Hard TimePrisons have always existed in a climate of crisis. The penitentiaryemerged in the early decades of the nineteenth century as anenlightened alternative to brute punishment, one that would focus onrehabilitation and the inculcation of mainstream social values. Centralto this goal was physical labour. The penitentiary was constructedaccording to a plan that would harness the energies of the prisonpopulation for economic profit. As such, the institution