ABSTRACT
From the very outset of the associated labour stages prisoners were invited to make a rational decision to ‘contend against their propensities’ towards self-indulgence, defiance or disobedience as they realised that the immediate pain of self-denial was later followed by a greater pleasure. From the very outset of the associated labour stages prisoners were invited to make a rational decision to ‘contend against their propensities’ towards self-indulgence, defiance or disobedience as they realised that the immediate pain of self-denial was later followed by a greater pleasure. Maconochie argued that convict prison system exactly enforced those rules of conduct and habits of mind which were required for individual advancement within society which could not result without energy and effort being devoted by the individual to his own progress. Maconochie claimed that even the most stubborn and defiant prisoner would surrender to the marks system and allow the process of change to begin, because there was no choice but to commit energy.
