Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi

SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHTS ON PUNISHMENT AND THEIR RELEVANCE IN AFRICAN SOCIETIES

Philip, N. Ndubueze

Abstract

The sociology of punishment is critical to the understanding of the various justifications of punishment and the various mechanisms employed by society to sanction members who violate social norms. The extant literature on punishment is western-oriented and largely covers developments in developed countries of the world. Undoubtedly, there is a dearth of literature on punishment practices around Africa. The paper therefore discusses some sociological thoughts on punishment and their relevance to African societies. It specifically examines the intellectual contributions of the three foremost founding fathers of Sociology: Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx to the punishment discourse. Furthermore, the African justice system is discussed with case studies from Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. The effects of the thoughts of Durkheim, Weber and Marx on penal practices in African societies are also discussed. .

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