots because I said Kindle) the other day and decided to buy it and read it.

It’s really more about the prison system than it is about flogging. Flogging is mentioned, but it’s really more as a thought device than a thorough pro-flogging argument (I have to admit, I’m actually in favour of corporal punishment as part of the justice system. I think it’s a reasonable solution, albeit a distasteful one. Possibly more on that in a separate post).

Essentially the argument goes like this:

Flogging is barbaric. Right?

Now suppose I gave you the option of 5 years in jail or 10 lashes. What would you choose?

Personally, I (both the author and me) think you’d be mad to choose jail.

So, given that, it can hardly be barbaric to offer prisoners this choice: They’re welcome to go to jail if they want, or they can take the flogging as an alternative. It seems unlikely that many people would choose jail.

The rest of the book is an analysis and account of the US penal system and how it stands up in comparison to flogging. It doesn’t do well.

I definitely recommend reading this book. I knew there were problems, I had no idea of the extent. I can only describe my emotional reaction to reading this as “dawning horror” and “near-physical nausea”. I can’t say I’m happier for the knowledge, but I wouldn’t want to go back to not knowing.

For a shorter and less graphic summary, I offer the following QI snippet:

I find Jimmy Carr’s reaction telling: “I’d very much like to say something hilarious, but something must be done“. It really must.

9:45 pm, Thursday, June 2nd, 2011