But we already have institutions in which violence and aggression are common - namely, the prison system in England and Wales. Men and women in these prisons are on occasions subjected to brutal beatings, assaults, intimidation and even rape. The violence and aggression of prison only seems less because those of us who have not experienced prison remain blind to what goes on within their walls. But corporal punishment can be inflicted away from the public gaze, with only a medical officer and the official charged with administering the punishment in attendance. Corporal punishment does not have to be a public spectacle.
Skewed sensibilities are at work here, and prisoners are the victims of our distorted judgements.
In the case of corporal punishment, we witness the cane brought down upon a helpless victim, we see him wince, we hear his screams. The suffering is immediate and unmistakable. The suffering in prison is less obvious, but it is no less real or painful for that. Imprisonment can produce acute mental and emotional suffering, physical deterioration and the erosion of cognitive and social skills. The cost of keeping someone in prison is in excess of 500 a week.