The general public does not believe prisons are tough enough, yet researchers indicate prisons do not rehabilitate or deter criminals. Both conservatives and liberals may be doomed to repeat failures of the past because they do not accept the reality that prisons are the most expensive and least morally defensible form of severe punishment. The need for a credible punishment alternative is obvious, one that is properly "painful" but that is humane and proportional to the offense. Corporal punishment is advocated in part because it punishes only the offender and not innocent people such as the offender's family. Because studies indicate corporal punishment suppresses unwanted behavior, it may deter crime. The author's responses to criticisms of corporal punishment concern constitutional rights of the offender, whether corporal punishment actually decreases the prison population, issues related to violence and torture, severe negative side effects of corporal punishment, and offender humiliation. Footnotes