In contemporary Western societies, the corporal punishment of criminals is generally assumed to be morally wrong. Murtagh, however, argues against this common assumption and attempts to demonstrate that certain forms of corporal punishment are morally permissible. In addition, he claims that these punishments are morally superior to many currently popular forms of punishment, especially imprisonment, and defends corporal punishment against objections that claim it to be cruel, inhumane, inhuman, and degrading. Substantial suffering is inevitable with any severe punishment, and Murtagh offers reasons why it may be preferable to cause it by imposing physical pain rather than by incarcerating offenders.