Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
The degree of civilization in a society
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
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.
Justice renders to every one his due.
Justice renders to every one his due.
I know how men in exile feed on dreams
I know how men in exile feed on dreams of hope.
It is impossible to go through life
It is impossible to go through life without trust: That is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.
Those magistrates who can prevent crime,
Those magistrates who can prevent crime, and do not, in effect encourage it.
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.
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.”
I never told a victim story about my
I never told a victim story about my imprisonment. Instead, I told a transformation story - about how prison changed my outlook, about how I saw that communication, truth, and trust are at the heart of power.
Women have worked hard; starved in
Women have worked hard; starved in prison; given of their time and lives that we might sit in the House of Commons and take part in the legislating of this country.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
The solution to our drug problem is not
The solution to our drug problem is not in incarceration.
Man is condemned to be free.
Man is condemned to be free.
Women now have choices. They can be
Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children. Men have the same choice we've always had: work, or prison.
Prisons don't rehabilitate, they don't
Prisons don't rehabilitate, they don't punish, they don't protect, so what the hell do they do?
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.
Governments have tried to stop crime
Governments have tried to stop crime through punishment throughout the ages, but crime continued in the past punishment remains. Crime can only be stopped through a preventive approach in the schools. You teach the students Transcendental Meditation, and right away they’ll begin using their full brain physiology sensible and they will not get sidetracked into wrong things.
Liberty is rendered even more precious
Liberty is rendered even more precious by the recollection of servitude.
A man who has no excuse for a crime, is
A man who has no excuse for a crime, is indeed defenseless!
Society has used the juvenile courts to
Society has used the juvenile courts to create a caste system where there are throw-away people.
Whatever you think of de Sade, he was a
Whatever you think of de Sade, he was a complex figure and we should not look for easy answers with him. He was, strangely perhaps, against the death penalty, and he was never put in prison for murders or anything like that.
Once we are destined to live out our
Once we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our mind, our duty is to furnish it well.
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.
There is a point at which even justice
There is a point at which even justice does injury.
