Prison reformers used physical exhaustion to drive out bad thoughts

Evidence

‘Anything that helps to tire the body helps to expel bad thoughts; so care is taken that games consist of violent exercise. At night, they fall asleep the moment they touch the pillow’ (Ducpétiaux, 1854, 375–6). — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 574

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Foucault’s later disciplinary techniques and to the Victorian gymnastics craze as moral regimen. — connects to: Penal power shifted its target from the body to the mind — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 162; Reformers reframed punishment as protection rather than vengeance — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 489; Brutal force failed to deter desertion, driving the shift to psychological control

Broader Connections

• Brutal force failed to deter desertion, driving the shift to psychological control #corroborates (0.85)
• Penal power shifted its target from the body to the mind #complicates (0.82) — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 162
• Reformers reframed punishment as protection rather than vengeance #exemplifies (0.75) — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 489