▁other ▁prison ▁ri ots ▁that ▁it ▁spark ed ▁off ; ▁in ▁doing ▁so ▁it ▁faced ▁a ▁police ▁crack down ▁and ▁repeated ▁arr ests . ▁The ▁group ▁became ▁active ▁across ▁France , ▁with ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁to ▁ 3 , 0 0 0 , ▁members , ▁but ▁dis band ed ▁before ▁ 1 9 7 4 . ▁Also ▁campaign ing ▁against ▁the ▁death ▁penalty , ▁Fou ca ult ▁co - author ed ▁a ▁short ▁book ▁on ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁the ▁conv icted ▁murder er ▁Pierre ▁Riv ière . ▁After ▁his ▁research ▁into ▁the ▁pen al ▁system , ▁Fou ca ult ▁published ▁Sur ve iller ▁et ▁pun ir : ▁Na issance ▁de ▁la ▁prison ▁( Dis cipl ine ▁and ▁P un ish ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 5 , ▁offering ▁a ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁system ▁in ▁western ▁Europe . ▁In ▁it , ▁Fou ca ult ▁exam ines ▁the ▁pen al ▁evolution ▁away ▁from ▁corpor al ▁and ▁capital ▁pun ishment ▁to ▁the ▁pen it enti ary ▁system ▁that ▁began ▁in ▁Europe ▁and ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁around ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century . ▁Bi ograph er ▁Did ier ▁E rib on ▁described ▁it ▁as ▁" per haps ▁the ▁fin est " ▁of ▁Fou ca ult ' s ▁works , ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁well ▁received . ▁ ▁Fou ca ult ▁was ▁also ▁active ▁in ▁anti - rac ist ▁campaign s ; ▁in ▁November ▁ 1 9 7 1 , ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁leading ▁figure ▁in ▁protest s ▁following ▁the ▁perce