This usage of both 'punishment' and

This usage of both 'punishment' and 'modern' is narrower than that of everyday conversation. 'Punishment' is a word widely used in relation to anything that is painful: we talk of a 'punishing' schedule of work, a 'punishing' exercise regime, even a 'punishing' diet; we talk of punishment by parents of children, or by teachers of pupils. The punishment that is the subject matter of penology, however, does not encompass everything that is painful or demanding, and does not encompass all kinds of control or discipline of one person by another. It means penalties authorized by the state, and inflicted by state officials, in response to crime. Punishment in this sense is usually distinguished from other kinds of pain and deprivation, and from the wider concept of 'social control', by listing its essential features A frequently used set of five criteria was suggested by the philo¬sopher Flew (1954), with a sixth, suggested by Benn and Peters (1959), often