Abstract
In Part II, Tocqueville and Beaumont begin their systematic comparison of French and American criminal justice systems by pointing out the major defects of French central prisons. They argue that French prisons cost more to the State than American penitentiaries because the discipline is less severe, the French give salaries to prisoners, and manufactured articles are sold with less profit on French markets. French prisons corrupt prisoners, rather than reforming them, due to free communication between prisoners and the misuse of their wages. Corruption contributes to high recidivism rates. Finally, there are higher mortality rates in French prisons than in American penitentiaries.
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- 1.
*The French word is la peine, which translates as either “punishment” or “[prison] sentence.”
- 2.
This number has been furnished to us in the office of the Minister of Public Works, thanks to the division of which Mr. Labiche is chief: we have drawn from this source all the documents that we possess on the French prisons.
- 3.
*Or, “today.”
- 4.
See Report of the Seals Keeper on Criminal Justice, 1830. Page 16.
- 5.
Documents provided in the office of the Minister.
- 6.
See Statistical Tables, end of volume.
- 7.
The defect of our State prisons is not in their administration , but in the principle itself of their organization. Perhaps it would be impossible to draw a better part of the present system. We have recently seen a central prison (that of Melun) where we have admired the order of labor and the external maintenance of the rule. The direction of central prisons is among others confided, by the Minister of the Interior, to very capable men. But, whatever may be done, one will not render better and one will not prevent the mutual corruption of criminals who do not cease communicating together.
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© 2018 © Translation by Emily Katherine Ferkaluk
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de Beaumont, G., de Tocqueville, A. (2018). Chapter 1. In: On the Penitentiary System in the United States and its Application to France. Recovering Political Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70799-0_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70799-0_5
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