Best Prison Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 25

“[White House is] the finest prison in the world.”

World House White Prison White House Finest

“Note to conservatives: sometimes you just have to give up. Do you really care that much about killing lots of bad guys as opposed to letting them rot in prison for the rest of their lives? It might be time to let go and save your energy for other battles. This one is getting absurd.”

Giving Sometimes Might Care Guy Energy Battle Letting Go Giving Up Prison Notes Killing Absurd Bad Guys Time To Let Go

Author:Kevin Drum

“During the '80s I wrote Memoirs from the Women's Prison. This is one of my most important books. It came out in Arabic in '83. About my experience in prison.”

Important Book Prison Memoir 80s

Author:Nawal El Saadawi

“In at least one country where homosexual activists have won major concessions, we have even seen a church pastor threatened with prison for preaching from the pulpit that homosexual behavior is sinful. Given these trends, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue - ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach.”

“I've reported in countries where leaders not only complain about a critical press, but also try to shut it down, throwing reporters in prison or worse. I've seen my colleagues risk their lives and, with increasing frequency, lose their lives in their pursuit of the truth. We are not about to stop doing our jobs because yet another president is unhappy with what he reads or hears or sees on TV news. There is a reason the founders put freedom of the press in the very first amendment to the Constitution.”

“Closing Guantanamo Bay is not a military solution. The closing of that prison, which I support, I supported it when I was in the Senate, requires more than just a military dimension.”

Support Military Solutions Prison Dimensions Senate Closing Guantanamo Guantanamo Bay

Author:Chuck Hagel

“We can see, from California to New York, from Maine to Florida, Seattle to New Mexico - everywhere there are women's groups. Everywhere there are women who have gotten together to examine global warming, and women who have gotten together to prepare each other for single parenting - there are women who have come together to be supportive to those whose mates are in prison, male or female, partners are in prison. All sorts of gatherings of women. I mean, I'm just celebrating my 80th year on this planet, and I look back 50 years ago and there was nothing like that.”

“Mandatory minimum sentences give no discretion to judges about the amount of time that the person should receive once a guilty verdict is rendered. Harsh mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses were passed by Congress in the 1980s as part of the war on drugs and the "get tough" movement, sentences that have helped to fuel our nation's prison boom and have also greatly aggravated racial disparities, particularly in the application of mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine.”

“My stepfather used to be a clown in The Shrine Circus. He took me backstage when I was 23. I saw three elephants chained to the cement floor in the warehouse of the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Sadness, hopelessness and fear were emanating from their eyes, from their bodies. They were swaying neurotically from side to side. A monkey was screaming in his cage, grabbing the bars of his prison. Two tigers were pacing feverishly in their tiny cages. Cruelty was staring me in the face. I knew something was wrong. If you pay attention to energy, you can tell when a fellow being is in peril.”

“Man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door of his prison and run away... A man should wait, and not take his own life until God summons him.”

Men Should Running Waiting Doors Prison Prisoner Running Away

Book:The Works of Plato: The Trial and Death of Socrates

Source: The Works of Plato: The Trial and Death of Socrates

“Like many resisting oppression, Palestinian Gandhis are likely to be found in prisons after being repressed by Israeli soldiers or police or in the hospital after being brutally beaten or worse.”

Found Police Prison Soldier Oppression Hospitals Palestinian Beaten Israeli Resisting Repressed Israeli Soldiers

Author:Yousef Munayyer

“There's no doubt I expect to die in prison.”

Dies Doubt Prison No Doubt

Author:Jack Kevorkian

“Mass incarceration has become normalized in the United States. Poor folks of color are shuttled from decrepit, underfunded schools to brand new, high tech prisons and then relegated to a permanent undercaste - stigmatized as undeserving of any moral care or concern.”

States Care School Poor United Moral United States Color Mass Concern Prison Folks Brands Permanent Brand New Incarceration Mass Incarceration Undeserving Decrepit

Author:Michelle Alexander

“In many large urban areas, the majority of working age African American men now have criminal records and are thus subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives. It is viewed as "normal" in ghetto communities to go to prison or jail.”

Men Age Community Records Subjects Normal Areas Majority Prison Criminals Discrimination African American Jail Urban Ghetto Urban Areas

Author:Michelle Alexander

“Our prison population quintupled in a thirty year period of time. Not doubled or tripled - quintupled. We went from a prison and jail population of about 300,000 to now more than 2 million.”

Years Millions Periods Prison Population Thirty Jail Thirty Years Prison Population

Author:Michelle Alexander

“I was influenced at an early age by Gandhi, and I have read many biographies of him. I have been greatly influenced in the last twenty years by Mandela. It is amazing that he has managed to keep such a balance, that he came out of prison after such a long time as a rounded, holistic person who could reach difficult accommodations with generosity.”

Years Persons Long Has Beens Age Lasts Difficult Balance Long Time Twenties Prison Generosity Biographies Holistic Accommodations

Author:Mary Robinson

“There are numerous issues that governments used to deal with that they now no longer deal with to the same extent: Prisons have been privatized in a number of countries; education and health are becoming privatized. Governments don't have the capacity to deliver - or not in isolation.”

Has Beens Country Government Used Deals Numbers Issues Becoming Capacity Prison Isolation

Author:Mary Robinson

“For children, the era of mass incarceration has meant a tremendous amount of family separation, broken homes, poverty, and a far, far greater level of hopelessness as they see so many of their loved ones cycling in and out of prison. Children who have incarcerated parents are far more likely themselves to be incarcerated.”

Children Home Parent Levels Poverty Greater Broken Amount Mass Prison Separation Eras Loved Ones Hopelessness Cycling Incarceration Mass Incarceration Broken Homes

Author:Michelle Alexander

“When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they themselves are the target of police stops, interrogations, frisks, often for no reason other than their race. And, of course, this level of harassment sends a message to them, often at an early age: No matter who you are or what you do, you're going to find yourself behind bars one way or the other. This reinforces the sense that prison is part of their destiny, rather than a choice one makes.”

“For many, whether they go to prison or not is far less about the choices they make and far more about what kind of cage they're born into.”

Kind Choices Born Prison Cages

Author:Michelle Alexander

“The mythology around colorblindness leads people to imagine that if poor kids of color are failing or getting locked up in large numbers, it must be something wrong with them. It leads young kids of color to look around and say: "There must be something wrong with me, there must be something wrong with us. Is there something inherent, something different about me, about us as a people, that leads us to fail so often, that leads us to live in these miserable conditions, that leads us to go in and out of prison?"”

People Ifs Looks Different Kids Young Poor Numbers Imagine Failing Conditions Color Prison Mythology Miserable Locked Imagine That Inherent Large Numbers Locked Up

Author:Michelle Alexander

“The education justice movement and the prison justice movement have been operating separately in many places as though they're in silos. But the reality is we're not going to provide meaningful education opportunities to poor kids, kids of color, until and unless we recognize that we're wasting trillions of dollars on a failed criminal justice system.”

Has Beens Reality Kids Opportunity Justice Poor Movement Color Dollars Prison Criminals Meaningful Justice System Criminal Justice Criminal Justice System

Author:Michelle Alexander

“Kids are growing up in communities in which they see their loved ones cycling in and out of prison and in which they are sent the message in countless ways that they, too, are going to prison one way or another. We cannot build healthy, functioning schools within a context where there is no funding available because it's going to building prisons and police forces.”

Way Kids School Force Community Growing Up Growing Building Healthy Messages Police Prison Available One Way Loved Ones Funding Cycling Police Force

Author:Michelle Alexander

“In a society where some people are far more educated than others, in which public education is ill-funded - here I am speaking of the U.S. - while we build more and more prisons to incarcerate youth who ought to be in school, there is already a gap between those with education and those without. Those with educational privilege can be seen as arrogant, remote, alien - and very often they believe themselves superior.”

People Believe School Youth Ought Prison Ill Privilege Educational Superiors Educated Aliens Gaps Arrogant Here I Am Public Education Peaking

Author:Adrienne Rich

“The issues which mattered to me as an activist, mainly things like prison reform and AIDS, have less of a chance of getting covered on my show than things I don't have a personal interest in. It's because I don't trust my antenna about being a good storyteller on those subjects, because I know a lot and therefore lose touch with what the average person might find interesting about them.”

“I see a huge, huge divide between the people who are facing the most barriers and violence and the kinds of stories being told in mainstream American politics. The issues that I think most about - how many people's lives are being affected by prisons and policing, how many people's lives are being affected by immigration enforcement and deportation - those stories aren't being touched, let alone told, in mainstream politics.”

People Thinking Kind Stories Issues Violence Huge Prison Immigration Touched Barriers Affected Divides Mainstream Enforcement American Politics Deportation

Author:Grace Dunham

“The things that I want to see happen get no play in mainstream American politics. My primary interests are the legalization of sex work and prison abolition.”

Want Play Happens Sex Interest Prison Primaries Mainstream American Politics Abolition Sex Work

Author:Grace Dunham

“Defenders of the status quo will often try to mislead the public by saying, "Just look at our state prisons: nearly half of the inmates are violent offenders. This system is about protecting the public from violent crime." This type of statement is highly misleading.”

Trying Looks States Half Crime Type Prison Violent Statements Status Quo Mislead Defenders Offenders Inmates Violent Crimes

Author:Michelle Alexander

“What defenders of the system typically fail to acknowledge is that the reason violent offenders comprise a fairly large percentage of the state prison population is because they typically receive longer sentences than non-violent offenders.”

States Reason Failing Prison Population Sentences Violent Acknowledge Percentages Defenders Offenders Non Violent Prison Population

Author:Michelle Alexander

“I think it's critically important for people to understand that this system of mass incarceration governs not just those who find themselves in prison on any given day, but also all those who are in jail, on probation or parole, as well as all those who are just months away from being locked up again because they are unable to find work or housing due to their criminal record.”

People Thinking Wells Important Given Records Months Mass Prison Dues Criminals Jail Locked Housing Locked Up Incarceration Parole Mass Incarceration Probation

Author:Michelle Alexander

“The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the idea was it was like detention. You had screwed up and you go over there in purgatory and you sit there until the end of days and then we'll decide. You'd made your mistake, and you were in prison, and it's not terrible and it's not great, and you feel a little crappy because you were not in the presence of God.”

Way Feels Littles Made Ideas Different Ends Mistake Terrible Understood Prison Versions The End Of The Day Chicago Presence Of God Screwed Up Purgatory Detention

Author:George Saunders

“If we try to 'protect ourselves', our nation-states begin to look like prisons.”

Ifs Trying Looks States Nations Protect Prison

Author:Mohsin Hamid

“We're being subject to incredible amounts of surveillance, the police are taking on draconian powers and violating our rights. I think this attempt to protect ourselves is ultimately going to founder because people don't like living inside prisons.”

People Thinking Rights Subjects Amount Protect Police Prison Incredibles Founders Surveillance Draconian

Author:Mohsin Hamid

“The war on drugs has been the engine of mass incarceration. Drug convictions alone constituted about two-thirds of the increase in the federal prison population and more than half of the increase in the state prison population between 1985 and 2000, the period of our prison system's most dramatic expansion.”

“What are people released from prison expected to do? How are they expected to survive? Can't get a job, locked out of housing, and even food stamps may be off limits. Well, apparently what we expect them to do is to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees, fines, court costs, and back child support (which continues to accrue while you are in prison).”

People Wells May Children Jobs Pay Support Fine Cost Limits Court Dollars Prison Expected Locked Stamps Housing Fees Food Stamps

Author:Michelle Alexander

“In a growing number of states, you're actually expected to pay back the costs of your imprisonment. Paying back all these fees, fines, and costs may be a condition of your probation or parole. To make matters worse, if you're one of the lucky few who actually manages to get a job following release from prison, up to 100% of your wages can be garnished to pay back all those fees, fines and court costs. One hundred percent.”

Ifs May Matter States Jobs Numbers Pay Growing Conditions Fine Cost Lucky Percent Hundred Court Prison Following Expected Manage Release Wages Fees Imprisonment Parole Probation

Author:Michelle Alexander

“What does this system seem designed to do? As I see it, it seems designed to send people right back to prison, which is what happens about 70% of the time.”

People Doe Seems Happens Prison

Author:Michelle Alexander

“About 70% of those released from prison return within a few years, and the majority of those who return in some states do so in a matter of months because the challenges associated with mere survival on the outside are so immense.”

Years Matter States Challenges Months Return Survival Majority Prison Mere Immense

Author:Michelle Alexander

“Millions of people are unable to vote due to felony convictions with the highest rates among black men. People in prison are denied the right to vote in 48 states, and while we accept that as normal in the United States, in other western democracies people in prison do have the right to vote.”

People Men States Black United Accepting Millions United States Democracy Normal Highest Vote Prison Western Rate Conviction Dues Denied Right To Vote Felony

Author:Michelle Alexander

“In fact, in some countries there are actually voting drives conducted in prison! But here in the U.S., we seem to take the idea of democracy a bit less seriously and people are denied the right to vote not only when they are in prison, but also upon release in many states.”

People Ideas Country States Facts Seems Bits Democracy Vote Prison Release Voting Denied Right To Vote

Author:Michelle Alexander

“We would never throw up our hands and say to those white boys - well, too bad, if you had just stayed away from marijuana or not dealt dope to your friends when you were 18 you wouldn't be serving a life sentence in prison right now. You wouldn't be locked out of jobs, unable to even get work at McDonalds. No, instead we'd say, "What's wrong with us as a nation that we would condemn so many of our young men to a life of poverty, exclusion, and scorn simply because they made a few mistakes in their youth?".”

Ifs Men Wells Made Hands Jobs Young Nations White Mistake Boys Poverty Youth Right Now Prison Sentences Young Man Serving Marijuana Locked Scorn Dope Exclusion Mcdonalds

Author:Michelle Alexander

“Private prison companies are now listed on the New York Stock exchange and are doing quite well in a time of economic recession (and depression in some communities). But that's just the tip of the iceberg.”

Wells Community Company Economic New York Prison Recessions Iceberg Stock Exchange Tip Of The Iceberg New York Stock New York Stock Exchange Economic Recession Private Prisons

Author:Michelle Alexander

“The prison-industrial complex employs millions of people directly and indirectly. Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, prison guards, construction companies that build prisons, police, probation officers, court clerks, the list goes on and on. Many predominately white rural communities have come to believe that their local economies depend on prisons for jobs.”

“Prison guard unions have become the powerful political forces in some states, particularly California.”

States Political Force Powerful Prison Unions California Prison Guards

Author:Michelle Alexander

“For those interested in learning more about corporations and private individuals profiting from the caging of human beings, I highly recommend the book "Prison Profiteers: Who Makes Money From Mass Incarceration."”

Humans Book Individual Human Beings Mass Prison Making Money Corporations Incarceration Mass Incarceration Learning More

Author:Michelle Alexander

“In response to the advocacy of groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, most states adopted tougher laws to punish drunk driving. Numerous states now have some type of mandatory sentencing for this offense - typically two days in jail for a first offense and two to ten days for a second offense. Possession of a tiny amount of crack cocaine, on the other hand, was given a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.”

“People charged with drug offenses, though, are typically poor people of color. They are routinely charged with felonies and sent to prison.”

People Poor Color Drug Prison Offense Poor People Felony

Author:Michelle Alexander

“We must build a movement for education, not incarceration. A movement for jobs, not jails. A movement that will end all forms of discrimination against people released from prison - discrimination that denies them basic human rights to work, shelter and food.”

People Humans Ends Jobs Form Rights Movement Prison Human Rights Deny Discrimination Jail Shelter Incarceration Basic Human Rights

Author:Michelle Alexander

“The film [Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth] opens with an Albanian blood feud and goes on to delve into, for instance, prison systems, underpaid tomato pickers, the gulf oil spill. It's all woven together in a sensuous, oblique way that's not the same as the single-message kind of documentary we're used to, with an "answer" at the end. It's more like an exploration. Sort of like what you do with Birth of a Nation.”

“Mine's [fans] a lot of like weird guys in prison. So I don't need to answer them.”

Needs Guy Answers Fans Mines Prison

Author:Lena Dunham

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