New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-02
THE PRISON ASSOCIATION.

To ne E4iis, u IN. y " T.lsua..
Sin. Your article OF Wednesday, on The Prisons OF
our State has awakened small degreeof interest with
the members Of the Prison Association. Indirectly they
ore beginning to some Of the results OF their iaoors
continued through many Heterogeneous for period OF
EIGHT wears During this period they have not only been
the means Of saving innocent men from felons shame
ard DOOM and of restoring the feon himself TO ms trends
and 10 society saved man. bat they have directed legs
Iatve inquiry to abuses cruetes and populations in our
state Prisons: which but for their Investigations, would
never have been revealed until the grea; day
Allow me TO correct or two errors into whlch you
have Inadvertently fallen You remark that IN 1877 an
entire revision OF the laws OF the State relative 70 FRS
ons made under the direction oil yonn Ssanrcn
d" Gould Member of Assembly from Columbia 20. The
members Of the Prison Association well know now highly
the labors OF MIR Gould in the cause OF prson reform
ought to be appreciated for ne one 0, 'e nuoer
But am very sure that no would himself repudlate the
credit YOU Civ him. in the matter OF revising me laws OF
the State relative Prisons he had no part In the
work until il was sent to Albany by Committee OF the
The facts OF the case are clearly stated in the fourth report
nsi9 of the Association TO the Legislature a. follows
House Introduced Ss snsndsory ba these b.
were mSie n va penal ..ipiins
tie Committee OF the Assoc alton felt 20 be their duty
in the OF civilization and the bes,
Hss eonsSs Of John Dse John Edaood BsnF
Butler John Russ And Rensselaer, Hsvens consider and
pIepo.ed The Couuitee The resns this subject
Va. Guild In many instances discover what the law really
Under such circumstance wss .ensYea .nst tnsy could
s M, own object II they should collect arrange consoE
d,te the existing laws the time syang them
selves OF the opportunity and introduce such Amendments
a. they deem and proper Two the Committee
the auous task and the present law OF
governing Prisons with some few alterations was tho
Iesult Of their abcTs."
The writer of this note is but doing act simple JUS
tce 10 his associates stating that this needu and
meritorious work done by DIR. John ID. Russ and
Judge Duer.
You also aude to the Report of the Special Committee
of the LEGISLATURE OF 1851 This report chiefly from
the pen Of George L. Baker ESQ., then member of As
senbly from Kings County but who has been connected
with the Association for nearly the entire period of its
existence In a letter Mr. Baker remarks that the
report owed its existence 10 the Association, and could
only have been drawn by of its members.
IL is proper that these facts should be known the
ture If the work done by the Association has of the
snowy magncence of other phianthropc schemes but is
nevertheless as necessary for the well being of society
Its REPORTS TO the Legislature ombOdy of nstruc
tive facts which could with difficulty be CLEANED from all
our public libraries And not for the obstacles in
terposed By the State Prison Inspectors for five years 10
our examination ofhe Prisons the State would not now be
paying $3.50 per for the support of each convict
The labor of prisoners rightly directed and honestly
aged may be made very nearly profitable that Of
men employed in similar trades outside of tho Prison
walls.
But the Association shut out, and just much of
rbirGsh has been shown TO legislative committees, high
officials and casual visitors needfu To produce the
right impression
The truth is that Prison system, well as the
acement and discipline of our Prisons needs examination
by men whose reading observation inquiries and abors
qualify them for the task O;her States have gone beyond
us and with wise economy and enlarged philsnthro
nv have concerned their systems the experiences and
indications of the past. The Empire State IS at dead
lock i'm this matter. ~.