Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Deterrence and The Spectacle of Punishment

Starting point is 00:00:00 The idea of crime and punishment dates back to the earliest human societies. But as societies have evolved, so too have punishments, transitioning from overt public forms of discipline to more discrete methods. Whether it be public floggings and executions or security cameras in your grocery store, fear of punishment and deterrence has been the main tool to encourage citizens to follow the law. Learn more about the spectacle of punishment and deterrence on this episode of every Everything Everywhere Daily.

Starting point is 00:00:31 Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast with Benjamin Boster. If you're tired of sleepless nights, you'll love the I Can't Sleep podcast. I help quiet your mind by reading random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice. Each episode provides enough interesting content to hold your attention, and then your mind lets you drift off. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. That's I Can't Sleep with Benjamin Boster. As a podcaster, I'm often asked what podcasts I listen to. One of the shows I subscribe to and listen to every week is The Jordan Harbinger Show.

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Starting point is 00:02:21 That's H-A-R, B as in Boy, I-N- as-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-Y-R on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcast. The history of punishment can be traced back so far that it's impossible to determine when it started. Based on what we can determine early hunter-gatherer societies had forms of punishment to enforce social norms and behaviors. One of the primary functions of punishment is to deter other people from engaging in the same behavior. And to these ends, within many societies, punishment has often been conducted as a public spectacle, shown to the public either blatantly, like a public execution, or more subtly. In the medieval period, punishment was typically metered out publicly, intended to humiliate the individual perpetrator and to deter others.

Starting point is 00:03:16 In medieval Europe, common forms of punishment included the pillory and the stocks, where offenders were restrained and exposed to ridicule. Public whipping, branding, mutilation, and force parading through town were also used. More serious crimes could lead to hanging, beheading, being burnt at the stake, or breaking on the wheel. Punishments varied widely by region, social rank, and the nature of the offense. In Asian cultures, medieval torture was more psychological when compared to Europe. In China, a common form of punishment was Ling Chi, which was quite literally death by a thousand cuts. This form of torture was to prolong the pain for enemies of the state,

Starting point is 00:03:58 and traitors. This form of punishment was often carried out in public, serving as a gruesome display of the state's power. To enforce discipline and preserve social order in Japan, Samurai culture relied on severe punishments, including torture and execution, through methods such as boiling and crucifixion. The victims of punishment were often marched in front of crowds before being tortured. If they were being executed, the criminal's heads were often put on display, again acting as a deterrent. Though the forms of punishment were similar to those in Europe, the purpose of the punishment in many Asian cultures was different. Unlike systems focused strictly on the individual, punishment in Asian societies frequently extended to the entire family. It was believed that

Starting point is 00:04:43 punishing family members created an even greater deterrent to breaking the law and community rules. While the official reason for public executions was to serve as a deterrent and to meet-out justice, public executions often became a form of entertainment. Executions were made into public events, in effect, a product to be sold to the masses. But why was the public interested in seeing death and torture? According to a theory published in 1912 by a Russian physician and psychoanalyst Sabrina Spielrein, humans are interested in witnessing the specific process of unnatural death. Spielrein argued that humans possess both a negative instinct towards death and a positive instinct towards life. She believed that witnessing events like public executions heightens these

Starting point is 00:05:35 instincts, making observers feel a stronger appreciation for their own lives as they watch another person's end. The same instinct can be seen when people slow down to view an accident on the road or go out of their way to witness the results of a natural disaster. One of the earliest examples of this was in the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire, where the state marketed executions as public events to help cure public boredom. At these executions, there was often a huge crowd that was made up of people from all social classes. Perhaps an even better example of this is the French Revolution. One of the major events of the Revolution was the reign of terror,

Starting point is 00:06:16 which saw the execution of tens of thousands of people by guillotine, who were often sentenced without trial or with flimsy evidence. During the reign of terror, approximately 2,600 people were executed in just Paris alone. That works out to an average of roughly eight executions per day. The rate was extremely uneven, however. From June 10th to July 27, 17, 1794, around 1,400 people were executed, averaging nearly 30, day, with some days reaching about 50. Crowds gathered around the guillotine as victims of the revolution were wheeled out in

Starting point is 00:06:55 carts, heads placed on the block, and executed with the swift release of a blade. The crowds often gathered souvenirs from the condemned and were encouraged to celebrate the executions. They sang songs, danced, and celebrated Madame Guillotine. The French had turned the executions into a spectacle, both serving as a deterrent to opposing the revolution, but also as a celebration of the revolution's victory. Yet despite public executions being designed to deter crime or unwanted behaviors, that was not always the case. Instead, crime often increased. Despite public executions in 19th century Britain, crime rates remain steadily high. While this pattern is evident historically, modern data further reinforces it. Although

Starting point is 00:07:43 public executions have ended in most nations. A few countries, particularly Iran, continue the practice. Though far less common today than it used to be, these executions do still occur, enabling researchers to analyze their impact on citizens. In Iran, sanctioned public executions are carried out by hanging. Reports of the hangings are made a few days or weeks prior, informing the public of the name of the criminal and the location of the execution, meaning that they're invited to witness the event. Research published by the Islamic Republic News Agency in 2017 found that those who witnessed the event typically do not take the intended lesson from the execution. Instead, they may become more prone to violence. Those who witness the execution often have a reduced sense of

Starting point is 00:08:31 compassion towards other people, which actually encourages more violent behavior. For most countries, the practice of public executions began to die out during the 19th and early 20th century. Despite public executions demonstrating the power of the state and providing entertainment for the public, the ethics of the practice were called into question. People who opposed the practice questioned whether it actually served as a deterrent, and even if it did, whether it was right for someone to watch. For many, they found public executions to be uncivilized and barbaric. In most places, public executions and displays of torture are now prohibited. And while society no longer ministers punishment publicly, the use of public methods to promote deterrence still exists,

Starting point is 00:09:19 but indifferent and much subtler forms, forms which at first may seem wholly unrelated to public punishments. The idea for this can be traced back to an 18th century English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who developed a new form of punishment that he called the Panopticon. The Panopticon was a circular room with a single large, tower in the center. The center tower could watch all of the cells placed along the entire circumference of the structure. And the idea was simple. Create a prison where a single prison officer could watch the inmates creating the impression that they're always under surveillance. In Bentham's Panopticon, the cells had two windows. One of the windows would face the guard

Starting point is 00:10:06 tower while the other was meant to let light in. The tower was backlit by lights behind the cells. This was designed to make the tower look like a beacon of darkness. By keeping prisoners under constant visibility, the system enabled guards to quickly spot and respond to any disruption, fostering discipline through the perpetual fear of punishment. Despite constant visibility being the entire point of the panopticon, in reality, the prisoners weren't always being watched. There just aren't enough guards to watch every cell at every minute of the day. but it's the fear that they could be watched that gave the system its power. The Panopticon prison that Bentham envisioned was never actually built, but similar designs do exist.

Starting point is 00:10:53 In modern times, punishment can still be turned into a spectacle. It's just less obvious. Instead of having prisoners being paraded through cities for people to gawk at, we still do some things which everyone can see and feel. An example of making punishment a spectacle today is the practice of the perp walk. When a suspect is arrested, law enforcement officials will often parade the suspect before the media. The suspect is typically handcuffed and led by law enforcement presenting an image of, this could be you, two potential criminals. However, perp walks are few and far between.

Starting point is 00:11:30 A far more common and subtle example of deterrence is surveillance, but not in a panop. In many ways our society has become a modern-day panopticon. Surveillance cameras are everywhere. Cameras are placed within almost any venue you can think of to give the idea that everyone is constantly being watched. The city of Seoul has 24 surveillance cameras per 1,000 people. Los Angeles has 12, and the most surveilled city in the world is Hyderabad India with 79 cameras per 1,000 people. While surveillance might seem very different from viewing a public execution, the end goal is pretty much the same.

Starting point is 00:12:15 They're intended to encourage lawful behavior, and in their own ways, suggest the possibility of punishment. When you go to the store to buy clothes, typically one of the first things you'll see is a television. The screen will often show yourself walking into the store. By doing this, the store is showing you that, you are under surveillance, using it as a preventative measure to discourage potential crimes like shoplifting. Throughout the store, security cameras are installed, typically in a visible

Starting point is 00:12:46 position, oftentimes behind a small black dome in the ceiling. This again gives the idea that someone might be watching you. You aren't even aware if the camera is actually on, but the goal is to suggest that you are in fact being watched. The idea of deterring people from committing crimes is as old as society itself. While the methods have changed, the underlying intent hasn't. In the past, the goal was to shock people with the severity of the punishment, and today, it's simply trying to show people the high odds of getting caught. Most people think that we no longer conduct public executions because we've become more civilized, and that is true. However, in reality, the means of promoting deterrence has simply changed. While most people, we've

Starting point is 00:13:35 haven't really thought about it, a security camera and a public execution have a shocking amount in common when you consider the behaviors that they're trying to enforce. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Olivia Ash. My big thanks go to everyone who supports a show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible. And I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord. This is where everything happens that's outside of the show.

Starting point is 00:14:11 As always, if you leave a review on any major podcast app or in the above community groups, you too can have it read on the show.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Deterrence and The Spectacle of Punishment

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