A country is in a bad state, which is
A country is in a bad state, which is governed only by laws; because a thousand things occur for which laws cannot provide, and where authority ought to interpose.
In the halls of justice, the only
In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls.
The virtue of justice consists in
The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom.
Well does Heaven have care that no man
Well does Heaven have care that no man secures happiness by crime.
The only effect of public punishment is
The only effect of public punishment is to show the rabble how bravely it can be borne; and that every one who hath lost a toe-nail hath suffered worse.
Concepts of justice must have hands and
Concepts of justice must have hands and feet to carry out justice in every case in the shortest possible time and the lowest possible cost. That is the challenge to every lawyer and judge in America.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
It is safer that a bad man should not be
It is safer that a bad man should not be accused, than that he should be acquitted.
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.
There are only two places in the world
There are only two places in the world where time takes precedence over the job to be done. School and prison.
In jail a man has no personality. He is
In jail a man has no personality. He is a minor disposal problem and a few entries on reports. Nobody cares who loves or hates him, what he looks like, what he did with his life. Nobody reacts to him unless he gives trouble. Nobody abuses him. All that is asked of him is that he go quietly to the right cell and remain quiet when he gets there. There is nothing to fight against, nothing to be mad at. The jailers are quiet men without animosity or sadism.
There are few better measures of the
There are few better measures of the concern a society has for its individual members and its own well being than the way it handles criminals.
Every instance of a man's suffering the
Every instance of a man's suffering the penalty of the law is an instance of the failure of that penalty in effecting its purpose, which is to deter.
The contagion of crime is like that of
The contagion of crime is like that of the plague. Criminals collected together corrupt each other; they are worse than ever when at the termination of their punishment they re-enter society.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Punishment, that is the justice for the
Punishment, that is the justice for the unjust.
Adversities such as being homeless and
Adversities such as being homeless and going to prison has made many people stronger.
One crime is everything; two nothing.
One crime is everything; two nothing.
Man is born free, and everywhere he is
Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.
Intellectual despair results in neither
Intellectual despair results in neither weakness nor dreams, but in violence. It is only a matter of knowing how to give vent to one's rage; whether one only wants to wander like madmen around prisons, or whether one wants to overturn them.
The worst of prison life, he thought,
The worst of prison life, he thought, was not being able to close his door.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
Organized crime in America takes in over
Organized crime in America takes in over forty billion dollars a year. This is quite a profitable sum, especially when one considers that the Mafia spends very little for office supplies.
He who opens a school door, closes a
He who opens a school door, closes a prison.
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.
