---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leniency toward criminals contrasted…"
description: "\"“Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity toward the law-abiding citizen’s right to defend himself or herself.”\" — Joyce Lee Malcolm"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg"
---

#  Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity…

![“Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity toward the law-abiding citizen’s right to defend himself or herself.” quote by Joyce Lee Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg)

> ““Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity toward the law-abiding citizen’s right to defend himself or herself.””

Joyce Lee Malcolm

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Leniency toward criminals versus harshness toward law‑abiding citizens creates an unfair justice imbalance.

**In simple terms:** Justice should be equal.

Key Takeaway

Promote fair treatment.

Themes

justice fairness law enforcement

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical advocacy

When to use this quote

- courtrooms
- policy debates
- community safety

Key Concepts

criminal justice civil rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How to ensure equal justice?
- What biases exist in law?

A Different Perspective

Balancing rights is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Leniency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leniency/)

## Related quotes

> [The severity of the law of God is the necessary sequence of his infinite love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-campbell-morgan/the-severity-of-the-law-of-god-is-the-necessary-sequence-of-his/)

[G. Campbell Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-campbell-morgan/)

> [When the severity of the law is to be softened, let pity, not bribes, be the motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/when-the-severity-of-the-law-is-to-be-softened-let-pity-not-bribes-be/)

[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

> [Pardon one offence, and you encourage the commission of many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/pardon-one-offence-and-you-encourage-the-commission-of-many/)

[Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/)

> [I'm very tough on crimes where there are victims who have been physically harmed. In such cases, I do not believe in leniency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-price/i-m-very-tough-on-crimes-where-there-are-victims-who-have-been/)

[Tom Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-price/)

> [A white lie is always pardonable. But he who tells the truth without compulsion merits no leniency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-white-lie-is-always-pardonable-but-he-who-tells-the-truth-without/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [At the very worst, if I have a short-lived career, at least I could say I sparked a change—that I inspired some leniency in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/at-the-very-worst-if-i-have-a-short-lived-career-at-least-i-could-say/)

[Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/)

> [What moralist can deny that well-bred and vicious people are much more agreeable than their virtuous counterparts? Having crimes to atone for, they provisionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/what-moralist-can-deny-that-well-bred-and-vicious-people-are-much/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [There is another side to chivalry. If it dispenses leniency, it may with equal justification invoke control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freda-adler/there-is-another-side-to-chivalry-if-it-dispenses-leniency-it-may/)

[Freda Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freda-adler/)

> [Grace is power, not just pardon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/grace-is-power-not-just-pardon/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [He could very likely have appealed for leniency. At least he could have saved his life by agreeing to leave Athens. But had he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/he-could-very-likely-have-appealed-for-leniency-at-least-he-could/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“They thought they were employing an economy-saving doctrine of situational leniency, but they somehow failed to understand that by coming up with a calculus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/they-thought-they-were-employing-an-economy-saving-doctrine-of/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [“When the Bolsheviks came to power they were soft and easy with their enemies... we had begun by making a mistake. Leniency towards such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/when-the-bolsheviks-came-to-power-they-were-soft-and-easy-with-their/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [Specifically, I’d like to debate whether cannibalism ought to be grounds for leniency in murders, since it’s less wasteful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/specifically-i-d-like-to-debate-whether-cannibalism-ought-to-be/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [Why should there be a different set of laws for criminals who are juveniles? As far as I am concerned there should be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/why-should-there-be-a-different-set-of-laws-for-criminals-who-are/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [“Leniency and mercy. Men set free despite crimes, because they were good fathers, or well liked in the community, or in the favor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/leniency-and-mercy-men-set-free-despite-crimes-because-they-were-good/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

## More by Joyce Lee Malcolm

> [It was during the eighteenth century - a period of boastful satisfaction with the nice balances within the English constitution - that Englishmen came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/it-was-during-the-eighteenth-century-a-period-of-boastful/)

Joyce Lee Malcolm

> [The right of ordinary citizens to possess weapons is the most extraordinary, most controversial, and least understood of those liberties secured by Englishmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/the-right-of-ordinary-citizens-to-possess-weapons-is-the-most/)

Joyce Lee Malcolm

> [The argument that today's National Guardsmen, members of a select militia, would constitute the only persons entitled to keep and bear arms has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/the-argument-that-today-s-national-guardsmen-members-of-a-select/)

Joyce Lee Malcolm

Explore all 4 Joyce Lee Malcolm quotes

## 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

[Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity toward the law-abiding citizen’s right to defend himself or herself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joyce Lee Malcolm"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-starkly-with-severity-toward-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-starkly-with-severity-toward-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/joyce-lee-malcolm-71871_crime_leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-sta_1594829.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with severity toward the law-abiding citizen’s right to defend…” — Joyce Lee Malcolm",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joyce Lee Malcolm",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-lee-malcolm/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Leniency toward criminals contrasted starkly with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-starkly-with-severity-toward-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-lee-malcolm/leniency-toward-criminals-contrasted-starkly-with-severity-toward-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
