"teens" beat man to death in philly
(nypost.com)
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Historically in Europe, that's what punishment was. Unless you're talking about the ruler throwing someone in a dungeon to die, prison or jail was just a temporary place to hold criminals until their punishment, or during another punishment like backbreaking slave labor. I don't know why it came into fashion to give adults a "timeout" to sit in the corner until they learn their lesson.
Quakers. The inventor of the penitentiary was William Penn, of Pennsylvania fame. The idea was to put people in a quiet place alone and allow them to become penitent before god. Penitent = penitentiary.
In other words, putting people in jail is religious torture. I'm surprised no one has tried to fight it on first amendment grounds.