Images of Discipline

Abstract

Abstract This chapter studies the way criminal punishment has been presented visually over time, starting with the last public hanging in the United States, then examining the way contemporary executions are visualized, and concluding with a discussion of the challenges journalists face in covering the prison system. The execution of Rainey Bethea in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1936 was the last legally adjudicated hanging in the United States. An analysis of the resulting news narratives and discourse from Owensboro residents, when coupled with interviews from contemporary journalists who cover executions, suggests that while visual news practices are markedly different, the prevailing ideological constructs of law enforcement’s patriarchal legitimacy remain constant. Finally, while surveillance cameras and smartphones have offered new views into prison practices, the carceral state remains largely invisible in the news. The chapter ends with a normative discussion of journalism’s responsibilities to the audience, including people who are incarcerated.