Abstract
This chapter considers histories of punishment. It reviews different narratives and briefly visits the major eras of punishment, from pre-medieval to modern. It charts changing perspectives, rather than presenting a single, consensual history of punishment. It could be claimed that mere convenience makes the penal setting the main focus of this chapter. However, it has to be admitted that whilst the purpose of this book includes looking at punishments beyond criminal justice systems, the centre of gravity of debates about their histories remains in the penal system. This is not to say, however, that corporal punishment and other aspects of punishment do not deserve more detailed attention than they receive here.
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.
(L. P. Hartley, Prologue, The Go-Between)
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© 1998 Robert Adams
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Adams, R. (1998). Histories of Punishment. In: Campling, J. (eds) The Abuses of Punishment. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230389281_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230389281_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-64846-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-38928-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)