Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

The book by French philosopher Michel Foucault is a fundamental study of the history of the formation of the penitentiary system and the transformation of power mechanisms in European society. The author analyzes the transition from public executions and corporal punishment to the modern prison system, based on the principles of surveillance and discipline. Foucault reveals how new techniques for controlling the prisoner’s body and soul were developed, and how these practices spread to other social institutions.