Janet Reno Quotes

Obviously, people who commit crimes should be punished. Even people who steal socks and 'Snow White' videos should probably do time if they have priors, especially serious priors. But the punishment has to fit the crime, and the standard has to be the same for everyone.

Gang members aren't frightened into acceptable behavior by increased penalties, enhanced punishments, and the promise of new detention facilities.

I have to say I'm all for public flogging. One type of criminal that a public humiliation might work particularly well with are the juvenile delinquents, a lot of whom consider it a badge of honor to be sent to juvenile detention.

It's not crime that makes us more punitive in the United States. It's the way we respond to crime and how we view those people who have been labeled criminals.

Our laws are too lax, our justice system too weak - particularly when it comes to violent, dangerous offenders.

The question is, does the punishment fit the crime? So we're not saying that we shouldn't punish people. We're not talking about a society that tolerates lawlessness. We should be very tough on people who are perpetuating violent crimes, for example. But we should make sure that it's tailored and not arbitrary.

Juveniles as well as adults need to know they're going to be punished for their violent acts.

None of my peers avoided prison. None of 'em.

Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort of deal with what happens after someone's already offended.

We should be extremely cautious about continuing to increase sentences as a routine response to concerns over crime.

We must be particularly careful when we enact policies in response to a specific crime, a specific type of crime, or crime wave simply by increasing punishments.

I'd rather lock somebody up and throw away the key and put them in hard labor, the ultimate penalty that the law will allow, but I'm opposed to the death penalty

Arresting people is not going to lower the crime rate

Every first year law student learns that sentencing has four goals: retribution, incapicitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation.

The key for members of the public is that they want criminals to be punished. They want them taken off the streets. They also want criminals who come out of prison to go straight.

I'm very tough on crimes where there are victims who have been physically harmed. In such cases, I do not believe in leniency.

What has too often happened in the past is that people have threatened punishment but have failed to carry it out. It's imperative in any initiative that is undertaken that punishment be real and that there be truth in sentencing, and that the truly dangerous offenders - the recidivists and the career criminals - be put away and kept away.

If children who commit crimes are not given the opportunity of a second chance, they may die in prison for acts made before having developed the cognitive and emotional skills needed to make informed and smart decisions and choices.

The draconian spirit that seeks to enhance penalties and to lower the age at which juveniles will be tries as adults, is part of the 'whole cloth' of three strikes. Our failure to address the depair of our inner-city youth is only delayed by our over-confidence in a stance that is 'tougher than thou.'

We are among the handful of countries that has difficulty distinguishing juveniles from adults where crime is concerned. We are convinced that if a child commits an adult crime, that kid is magically transformed into an adult. Consequently, we try juveniles as adults.

I spent five years of my youth in prison - some very bad prisons.

Prison works.

When a young person is sent 'up the river,' we need to remember that all rivers can change course.

Given the devastation that crime can visit on families and communities, I will err on being a little too tough on crime than being too soft on crime.

Prison is a recruitment center for the army of crime. That is what it achieves.