Show me the prison, Show me the jail,
Show me the prison, Show me the jail, Show me the prisoner whose life has gone stale. And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why And there, but for fortune, go you or I.
A man who has no excuse for a crime, is
A man who has no excuse for a crime, is indeed defenseless!
Wicked deeds are generally done, even
Wicked deeds are generally done, even with impunity, for the mere desire of occupation.
They're not supposed to show prison
They're not supposed to show prison films in prison. Especially ones that are about escaping.
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.
Clemency alone makes us equal to the
Clemency alone makes us equal to the gods.
The torment of human frustration,
The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and 'mangled mind' leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.
It is not at the table, but in prison,
It is not at the table, but in prison, that you learn who your true friends are.
Why would anyone expect him to come out
Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton.
The worst of prison life, he thought,
The worst of prison life, he thought, was not being able to close his door.
I submit that an individual who breaks a
I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
Distrust all in whom the impulse to
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
The solution to our drug problem is not
The solution to our drug problem is not in incarceration.
If we look at Houston, which is a very
If we look at Houston, which is a very environmentally toxic place, we find that it has one of the highest levels of young men going to prison and also among the highest levels of illiteracy in the country.
A man will be imprisoned in a room with
A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked and opens inwards, as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push.
I have never been contained except I
I have never been contained except I made the prison.
A variety in punishment is of utility,
A variety in punishment is of utility, as well as a proportion.
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.
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.
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.”
The only real prison is fear, and the
The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.
To be at peace in crime! Ah, who can
To be at peace in crime! Ah, who can thus flatter himself.
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.
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.
