JB/047/116/002

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What is to become with delinquents after they
are thus mutilated. If they are to be supported
at the expence of public cost, the punishment
becomes too expensive: if they are left to
themselves, they are condemned to perpetual
misery or death. Mutilation used as a
punishment has two inconveniences 1. it is
irreversible. 2. it is to be confounded with ascribed to
accidents arising from natural causes. There is
Between a man who has had his arm cut
been deprived of his arm as a punishment
for a crime, and he who has lost his arm
in the service of this his country, there is
no apparent difference. It would be necessary
therefore in all cases to add a stigma that
should be manifestly artificial, to
serve as a certificate of the crime, and as a
protection to misfortune. There appears dearth
to support that these punishments might
altogether : at least they should be
reserved for offences that very rarely
happen, and when they may be recommended
by their analogy.

Id Indelible marks stigmas is a very powerful
instrument of which a very bad use is made.
Among delinquents convicted of larciny and
wrongful cause may have yielded only to
temporary temptation, and might return to
virtuous habits if had they not been corrupted
by the nature of the punishment. In their cases
let there be no indelible stigmas, no punishment
producing infamy: when employed if
the delinquent loses all hope of regaining his
character, & of making recalling a momentary
event. But let indelible stigmas be reused
for crimes for example: their means of procuring
existence would not thus be destroyed, while
it would serve as a warning to all those
that had any dealings with them. Despised
as cheats, they would be employed as men of
skill. When a man is stigmatised for a first
offence what it to become of him? Who would

Identifier: | JB/047/116/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 47.
Date_1	1806-08-09	Marginal Summary Numbering	5-7
Box	047	Main Headings	evidence
Folio number	116	Info in main headings field	evidence
Image	002	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e3
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals	jeremy bentham	Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	14984
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