Throwing Away The Key

A man has a sexual fetish. He doesn't attack people – he looks at them. He looks at them from his car. While in the car, he slouches down low. He wears thong panties and baggy shorts and covers himself with a "tremendous amount of Vaseline". He's nervous. He knows he has a problem. Fortunately, the government has a solution: 12 months in prison.

"They are not to exchange a word with each other under any pretense whatever; not to communicate in writing. They must not sing, whistle, dance, run, jump, or do anything that has a tendency in the least degree to disturb the harmony...or regulations of the prison," wrote Captain Elam Lynds of New York's Auburn Prison in 1824. Such was the guiding wisdom of 19th century penologists who were convinced that the "silent system" was the path to righteousness and a return to normal life.

Prison reformers felt that inmates had to be isolated from the rest of society. They believed this separation had to be done for the criminal to truly reform. Only after an inmate confronted his criminal past and acknowledged his guilt could a convict rebuild his shattered life. One penologist of the era said that this separation from society had to be so complete, that a prisoner had "to be literally buried from the world!" [Source]

It's comforting to know that traditional American values are still being staunchly adhered to and defended. The issue is not mental illness, perversion, anti-social behavior, or deviancy: it's about right and wrong.