When I was in the police one time we were looking after remand prisoners in the station cells because the prisons were full. We had a disturbance and some of them barricaded themselves in a corridor. We were pussy footing around with riot shields. We should have gone in hard with The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare.

Give them twelve hours of hard labour breaking stones a day and then chain them all up in dungeons, say I.

I actually think books in jails is a good thing, it may actually educate some and break the chain of criminality. Although some religious books I would ban.

Me neither. I've broken laws plenty of times, and through a mixture of luck and, more significantly, having a middle class background and lifestyle, I have no criminal record whatsoever. Under other circumstances that could be me doing time.

What are prisons for - to make money for shady private interests, or to stand for justice? By encouraging prisoners to nurture their intellectual capacities, we improve their chances of realising the wisdom of avoiding future criminality.

While Milton was a defender of free expression, he was still a fun hater.

I'd send Moravagine by Cendrars. A sensitive tale of a deformed psychopath who travels around shredding female bodies and foments revolutions without convictions,  but just for the opportunities for violence provided.

It's really a critique of European culture in the aftermath of the cataclysm of WWI, or so a fun hater will say because they feel guilty about expressing as much glee as Moravagine when he stabs people and hurls incendiary bombs.

Last edited by Jeff Reed (2014-04-01 07:46:34)

Do you mind if we dance wif yo dates.