It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
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.
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.
Society prepares the crime; the criminal
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.
Prison makes you a better judge of
Prison makes you a better judge of character. You pick up on people much faster.
Fast closed with double grills
Fast closed with double grills
And triple gates – the cell
To wicked souls is hell;
But to a mind that's innocent
'Tis only iron, wood and stone.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
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.
We're in a war. People who blast some
We're in a war. People who blast some pot on a casual basis are guilty of treason.
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.
It isn't true that convicts live like
It isn't true that convicts live like animals: animals have more room to move around.
To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit
To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit better than to commit ordinary murder.
Society has used the juvenile courts to
Society has used the juvenile courts to create a caste system where there are throw-away people.
I never saw a man who looked With such a
I never saw a man who looked With such a wistful eye Upon that little tent of blue Which prisoners call the sky.
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.
Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X came out of
Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X came out of prison stronger.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
And while God had work for Paul, he
And while God had work for Paul, he found him friends both in court and prison. Let persecutors send saints to prison, God can provide a keeper for their turn.
They were being driven to a prison,
They were being driven to a prison, through no fault of their own, in all probability for life. In comparison, how much easier it would be to walk to the gallows than to this tomb of living horrors!
One man meets an infamous punishment for
One man meets an infamous punishment for that crime which confers a diadem upon another.
When it comes to freedom, we are but
When it comes to freedom, we are but prisoners of our own desires.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
Virtue pardons the wicked, as the
Virtue pardons the wicked, as the sandal-tree perfumes the axe which strikes it.
Written laws are like spiders' webs, and
Written laws are like spiders' webs, and will, like them, only entangle and hold the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful will easily break through them.
Hanging was the worst use a man could be
Hanging was the worst use a man could be put to.
