{Severity and Permissiveness}[24th August 1971]

[Redbook1:224][19710824:0000a]{Severity and Permissiveness}[24th August 1971]

Tue. 24th August 1971 [continued]

            I think that one of the marks of a civilised society is not its severity, still less its permissiveness, but the way in which it selects what to be severe about and what to permit.

‘Permissiveness’ always kills itself because it embraces too much.  I believe that criminal behaviour is only a sign of a lesser degree of ‘insanity’ – but having said that, conditioning and deterrence are only a part of psychological treatment, and they are the only part we really know anything about at all.

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