Bring Back Flogging Analysis

Words: 837
Pages: 4

Is it really justice when you put a criminal in jail to do some time only to be released after, or do they deserve a more severe punishment? Jeff Jacoby, wrote the article “Bring Back Flogging” in which he wants his audience to know why flogging should be brought back and why prison time isn’t enough to change a criminal. Flogging is a term used to describe punishments done to criminals such being whipped, having their flesh branded, and other punishments people might find as torture these days. He talks about how now a days prison time isn’t enough to change a criminal and how costly it is to keep an inmate behind bars. Not only that, but he mentions about how prison time is seen as a badge of honor which makes it sound like we have no other choice but to go back to flogging in order for criminals to learn their lesson. Jacoby nailed his thesis right on the head by simply making his …show more content…
Jacoby says “ But there would be no cachet in chaining a criminal to an outdoor post and flogging him. If young punks were horsewhipped in public after their first conviction, fewer of them would harden into lifelong felons.” Jacoby believes that prisons wouldn’t spend so much money on them for having to incarcerate criminals. This quote gives an example of young criminals having a chance to change their ways if they are flogged. Jacoby gives the other side a chance to counter their part in why flogging would be wrong. He talks about how the opposite side who disagree with him believe it's degrading and brutal. Jacoby argues though by saying “Why is it more brutal to flog a wrongdoer than to throw him in prison -- where the risk of being beaten, raped, or murdered is terrifyingly high” with this in mind he is giving more of a reason to defend his thesis about why flogging should be used for criminals, flogging is straightforward and by doing so publicly, there will be less crimes