A fragment of the prison experiences of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman

A fragment of the prison experiences of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman - In the State Prison at Jefferson City, Mo., and the U. S. Penitentiary at Atlanta, Ga. February, 1918–October, 1919

There was a timeand that not so very long agowhen popular ignorance and superstition looked upon an insane person as one possessed of the devil or of some other evil spirit. They sought to drive the evil one out by beating and torturing the insane, and often even by drowning, hanging, and burning. We have fortunately passed that stage of stupid brutality. Today even the most ignorant man knows that insanity is a disease. But in regard to crime and criminals we are still in the stage of dark-age superstition. We look upon the criminal today as we did upon the insane fifty or seventy-five years ago. Most men still believe that by beating and punishing the criminal, by hanging and electrocution, we can drive the evil spirit out of him. This process is called reforming the criminal. Yet common sense and all human experience prove that the criminal is no more responsible for crime than the crazy man for his insanity. The pseudo-scientific theories of the Lombrosos in regard to crime and criminals have been thoroughly exploded and proven utterly fallacious. Even if the Lombroso myth that the criminal is born were true, what good would it do to punish him? There might be some social justification for his isolation, but how could the criminal, if born such, be held accountable for his criminality? ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 66938
Author: Berkman, Alexander
Release Date: Dec 13, 2021
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Contributor (Author): Goldman, Emma, 1869-1940