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.
If punishment reaches not the mind and
If punishment reaches not the mind and makes not the will supple, it hardens the offender.
The worst of prison life, he thought,
The worst of prison life, he thought, was not being able to close his door.
Every crime has, in the moment of its
Every crime has, in the moment of its perpetration, Its own avenging angel--dark misgiving, An ominous sinking at the inmost heart.
If you strike at, imprison, or kill us,
If you strike at, imprison, or kill us, out of our prisons or graves we will still evoke a spirit that will thwart you, and perhaps, raise a force that will destroy you! We defy you! Do your worst!
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.
Crimes lead one into another; they who
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
In prison, you get the chance to see who
In prison, you get the chance to see who really loves you.
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.
Two men look out the same prison bars;
Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.
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.
Well, I don't think prisons are the
Well, I don't think prisons are the answer to everything, obviously.
A variety in punishment is of utility,
A variety in punishment is of utility, as well as a proportion.
Crimes lead one into another; they who
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not free either. They keep returning to the same things.
Clemency alone makes us equal to the
Clemency alone makes us equal to the gods.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
One should respect public opinion
One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.
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 solution to our drug problem is not
The solution to our drug problem is not in incarceration.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
It is hard, but it is excellent, to find
It is hard, but it is excellent, to find the right knowledge of when correction is necessary and when grace doth most avail.
It is better that ten guilty persons
It is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer.
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.