“A convict is a convict; if you’re a convict, you can act meanly and not be ashamed of it.”
This was discussed in TBK. It was given as a reson for why the Church should be the state and take over even the penal system: if a man is convicted he is not just fettered by the law but by the repreesntative of Hevean itself; all crime is against the Church. Therefore there is much more weight on a sentence yet giving more space for genuine repentance.
