Distrust all in whom the impulse to
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.
If it's near dinner-time, the foreman
If it's near dinner-time, the foreman takes out his watch when the jury has retired, and says: "Dear me, gentlemen, ten minutes to five, I declare! I dine at five, gentlemen." "So do I," says everybody else, except two men who ought to have dined at three and seem more than half disposed to stand out in consequence. The foreman smiles, and puts up his watch:--"Well, gentlemen, what do we say, plaintiff or defendant, gentlemen?
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
The common argument that crime is caused
The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.
Forgiveness, that noblest of all
Forgiveness, that noblest of all self-denial, is a virtue which he alone who can practise in himself can willingly believe in another.
I have never been contained except I
I have never been contained except I made the prison.
One crime has to be concealed by
One crime has to be concealed by another.
America is the land of the second chance
America is the land of the second chance – and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not free either. They keep returning to the same things.
Kill a man, and you are an assassin.
Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a God.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
He who opens a school door, closes a
He who opens a school door, closes a prison.
I know not whether laws be right, or
I know not whether laws be right, or whether laws be wrong; All that we know who lie in gaol is that the wall is strong; And that each day is like a year, a year whose days are long.
Virtue pardons the wicked, as the
Virtue pardons the wicked, as the sandal-tree perfumes the axe which strikes it.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
Liberty is rendered even more precious
Liberty is rendered even more precious by the recollection of servitude.
He who does not prevent a crime when he
He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Hanging was the worst use a man could be
Hanging was the worst use a man could be put to.
So justice while she winks at crimes,
So justice while she winks at crimes, Stumbles on innocence sometimes.
We don't seem to be able to check crime,
We don't seem to be able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business.
Mere factual innocence is no reason not
Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached.
We shall fight against them, throw them
We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.
When you are younger you get blamed for
When you are younger you get blamed for crimes you never committed and when you're older you begin to get credit for virtues you never possessed. It evens itself out.
Steal goods and you’ll go to prison,
Steal goods and you’ll go to prison, steal lands and you are a king.
