A variety in punishment is of utility,
A variety in punishment is of utility, as well as a proportion.
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit; But life, being weary of these worldly bars, Never lacks power to dismiss itself.
Those magistrates who can prevent crime,
Those magistrates who can prevent crime, and do not, in effect encourage it.
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.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
Prison, dungeons, blessed places where
Prison, dungeons, blessed places where evil is impossible because they are the crossroads of all the evil in the world. One cannot commit evil in hell.
Clemency alone makes us equal to the
Clemency alone makes us equal to the gods.
Overlook our deeds, since you know that
Overlook our deeds, since you know that crime was absent from our inclination.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
I don't like jail, they got the wrong
I don't like jail, they got the wrong kind of bars in there.
In prison, you get the chance to see who
In prison, you get the chance to see who really loves you.
Oh who is that young sinner with the
Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrist? And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists? And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air? Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
To make punishments efficacious, two
To make punishments efficacious, two things are necessary. They must never be disproportioned to the offence, and they must be certain.
The solution to our drug problem is not
The solution to our drug problem is not in incarceration.
While we have prisons it matters little
While we have prisons it matters little which of us occupy the cells.
On average, drug prisoners spend more
On average, drug prisoners spend more time in federal prison than rapists, who often get out on early release because of the overcrowding in prison caused by the Drug War.
One crime has to be concealed by
One crime has to be concealed by another.
Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners
Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts.
The world itself is but a large prison,
The world itself is but a large prison, out of which some are daily led to execution.
Justice is justice though it's always
Justice is justice though it's always delayed and finally done only by mistake.
Crimes lead one into another; they who
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
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.
The English laws punish vice; the
The English laws punish vice; the Chinese laws do more, they reward virtue.
I asked a man in prison once how he
I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator.
In prisons, those things withheld from
In prisons, those things withheld from and denied to the prisoner become precisely what he wants most of all.
