Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-05-04
Penitentiarv.

: mooe oi punlShlnS CRIMINALS, we have be
led to believe that we should adopt dilEe
ent one. If none better can he devised, the
give us penitentary.
The object of human punishment is sa
to be to. prevent crime and reform the Grim
nal. The guilty are punished TO bring abo
their OWN reform, and to deter others fro
the violation of the law by teachihg the'
that they will meet with the same fate by il
non.observance. But does our .commo
mode Of Imprisonment have the least tender
cy to reformation among the inmates of tn
Jail? All experience Ard observation Civ
the answer, No. What criminal, s,aine
with the blackness Of gmt has ever bee
ushered into Jail who came out with the leas
intention Of doing better for the future
We do not claim that confinement in peni
tentiary would have this reforming influence
yet under proper administration, there i
no doubt but thatsomcthine in this way nigh
be effected.
When a convict is put in Jail, he first BY
some means procures bottle of whiskey
and if he has companions you will soon have
n drunken riot. And there is no possible
way of preventing his procuring this antidote
of grief, or rather riot making, peace destroy.
ing fluid. He always has some friend who
will contrve to get it to him by some trick
or other in spite Of the vigilance of Jailors
to prevent it. So that to confne a man in
Jail where he is surrounded by his clan who
would clandestinely furnish him with any.
thing he calls for, has about as much effect
towards reforming him as to lock him in Il
grog shop with permission to drink as much
of the wines therein as he might choose
The advantage of Penitentiary is, that
you can compel the inmate 10 work and pay
expenses. As it is now, they are housed up
without anything to do, and the State pays
for their pating. This is rather Godscnd
to some cul prits, destitute of all that is cal
culaed to make life tolerable, than punish.
ment.
We would otrabolish capital punishment,
for we believe there are crimes OF snch great
enormity that cannot be properly punished
except by death, such as cold blooded mur-
der.
The penalty affixed to three fourths of the
crimes Of our State, is fine and imprisonment;
to some few public whipping is attached
AS about two thirds Of the criminals of our
State are pcuniless, unable to pay Iarthing
towards pecuniary fine, so that part of the
penalty imposing fine on them, is perfect
to nothing, in fact it is DO
at all. Whereas, if we had
penitentiary, we could remove the pcGuniary
fine and increase the term of imprisonment,
thus in all cases make the penalty correspond |
to the crime.-We have no statistics of sim.
liar Institutions before US, but let us proceed
upon suppositon to ascertain whether or not
i would be a matter Of economy upon the
part of the State. Surprising that the bull.
ling would cost 100000, which no doubt
S small compared with similar buildings, but
sc need not build on such an extensive scale;
here wouId be no sense in closing four or
i've acres for the purpose of the institution.
The ANIMAL interest on that amount would
,c $1,000.
Then, on the other hand, suppose that we
ave an average Of 100 culprits in our jas
hrough the year The board of these at
- cents per diem would amountto $l3,GS2,
'hich exceeds by-G,GS2, the annual interest
n the cost Of the building. Then it might
e Said that we would have to furnish officers
Or the institution at considerable COST but
re meet that objection by saying, that it )
'ould be worse than absurd to say, that the
roceeds or profits arising from the labor Of
le inmates, would not furnish an ample ,,
md for defraying all the necessary expenses .
the institution. Abbevile Banner.