Anarchism vs. The State: Civility or Incivility

I've been reading the excellent books by Will and Ariel Durant called The Story of Civilization; I am on the first book right now. On page 29 Durant is writing about primitive societies and the beginning of government and legal codes. Durant says: "Primitive punishments are cruel, because primitive society feels insecure; as social organization becomes more stable, punishments become less severe.