“If young punks were flogged in public after their first conviction, fewer of them would turn into criminals for life” (par. 8). This is where I definitely agree with Jacoby. Just like when we have children, we need to discipline them when they do something wrong. There is a difference between abuse and a firm hand. What the Puritans did was an abuse, we can even go so far as to say that it was torture; what Jacoby offers is a steady hand. The impact is greatest when the problem is addressed early on. So if a kid gets caught stealing, maybe a few public whippings would embarrass him and set him straight. Of course there are always times when this doesn't work, the exception to the rule. However, I have this theory: “the pain persists”, this means that people do not want to be subjected to painful acts, so they will learn to do something or not to do something. This act of “flogging” is quick and cheap, as mentioned by Jacoby. “A humiliating and painful spanking can be applied to a crook's backside for far less than $30,000 - and proves far more educational than ten years of prison lunches and meals."