It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
Some laws of state aimed at curbing
Some laws of state aimed at curbing crime are even more criminal.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
No crime has been without a precedent.
No crime has been without a precedent.
Three hundred years ago a prisoner
Three hundred years ago a prisoner condemned to the Tower of London carved on the wall of his cell this sentiment to keep up his spirits during his long imprisonment: “It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear adversity.”
The idea that the sole aim of punishment
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime can be prevented, which is almost as dubious as the notion that poverty can be prevented.
When I was in prison, I was wrapped up
When I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.
A Sunday school is a prison in which
A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.
A sick person is a prisoner.
A sick person is a prisoner.
Prison continues, on those who are
Prison continues, on those who are entrusted to it, a work begun elsewhere, which the whole of society pursues on each individual through innumerable mechanisms of discipline.
Mere factual innocence is no reason not
Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached.
No obligation to justice does force a
No obligation to justice does force a man to be cruel, or to use the sharpest sentence.
Society prepares the crime; the criminal
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.
I have never been contained except I
I have never been contained except I made the prison.
I sometimes wish that people would put a
I sometimes wish that people would put a little more emphasis upon the observance of the law than they do upon its enforcement.
Everyone is a prisoner of his own
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them.
I submit that an individual who breaks a
I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
I know how men in exile feed on dreams
I know how men in exile feed on dreams of hope.
I wrote a million words in the first
I wrote a million words in the first year, and I could never have done that outside of prison.
You utter a vow, or forge a signature,
You utter a vow, or forge a signature, and you may find yourself bound for life to a monastery, a woman, or prison.
Care should be taken that the punishment
Care should be taken that the punishment does not exceed the guilt; and also that some men do not suffer for offenses for which others are not even indicted.
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more freely.
In a civilized society, all crimes are
In a civilized society, all crimes are likely to be sins, but most sins are not and ought not to be treated as crimes.
If we look at Houston, which is a very
If we look at Houston, which is a very environmentally toxic place, we find that it has one of the highest levels of young men going to prison and also among the highest levels of illiteracy in the country.
Steal goods and you’ll go to prison,
Steal goods and you’ll go to prison, steal lands and you are a king.
