Penal Sanctions and the Process of Civilization

• NCJ Number: 139099
• Journal: International Annals of Criminology Volume: 27 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1989) Pages: 191-204
• Author(s): J J M van Dijk
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: France
• Note: Paper presented at 10th International Congress of Criminology, Hamburg, Germany, Sept 4-9, 1988

Annotation

Arguments that prisons should be abolished are examined critically, with emphasis on their role and implications in the Netherlands.

Abstract

Abolitionism is an ideology that consists of a mixture of value judgments and empirical propositions. Therefore, abolitionists argue empirically that prison systems expand everywhere regardless of whether or not alternatives are available and that neither rehabilitation programs nor crime prevention strategies affect the incidence or nature of crime. However, a critical examination of the facts shows that both these arguments are wrong. An alternative and much more useful perspective is that of Norbert Elias, who sees both external social control organized by the government and internal control as prerequisites for a civilized life with a minimum of violence. In this perspective, abolitionism is a subjectively naive and objectively dangerous ideology. His perspective suggests the desirability of correctional reforms that provide treatment or training that promote socialization of juvenile delinquents and other offenders.