What happens in the book?

The last part of Discipline and Punish, “Prison,” tracks the continued rise of the prison in the 19th century. Once the prison comes on the scene as an institution for reforming people, it takes off quickly, because it seems the “perfect penalty.” Aimed primarily at the “deprivation of liberty” rather than the infliction of pain, it is the best penalty for a society that values freedom above all else. And more importantly, because liberty is a universal value, depriving it impacts everyone equally. Fining a rich person does not impact him as much as fining a poor person. But confining, on the other hand, affects rich and poor alike.

For a complete summary of Part Four, please visit GradeSaver's Study Guide for the unit.