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Convicts Quotes

Quotes on convicts, confinement, and the justice system.

One quote is bluntly critical of prison conditions, arguing that convicts have even less room to move than animals do. A different, older quote treats confessed sorcery as deserving the same penance given to someone who convicts himself of murder.

He who confesses magic or sorcery shall do penance for the time of murder, and shall be treated in the same manner as he who convicts himself of this sin.

Quotes by Saint Basil

It isn't true that convicts live like animals: animals have more room to move around.

Quotes by Mario Vargas Llosa

Most of today's black convicts have come to understand that they are the most abused victims of an unrighteous order.

Quotes by George Jackson

Technology is neutral: It convicts and finds innocents. We must make it a regularized part of the system, giving defendants access to DNA testing and evidence whenever it might be relevant.

Quotes by Eliot Spitzer

Believe Quotes

I believe the best mode of aiding convicts is so to apportion their tasks in prison as to give to the industrious the opportunity of earning a sum for themselves by 'over-work.' A man usually values that most for which...

Quotes by Dorothea Dix

Steady, firm, and kind government of prisoners is the truest humanity and the best exercise of duty. It is with convicts as with children: unseasonable indulgence, indiscreetly granted, leads to mischiefs which we may deplore but cannot repair.

Quotes by Dorothea Dix

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the animal comparison quote argue about prison conditions?
It flips a common phrase, arguing that convicts actually have less room to move around than animals do, challenging the idea that prison life resembles an animal existence in any generous sense.
What is the older quote about sorcery and penance saying?
It reflects a historical religious view that confessing to magic or sorcery warranted the same penance as someone convicted of murder, treating the confession itself as equally serious.
What does the quote about "black convicts" argue?
It claims that many black convicts today understand themselves as victims of an unrighteous system rather than simply people who broke the law, framing incarceration in terms of broader injustice. See Black quotes for related themes.
How does the DNA testing quote describe technology's role?
It calls technology neutral, capable of convicting the guilty and clearing the innocent alike, and argues that regular access to DNA testing should be built into the justice system. See Believe quotes for related trust-in-evidence themes.
Do these quotes present a single view of convicts?
No - they range from harsh criticism of prison conditions to historical religious judgment to modern calls for fairer evidence standards, reflecting very different eras and perspectives.

More recent quotes turn to systemic issues, describing black convicts as victims of an unrighteous order and calling for DNA testing built into the system. See Black and Believe quotes for related themes.