Plot Summary:In Germany as in France, some 60,000 people are currently living behind bars. More than half of them re-offend within three years of their release - a fact that raises questions about the relevance of the prison system. The concept of prison is relatively recent, having spread in the 19th century with the desire to stop punishing with corporal punishment and death sentences, explains researcher Annelie Ramsbrock. Since prisoners are supposed to be reintegrated into society once their sentences have been served, how can imprisonment promote this reintegration?