...Rusche and Kirchheimer relate the different systems of…
““...Rusche and Kirchheimer relate the different systems of punishment with the systems of production within which they operate: thus, in a slave economy, punitive mechanisms serve to provide an additional labour force -- and to constitute a body of 'civil' slaves in addition to those provided by war or trading; with feudalism, at a time when money and production were still at an early stage of development, we find a sudden increase in corporal punishments -- the body being in most cases the only property accessible; the penitentiary (the Hopital General, the Spinhuis or the Rasphuis), forced labour and the prison factory appear with the development of the mercantile economy. But the industrial system requires a free market in labour and, in the nineteenth century, the role of forced labour in the mechanisms of punishment diminishes accordingly and 'corrective' detention takes its place.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Punishment systems evolve with economic structures: slave economies use punishment to create labor; feudalism relies on corporal punishment; industrial capitalism shifts to corrective detention as labor markets free.
In simple terms: Punishment changes as economies change, moving from forced labor to correction.
Key Takeaway
Economic shifts reshape how societies punish.
Themes
Consider how current economies influence justice policies.
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
sociological
When to use this quote
- biopolitics
- social control
- capitalism
- historical materialism
Key Concepts
economics
punishment
labor
history
power
law
Practical Applications
- policy reform
- criminal justice
- labor rights
- education
- historical analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern economies affect penal systems?
- Can corrective detention be truly humane?
A Different Perspective
Complexity may oversimplify varied local practices.