On the enigma of incarceration: Philosophical approaches to confinement in the modern Era

While the origins of the modern institution trace back to European monastic settlements of the late medieval period (Casella 2007; Evans 1982; Gilchrist 1994; Markus 1995), a "Golden Era" unfolded over the first half of the nineteenth century. As a distinct "carceral enthusiasm" (Hirsch 1992) gripped the popular and governmental climate of Western nations, confinement emerged as the primary mode of accommodation for the poor, the disabled, and the criminal. Soon, increasing professionalization of these services produced new philosophical and medical fields devoted to the study (if not perfection) of institutional confinement. © 2009 by University of Alabama Press. All rights reserved.