The Century (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 edition. Excerpt: ... all prisoners shall be entirely dependent upon their industry for their living and comfort except in cases of sickness or other disability; that they shall support themselves by their labor, be entitled to the savings of their labor, and grow rich or remain poor by their labor; in fine, that true individual liberty be not only taught but enforced when the State by the sequestration of criminals has put it out of their power to be a present danger to society. It is proposed to teach criminals, by experience, the true meaning of liberty j to impress upon the past enemies of order the habits of thought and action which it is desired they shall acquire, by giving them a practical experience of the value to the individual of harmonious society. Whenever society undertakes to punish offenders, it acts purely and simply for its protection. The idea of offense has its origin in the idea of danger, and even in the days when punishments were most cruel and brutal, protection was, as it ever must be, the ultimate purpose--else why have supposed offenders always been selected for punishment? Short of killing, sequestration is the most sure and obvious means society has of protecting itself from offenders, and as the humanizing influence of civilization extends itself, it is not unlikely that the mildest method of producing any desired result will always be the one employed. For our present purpose we may say that, with few possible exceptions, sequestration is so far as it is necessary and therefore so far as it is right or desirable for society to go in its dealing with individuals. Liberty, howevefr, is so highly prized that society condemns the securement in all cases of perpetual protection by means of perpetual imprisonment, and hopes by the...