View source for Penology

{{Short description|Subfield of criminology}}
{{Criminology and penology |penology}}
'''Penology''' (also '''penal theory''') is a [[Academic discipline|subfield]] of [[criminology]] that deals with the philosophy and practice<ref name="Sharma1998">{{cite book |author=Rajendra Kumar Sharma |title=Criminology And Penology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pRJTw6EdtsC&pg=RA2-PA1 |access-date=2 March 2013 |date=1 January 1998 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-7156-754-6 |pages=2 ff}}</ref><ref name="ShohamBeck2007">{{cite book |author1=Shlomo Giora Shoham |author2=Ori Beck |author3=Martin Kett |title=International Handbook of Penology and Criminal Justice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vUICkjo8k1EC|access-date=2 March 2013 |date=8 October 2007 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4200-5388-3}}</ref> of various societies in their attempts to repress [[crime|criminal]] activities, and satisfy public opinion via an appropriate treatment regime for persons convicted of criminal offences.

The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] defines penology as "the study of the punishment of crime and prison management," and in this sense it is equivalent with [[corrections]].<ref name="Clear1994">{{cite book |author=Todd R. Clear |title=Harm in American penology: offenders, victims, and their communities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1GtSid5fvwC&pg=PR15 |year=1994 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-2174-1 |page=15}}</ref> The term ''penology'' comes from "penal", [[Latin]] ''[[poena]]'', "[[punishment]]" and the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] suffix ''[[-logy|-logia]]'', "study of".

Penology is concerned with the effectiveness of those social processes devised and adopted for the prevention of [[crime]], via the repression or inhibition of criminal intent and the fear of punishment. The study of penology therefore deals with the treatment of prisoners and the subsequent rehabilitation of convicted criminals. It also encompasses aspects of [[probation]] (rehabilitation of offenders in the community) as well as penitentiary science relating to the secure detention and retraining of offenders committed to secure institutions.

Penology covers many topics and theories, including those concerning [[prison]]s ([[prison reform]], [[prisoner abuse]], [[prisoners' rights]], and [[recidivism]]), as well as theories of the purposes of punishment ([[Deterrence (legal)|deterrence]], [[Retributive justice|retribution]], [[Incapacitation (penology)|incapacitation]] and [[Rehabilitation (penology)|rehabilitation]]). Contemporary penology concerns itself mainly with criminal [[rehabilitation (penology)|rehabilitation]] and prison [[management]]. The word rarely applies to theories and practices of punishment in less formal environments such as [[parenting]], school and workplace correctional measures.

==History==
[[File:Cesare Beccaria in Dei delitti.jpg|thumb|[[Cesare Beccaria]], ''Dei delitti e delle pene'']]
[[File:Dei delitti e delle pene, edizione VI, frontespizio.jpg|thumb|''Dei delitti e delle pene'' (1766), frontpage, 6th edition.]]
{{Further|Prison reform}}
Historical theories were based on the notion that [[fear]]ful consequences would discourage potential offenders. An example of this principle can be found in the [[Draco (lawgiver)|Draconian law]] of [[Ancient Greece]] and the [[Bloody Code]] which persisted in [[English Renaissance|Renaissance England]], when (at various times) capital punishment was prescribed for over 200 offenses. Similarly, certain [[hudud]] offenses under Sharia [[hadith]] tradition may incur fearful penalties.

Modern theories of the punishment and rehabilitation of offenders are broadly based on principles articulated in the seminal pamphlet [[Dei delitti e delle pene|"On Crimes and Punishments"]] published by [[Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria]] in 1764. They center on the concept of [[Proportionality (law)|proportionality]]. In this respect, they differ from many previous systems of punishment, for example, England's Bloody Code, under which the penalty of theft had been the same regardless of the value stolen, giving rise to the English expression "It is as well to be hanged for a sheep or a lamb". Subsequent development of the ideas of Beccaria made non-lethal punishment more acceptable. Consequently, convicted prisoners had to be reintegrated into society when their punishment was complete.<ref>Marcello Maestro, "A pioneer for the abolition of capital punishment: Cesare Beccaria." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 34.3 (1973): 463-468. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2708966 online]</ref>

Penologists have consequently evolved occupational and psychological education programs for offenders detained in prison, and a range of [[community service]] and [[probation]] orders which entail guidance and aftercare of the offender within the community. The importance of inflicting some measure of punishment on those persons who breach the law is however maintained in order to preserve [[social order]] and to moderate public [[Anger|outrage]] which might provoke appeals for [[cruel]] [[Revenge|vengeance]].{{clarify|date=October 2011}} 

More recently, some penologists have shifted from a retributive based punishment to a form of community corrections. "Community corrections involves the management and supervision of offenders in the community. These offenders are serving court-imposed orders either as an alternative to imprisonment or as a condition of their release on parole from prison. This means they must report regularly to their community corrections officer and may have to participate in unpaid community work and rehabilitation programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/home/community+corrections/|title=Community corrections|author=Corrections Prisons Parole, Department of Justice|website=www.corrections.vic.gov.au|language=en-au|access-date=2018-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428205323/http://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/home/community+corrections/|archive-date=2019-04-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>"

== See also ==
* [[Auburn System]]
* [[Zebulon Brockway]]
* [[Elmira Correctional Facility]]
* [[His Majesty's Prison Service]]
* [[Offender workforce development]]
* [[Panopticon]]
* [[Penal transportation]]
* [[Prison reform]]
* [[Protective Pairing]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Diiulio, John J., [https://books.google.com/books?id=s6AsM5Y_MUIC ''Governing Prisons: A Comparative Study of Correctional Management''], Simon and Schuster, 1990. {{ISBN|0-02-907883-0}}
* Feeley, M. M., & Simon, J. (1992). The new penology: Notes on the emerging strategy of corrections and its implications. Criminology, 30(4), 449-474.
* Kazemian, L., McCoy, C., & Sacks, M. (2013). [https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.870.9285&rep=rep1&type=pdf Does law matter? An old bail law confronts the New Penology.] Punishment & Society, 15(1), 43-70.

== External links ==
* [http://www.crimlinks.com/ CrimLinks] UK based site

{{Law}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Penology| ]]
[[Category:Criminal law]]