Sociological writing on punishment has been focused on penal change and development; on the relationship between punishment and other aspects of social life; on the functions punishment performs for various sections of society, and on the ideas and expectations people have of punishment. As Garland (1990a: 10) summarizes, the sociology of punishment is 'that body of thought which explores the relations between punishment and society, its purpose being to understand punishment as a social phenomenon and thus trace its role in social life'.