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.
The reformative effect of punishment is
The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because it is so satisfying to our sadistic impulses.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Shyness is the prison of the heart.
Justice is justice though it's always
Justice is justice though it's always delayed and finally done only by mistake.
Two men look out the same prison bars;
Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.
The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
The degree of civilization in a society
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
So justice while she winks at crimes,
So justice while she winks at crimes, Stumbles on innocence sometimes.
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.
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.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
I know how men in exile feed on dreams
I know how men in exile feed on dreams of hope.
We are prisoners of ideas.
We are prisoners of ideas.
No man should be judge in his own case.
No man should be judge in his own case.
In prison, you get the chance to see who
In prison, you get the chance to see who really loves you.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
Wicked deeds are generally done, even
Wicked deeds are generally done, even with impunity, for the mere desire of occupation.
One of the many lessons that one learns
One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be.
Everyone is a prisoner of his own
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them.
The number of laws is constantly growing
The number of laws is constantly growing in all countries and, owing to this, what is called crime is very often not a crime at all, for it contains no element of violence or harm.
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.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
We who live in prison, and in whose
We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments.
When is conduct a crime, and when is a
When is conduct a crime, and when is a crime not a crime? When Somebody Up There -- a monarch, a dictator, a Pope, a legislator -- so decrees.
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.