Penal Policies at the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

An analysis of penal policies of the United States and other industrialized countries since the l970s indicates a turn away from the rehabilitation ideology that had been pvevalent for decades before and an emphasis on punishment, deterrence, and especially incapacitation. Some of the principles behind the changing policies are strongly rooted in the culture of modern capitalist societies, namely, individual responsibility and efficiency. The implementation of penal policies and practices that are based on these culturally anchored principles may result in certain contradictions, such as the attribution of individual responsibility on the one hand and the surveillance of " dangerous" groups on the other. Nevertheless, penal policies based on these culturally embedded principles are likely to prevail in the near future, but some changes such as limitations on capital punishment, slowing down on privatization, and a rethinking of rehabilitation might occur.