White Bear: What is imprisonment for?

The episode “White Bear,” from Black Mirror, displayed a blatant penal abuse towards the prisoner. It showed the viewers exactly how the prisoner felt throughout the show she was unknowingly performing. Not only did the prisoner have no knowledge of her crime until the publicly-humiliating climax of the show, but she was to repeat said performance daily for an unknown amount of time. One presumes this will last until her demise or until her brain is left without proper function due to the amount of duress it is put under daily, when her memory is erased. This is forgetting the effects stress will have on her body, as it will be constant due to her perception of apocalyptic danger and duress, followed by the shame and process of memory removal immediately after she is exposed to her crimes.

Bearing the immense degree of punishment shown in this episode (easily argued to be worse than death by far), it does bring an interesting aspect of criminal justice. What is, exactly, the purpose of imprisonment? Why lock criminals in a cell and dictate a sentence which may or may not be used as punishment, retribution, rehabilitation, vengeance, or profit?

This answer, of course, varies from country to country. The United States and Western powers, for instance, are widely described as having a retribution-minded meaning of justice, in which the judicial system focuses on punishment of the criminal rather than reparation for the victims. This is not difficult to accept when watching shows which are involved in crime. “White Bear,” for instance, clearly shows this mode of justice, as the woman is punished for her sadistic mistreatment of the child and complicity in her death.  It becomes even more interesting  when one considers the fact that the United States still uses the death sentence, and about half of the population agrees with the use of this punishment.

Imprisonment can be used in different ways, and for different reasons. It allows for the removal of dangerous (or dissident, from the viewpoint pf governmental authorities) elements of society without the need to kill or torture said people. It also, however, is used for the benefit of a select group very often. A few examples, from the United States, include the Salem Witch Trials, Debtor’s prison, and the imprisonment and labeling of communist and anarchic activists operating in the 20th century. In the case of “White Bear,” this particular imprisonment can serve a multitude of purposes. It demoralizes criminals who may consider involving themselves against children, due to the very public punishment of the criminal upon which “White Bear” is founded on. It serves to calm down the populace, as it generates an illusion of justice. It may even soften the public, as it conditions the citizens of this country to hate any who is accused about anything, and take pleasure in their suffering. The monetary benefit of the park may also be a boon, depending on the expenses and gains it receives.

“White Bear” shows a unique perspective of judicial justice. It is difficult to decide, depending on the observer, whether or not the punishment of this woman is fair, or simply cruel. I personally believe that it is overboard, especially because her memory is wiped every day, and thus she is no longer really the same woman who once held a camera and filmed the grisly murder of a 7 year old child. The effects and consequences of such actions by the court, however, cannot be denied either way. Imprisonment is best left as a method of protecting the public from dangerous individuals. When it is used with ulterior motives, few crimes and injustices can compare.