Why go straight to corporal punishment rather than any of the other non-custodial solutions like electronic tagging? Or is the brutality part of the point?
Because with corporal punishment once it's over you're done. You don't drop off the face of the earth for weeks to years like you do with prison. I'd totally take lashes in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Fines also have this quality.
Only if you can afford to pay them. Otherwise they linger for quite some time.
Even in the case where a fine takes some time to pay, it doesn't exclude the offender from society while they're paying it.