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Cruelty debases both the victim and society; punishment should not be vindictive, but aim at the reform of the convict.

Alexander Maconochie's guiding principle as commandant of the Norfolk Island penal settlement (1840-1844) — the philosophy behind his "mark system" and a forerunner of modern parole.

Alexander Maconochie, Norfolk Island

Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography, "Maconochie, Alexander (1787-1860)" — documented summary of his penal philosophy

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