Crime Quote by Richard J. Evans
““In the penal system, where many of these people would eventually end up, the rapidly growing problem of petty crime had already led to pressure for harsher, more deterrent policies in the state prisons. Administrators and prison experts had argued in the last years of the Weimar Republic for the indefinite imprisonment or security confinement of habitual criminals whose hereditary degeneracy, it was assumed, rendered them incapable of inprovement. Security confinement was increasingly thought to be the long-term answer to the buden thse offenders supposedly imposed on the community.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Third Reich at War, Richard J. Evans, 2008
The quote describes how early 20th‑century German authorities responded to rising petty crime by advocating harsher, indefinite imprisonment for habitual offenders, believing their traits were unchangeable.
In simple terms: German officials pushed severe, permanent confinement for repeat criminals, assuming they could not be reformed.
Key Takeaway
Consider the ethics of indefinite detention.
Themes
crime policy
penal theory
historical context
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
historical
policy
ethical
When to use this quote
- legal reform debates
- criminal justice reform
- human rights advocacy
- policy analysis
Key Concepts
deterrence
hereditary determinism
security confinement
Questions to Reflect On
- Can crime be reduced without sacrificing human dignity?
- What alternatives exist to indefinite confinement?
A Different Perspective
Assumes criminality is innate, ignoring social and rehabilitative factors.
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