--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're willing to give convicts time…" description: "\"If you're willing to give convicts time served and let them walk, why do you want to give them a criminal record? I mean, either they should be in jail..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/peter-moskos-33470_conviction_if-you-re-willing-to-give-convicts-time_2233899.jpg" --- # If you're willing to give convicts time served and let… ![“If you're willing to give convicts time served and let them walk, why do you want to give them a criminal record? I mean, either they should be in jail, or be free. But it's all because of some internal bureaucratic stat about getting a felony conviction for the prosecutor. Everyone's got their…” quote by Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/peter-moskos-33470_conviction_if-you-re-willing-to-give-convicts-time_2233899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/peter-moskos-33470_conviction_if-you-re-willing-to-give-convicts-time_2233899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/peter-moskos-33470_conviction_if-you-re-willing-to-give-convicts-time_2233899.jpg) > “If you're willing to give convicts time served and let them walk, why do you want to give them a criminal record? I mean, either they should be in jail, or be free. But it's all because of some internal bureaucratic stat about getting a felony conviction for the prosecutor. Everyone's got their own little game to play, but that prosecutorial part of it is not well known.” [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions the logic of maintaining criminal records after serving time. **In simple terms:** Why keep records after serving? Key Takeaway Reform sentencing and record policies. Themes justice rehabilitation bureaucracy Mood critical analytical Type policy social When to use this quote - parole hearings - employment background checks - legal reform Key Concepts systemic critique social policy Questions to Reflect On - How do records affect reintegration? - What alternatives exist for public safety? A Different Perspective Changing records may face political resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Once you have a felony conviction on your record, one of the most difficult things to do is to break the cycle of recidivism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hill-harper/once-you-have-a-felony-conviction-on-your-record-one-of-the-most/) [Hill Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hill-harper/) > [I'd like to not have to worry about image, about doing the right thing all the time. Not that I want to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tevin-campbell/i-d-like-to-not-have-to-worry-about-image-about-doing-the-right-thing/) [Tevin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tevin-campbell/) > [I don't care what someone believes. I don't care what nationality they are. But if someone wants to get off drugs, I can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/i-don-t-care-what-someone-believes-i-don-t-care-what-nationality-they/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [There is no such thing as a criminal life. Life is life, and life is criminalized. No one ever, in the history of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-criminal-life-life-is-life-and-life-is/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [If someone doesn’t want to be a criminal anymore, I can give them tools that can better their life. You have no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/if-someone-doesn-t-want-to-be-a-criminal-anymore-i-can-give-them/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [Once you've acquired a criminal record, you can be discriminated against legally in employment, housing, and access to education and public benefits. You're relegated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/once-you-ve-acquired-a-criminal-record-you-can-be-discriminated/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/in-america-people-will-look-past-a-criminal-record-in-england-they/) [Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/) > [No one doubts that having a criminal record - whether it results in community probation or prison - is a serious handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/no-one-doubts-that-having-a-criminal-record-whether-it-results-in/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [“By and large, where criminal candidacy exists, the dominant form seems to be a single candidate with a serious criminal record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-vaishnav/by-and-large-where-criminal-candidacy-exists-the-dominant-form-seems/) Milan Vaishnav > [In the USA, it's harder for a black man with no criminal record to find a job than a white man with a criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jealous/in-the-usa-it-s-harder-for-a-black-man-with-no-criminal-record-to/) [Benjamin Jealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jealous/) > [“Clearing a criminal record takes time and it is not an automatic process. Start acting now to precipitate your expungement and live the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/legalmatch/clearing-a-criminal-record-takes-time-and-it-is-not-an-automatic/) LegalMatch > [I’ve got no criminal record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-ve-got-no-criminal-record/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I don't have a criminal record but that's cause they haven't caught me yet… don't piss me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-don-t-have-a-criminal-record-but-that-s-cause-they-haven-t-caught/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The real repercussions of a permanent criminal record - some lose their jobs, their housing, even their families - can go far beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/the-real-repercussions-of-a-permanent-criminal-record-some-lose-their/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [One of my friends once saw another guy's (criminal) record and said, 'Look, this guy is a born troublemaker, just a loser.' I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/one-of-my-friends-once-saw-another-guy-s-criminal-record-and-said/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) ## More by Peter Moskos > [There's no straight line between closing the mental institutions and filling the prisons but there is some sort of relationship. And it's hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/there-s-no-straight-line-between-closing-the-mental-institutions-and/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [Although I consider myself pretty liberal, I'm not against punishment. There's nothing wrong with punishing someone who has done something wrong. Or with public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/although-i-consider-myself-pretty-liberal-i-m-not-against-punishment/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I am very cynical. That is absolutely what police is doing. But you don't even have to be cynical. I mean, politicians don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-am-very-cynical-that-is-absolutely-what-police-is-doing-but-you-don/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I don't think we can reduce the prison population now, so many of these people are damaged goods once they've spent much time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-don-t-think-we-can-reduce-the-prison-population-now-so-many-of/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I'm not fond of ideologies. I don't like it when people have answers before they know the question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-m-not-fond-of-ideologies-i-don-t-like-it-when-people-have-answers/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I'm not a fan of the death penalty. At some level I think killing is wrong, but I don't have sympathy for most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-m-not-a-fan-of-the-death-penalty-at-some-level-i-think-killing-is/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I say a few good things about Canada in the book, you know. Americans are weird, though. We refuse to look at other countries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-say-a-few-good-things-about-canada-in-the-book-you-know-americans/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [These 2.3 million prisoners, somehow we've convinced ourselves that's normal and rational, more prisoners than soldiers, more prisoners than China, more than one per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/these-2-3-million-prisoners-somehow-we-ve-convinced-ourselves-that-s/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I find it weird that people who claim to speak for the prisoners basically want to keep them in cages all the time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-find-it-weird-that-people-who-claim-to-speak-for-the-prisoners/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I know this in a way from my police background: the second you mention, "The system's racist," one-third of the country simply puts down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-know-this-in-a-way-from-my-police-background-the-second-you-mention/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [When I talk to people the usual progression is, "Flogging's cruel and barbaric," moving very quickly to, "Only 10 lashes for five years?" Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/when-i-talk-to-people-the-usual-progression-is-flogging-s-cruel-and/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [The thing I wrote we ought to look to Canada for is the shorter sentences. I mean, the mess we're in here, is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/the-thing-i-wrote-we-ought-to-look-to-canada-for-is-the-shorter/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I think there is a lot of crime caused by desperation, and it doesn't mean that people commit crime because they're poor, but certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-think-there-is-a-lot-of-crime-caused-by-desperation-and-it-doesn-t/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [I would prefer to get lashed rather than go to prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-would-prefer-to-get-lashed-rather-than-go-to-prison/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) [Explore all 15 Peter Moskos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're willing to give convicts time served and let them walk, why do you want to give them a criminal record? 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