Author(s)

Yi You ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, 201701, China

Corresponding Author

Yi You

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the phenomenon of the lack of motivation in the field of prison studies in China, a condition manifested among students, researchers, and practitioners alike. Drawing from the perspectives of these three groups, it argues that the perceived dullness of prison studies is not merely a pedagogical issue or a reflection of student apathy, but a symptom of a deeper structural problem within the discipline's epistemology and knowledge system. The paper contends that penological education in China have become overly objectified and narrowly oriented toward solving practical or administrative problems, neglecting its broader theoretical and humanistic dimensions. This utilitarian orientation has led to a disconnection between cognitive activity and subjective interest, turning research and learning into alienated forms of intellectual labor. Through engagement with critical theory—particularly the Frankfurt School and Jürgen Habermas's concept of knowledge and human interests—the paper explores how genuine academic vitality arises when cognition is guided by emancipatory interests, and proposes three pathways for revitalizing the discipline in China: (1) critically reassessing the historical and institutional foundations of prison studies; (2) integrating it into wider social-scientific and theoretical frameworks; and (3) diversifying its relationship with practice beyond administrative agendas. 

KEYWORDS

Cognitive Interest, Penological Education, Motivation in Studying

CITE THIS PAPER

Yi You. Interest in Studying Prisons: Understanding the Lack of Motivation in Penological Education in China. Science of Law Journal (2025) Vol. 4: 28-38. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/DOI: 10.23977/law.2025.040505.

REFERENCES

[1] Wang, Xuefeng, and Gao, Chang. "2024 Annual Review of Prison Theory Research." Crime and Correctional Research, no. 1, 2025.
[2] Wang, Zhiliang. "The Academic Value of Prison Studies as a Special Legal Discipline." Journal of Anhui Vocational College of Police Officers, vol. 22, no. 6, 2023.
[3] Horkheimer, Max. "Traditional and Critical Theory." In Critical Theory: Selected Essays, translated by Matthew J. O' Connell et al., 188–243. New York: Continuum Pub Corp, 1982.
[4] Habermas, Jürgen. Knowledge and Human Interests. Translated by Jeremy J. Shapiro. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.
[5] Felson, Marcus, and Mary A. Eckert. Crime and Everyday Life: A Brief Introduction. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2019.
[6] Durkheim, Émile. "Two Laws of Penal Evolution." In The Radical Sociology of Durkheim and Mauss. Edited by M. Gane, New York: Routledge, 1992.
[7] Rusche, Georg, and Otto Kirchheimer. Punishment and Social Structure. Translated by Mary B. Sperry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1939.
[8] Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan. New York: Pantheon Books, 1977.

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