ZATVORI U 21. VEKU: INSTITUCIONALNE PROMENE I VLADAVINA PRAVA

Abstract

Prisons in the 21st century are no longer isolated “towers” of physical discipline, but rather complex hubs where advanced technology, corporate interests, and political ambitions intersect. The introduction of the digital panopticon and corrective managerialism has led to more efficient control, but also to significant dehumanization. Technology offers revolutionary tools for rehabilitation, yet at the same time it reduces the inmate to a statistical datum and a risk factor. How to use technology to empower the individual for reintegration into society, rather than to permanently stigmatize them through non-transparent algorithms, represents a major challenge that will significantly shape the future of prison systems. This paper analyzes the evolution of prison institutions from the perspective of the rule of law, exploring the transition from retributive justice to rehabilitative models, with a critical review of the challenges posed by digitalization, privatization, and penal populism.