The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
I have never been contained except I
I have never been contained except I made the prison.
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.
The refined punishments of the spiritual
The refined punishments of the spiritual mode are usually much more indecent and dangerous than a good smack.
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.
Hanging was the worst use a man could be
Hanging was the worst use a man could be put to.
Money will determine whether the accused
Money will determine whether the accused goes to prison or walks out of the courtroom a free man.
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.
Concepts of justice must have hands and
Concepts of justice must have hands and feet to carry out justice in every case in the shortest possible time and the lowest possible cost. That is the challenge to every lawyer and judge in America.
Law is merely the expression of the will
Law is merely the expression of the will of the strongest for the time being, and therefore laws have no fixity, but shift from generation to generation.
Experts and the educated elite have
Experts and the educated elite have replaced what worked with what sounded good. Society was far more civilized before they took over our schools, prisons, welfare programs, police departments and courts. It's high time we ran these people out of our lives and went back to common sense.
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.
We don't seem to be able to check crime,
We don't seem to be able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business.
In the halls of justice, the only
In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls.
Extreme justice is extreme injustice.
Extreme justice is extreme injustice.
One crime has to be concealed by
One crime has to be concealed by another.
The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
It is true you cannot eat freedom and
It is true you cannot eat freedom and you cannot power machinery with democracy. But then neither can political prisoners turn on the light in the cells of a dictatorship.
A just chastisement may benefit a man,
A just chastisement may benefit a man, though it seldom does; but an unjust one changes all his blood to gall.
While we have prisons it matters little
While we have prisons it matters little which of us occupy the cells.
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.
To seek the redress of grievances by
To seek the redress of grievances by going to law, is like sheep running for shelter to a bramble bush.
So justice while she winks at crimes,
So justice while she winks at crimes, Stumbles on innocence sometimes.
Justice renders to every one his due.
Justice renders to every one his due.
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.