--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not saying people shouldn't be held…" description: "\"I am not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for terrible acts. But holding people in prisons does not necessarily make them responsible or acc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/eve-ensler-1402_crime_i-am-not-saying-people-shouldn-t-be-held_1465828.jpg" --- # I am not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for… ![“I am not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for terrible acts. But holding people in prisons does not necessarily make them responsible or accountable. It makes them bad. It makes them evil. It puts an end to any process of transformation. It hardens them spiritually and psychologically.” quote by Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/eve-ensler-1402_crime_i-am-not-saying-people-shouldn-t-be-held_1465828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/eve-ensler-1402_crime_i-am-not-saying-people-shouldn-t-be-held_1465828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/eve-ensler-1402_crime_i-am-not-saying-people-shouldn-t-be-held_1465828.jpg) > “I am not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for terrible acts. But holding people in prisons does not necessarily make them responsible or accountable. It makes them bad. It makes them evil. It puts an end to any process of transformation. It hardens them spiritually and psychologically.” [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punishment alone fails to rehabilitate; incarceration can deepen harm, making individuals more evil and spiritually hardened. **In simple terms:** Prison often worsens people instead of fixing them. Key Takeaway Seek restorative justice over punitive incarceration. Themes justice rehabilitation psychology ethics society Mood critical hopeful Type ethical philosophical activist When to use this quote - policy making - community mediation - victim support programs - prison education - rehab initiatives Key Concepts restorative justice psychology of punishment human rights criminal reform Questions to Reflect On - Can punishment ever be truly rehabilitative? - What alternatives could replace prisons? A Different Perspective Some argue prisons protect society and deter crime. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Held Accountable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-accountable/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Prisons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-prisons-558821/) [People Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-shouldn/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Prisons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisons/) [Prisons Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisons-does-4167982/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/) ## Related quotes > [California is now close to spending more on prisons than it does on higher education - surely the death warrant of a civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/california-is-now-close-to-spending-more-on-prisons-than-it-does-on/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [I want to stop piling people into prisons and stop branding people with a felony for a personal weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-mitchell/i-want-to-stop-piling-people-into-prisons-and-stop-branding-people/) [Victor Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-mitchell/) > [We should not have people in prisons and jails who aren't a violent threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesa-boudin/we-should-not-have-people-in-prisons-and-jails-who-aren-t-a-violent/) [Chesa Boudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesa-boudin/) > [People shouldn't notice what you're wearing before they notice you. You want people to register you first. 'Oh, what a nice jacket' should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/people-shouldn-t-notice-what-you-re-wearing-before-they-notice-you/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [People shouldn't be allowed to get married until it's too late to have kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/people-shouldn-t-be-allowed-to-get-married-until-it-s-too-late-to/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [People shouldn't want to draw sides, but if you want to that's human, but don't be in place of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/people-shouldn-t-want-to-draw-sides-but-if-you-want-to-that-s-human/) [MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/) > [I don't like to tell people what they should or shouldn't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/i-don-t-like-to-tell-people-what-they-should-or-shouldn-t-do/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [People shouldn't have to lose their accents to get a fair crack at the whip at a job or move up within a sector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/people-shouldn-t-have-to-lose-their-accents-to-get-a-fair-crack-at/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [People shouldn’t be ashamed of their bodies...especially women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-dewan/people-shouldn-t-be-ashamed-of-their-bodies-especially-women/) [Jenna Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-dewan/) > [Decent people shouldn't live here. They'd be happier some place else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/decent-people-shouldn-t-live-here-they-d-be-happier-some-place-else/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I think people shouldn't think 'I'm not normal, I've got a disability.' Overcome that, go out there and enjoy your life and achieve something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-simmonds/i-think-people-shouldn-t-think-i-m-not-normal-i-ve-got-a-disability/) [Ellie Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-simmonds/) > [The world is not ready for some people when they show up, but that shouldn't stop anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-lorenzana/the-world-is-not-ready-for-some-people-when-they-show-up-but-that/) [Ashly Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-lorenzana/) > [Some people you shouldn't kid, even if they deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-you-shouldn-t-kid-even-if-they-deserve-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People shouldn't think that something is their birthright. They need to prove themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janhvi-kapoor/people-shouldn-t-think-that-something-is-their-birthright-they-need/) [Janhvi Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janhvi-kapoor/) > [I can't get over this. Dad isn't Sam's dad? Dad is a friend? How was I supposed to know that? People shouldn't be allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-can-t-get-over-this-dad-isn-t-sam-s-dad-dad-is-a-friend-how-was-i/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) ## More by Eve Ensler > [I have been struggling to find my way back into my body my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-have-been-struggling-to-find-my-way-back-into-my-body-my-whole-life/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-wrote-the-good-body-i-turned-40-and-suddenly-had-this-stomach/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/cherish-your-solitude-take-trains-by-yourself-to-places-you-have/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Why are women immobile? Because so many feel like they're waiting for someone to say, 'You're good, you're pretty, I give you permission'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/why-are-women-immobile-because-so-many-feel-like-they-re-waiting-for/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [What neo-capitalism does so brilliantly is that it's always subdividing and dividing, so that people are never able to be joined in their numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/what-neo-capitalism-does-so-brilliantly-is-that-it-s-always/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The verb that's been enforced on girls is to please. Girls are trained to please...I want us all to change the verb. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-verb-that-s-been-enforced-on-girls-is-to-please-girls-are-trained/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“De acordo com os congressistas, ouvir as experiências reais de mulheres vítimas de violência era diferente de ler as estatísticas de violência contra mulheres.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/de-acordo-com-os-congressistas-ouvir-as-experi-ncias-reais-de/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The clitoris is pure in purpose. It is the only organ in the body designed purely for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-clitoris-is-pure-in-purpose-it-is-the-only-organ-in-the-body/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [stop fixing your bodies and start fixing the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/stop-fixing-your-bodies-and-start-fixing-the-world/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Anorexia was my attempt to have control over my body and manipulate my body and starve my body and shape my body. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/anorexia-was-my-attempt-to-have-control-over-my-body-and-manipulate/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I believe in irony. And if V-Day has taught me anything, it's that if you go out with artistic, outrageous irony and humor, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-believe-in-irony-and-if-v-day-has-taught-me-anything-it-s-that-if/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [People didn't feel so much shame around it and that they didn't feel so much humiliation around it. And the other thing that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/people-didn-t-feel-so-much-shame-around-it-and-that-they-didn-t-feel/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Cancer essentially lives in us and becomes activated at some point, and then cells begin to psychotically divide. Initially, the cancer cell looks like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/cancer-essentially-lives-in-us-and-becomes-activated-at-some-point/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Today the United States has the highest prison population in the world, over 2.1 million people. ... We lock people up at a rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/today-the-united-states-has-the-highest-prison-population-in-the/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) [Explore all 241 Eve Ensler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for terrible acts. 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