Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-01-20
Pres't o the Board Of Com
REPORT

REPORT
OF Select Committee, presented by their Chair-
man, Mr.. SteenrOd, on resolution TO inquire into
the ezpedieney Of establishing House 81 Refuge
at the City Of Wheeling, etc.
The Select Committee, 10 whom was referred
the resolution 10 inquire into the expectancy o.
establishing House oil Refuge at the City oil
WheelIn OF Ohio county, have lad the subject
under consideration, and directed me to
REPORT.
II is true, House of Refuge IS new and I'M
tried institution in this State. But they are no
experimental institutions. There two OF these
institutions established by the State CT New York;
one by the Stale of New Jersey one by Massa-
chuSets; there is also in the city OF Phllauel-
phia, one in Cincinnati; one in Baltimore, and
one in New Orleans. Their discipline is designed
to be reformatoIy and not cundemnatory-to pro-
vide for juvenile offenders place where they can
be separated from tho contagious influence that
prevails III the jaiIs and prisons of the crime
tainted convict, and where the idle can be en-
ployeJ, the ignorant instructed, and the wicked
+ formed.
De Witt Clinton expressed the opinion in one Of
his messages to the Legislature oil New YORK,
that the House uf Refuge was the best institution
OF the kind that has ever been devised by the wit
| OF man.
| The Hon. Join Sergeant, when President Of the
House OF Refuge at Philadelphia, said "NoIhng
can be more deSra bic than This subject should be
calmly. bu; carefully and accurately considered IN
all its bearings, and, that tile principles upon
which the Refuge is founded, Should be thorough
and universally understood. We are persuaded
that nothing is Necessary to give it firm es
Enlistment in public opinion, and remove what
ever prejudice may remain
| The rreSenlment 10 tie Grand Jury OF N. York,
TO the Curt of General Sessions says; The House
of Refuge Cof New York city, for hearty quarter
of century, has been IN active and successful
operation, one of the nobiest aud most 6enihcent
rr(omatory syste.ns devised by human Phianthro-
n.y." The rreSentment also states, THAT about
three fUuIlhS of those who ener IN the institution
| leave 1t thoroughly reformed.
| Tie PhiadeIphiu House Of Refuge, one of the
Oldest OF these institutions III the country, rtpo Is
that sSty-SiX Der cent. vi lis subjects have been
honest and we'll iepuied members of society, and
| three to FIVE per cent. is the outside number IN
| PENNSYLVANIA, who have been atterwurdS found in
prison.
The police books and the statistics from the
county iaiiS are so meage, that no opinion can be
formed Of the number Of juvenile offenders and
their re convictions in the State. But the reports
from The Penteniary furnish the information, that,
on the 3Oth Of September, lS49, there were IN the
10 convicts from IA 10 20 years old.
| 20 a. 90 I" 25 ''
l22 IA ' 80 f" Z"
On the SOlh September, 1885,
~ ConYICIS from IA to 20 years old.
| SO (" ~ % 90
los IA" so Z"
On the Both Septem! er, 1883
| SO conYictS from 10 to 20 years old.
| rs 20'' % Z"
These infant offenders. by existing laws, can
only We sentenced to confinement in tie Pen'ten-
tiary;-these houSeless, homeless iriendleSs ones,
may Justly be said 10 be the orphans OF the Com
monwealth-outcasts, who are consigned 10 the
State Prison TO improve III their lessons of CRIME,
by their associations with old convctS and all the
prospects of future life closed by the dlshonoIed
stain that attaches to them.
The reports from the State prison show they
| nfF oFFnIn no IN
mates.
In the Massachusetts, State prison in 1874, there
were "a re convictions out of ZIG, or in Sill.
In the new'P enientnry in Philadelphia from
1927 to 1s45, there had been 1880 discharges and
206 :e-commiltals, in 1855.
In the Auburn prison, from 1927 to 1888, theIe
have been 2IIO dischargts and l7s Te-e0nVictio"s'
or in 1919.
| 1857 convicts were discharged and 2O9 commit
| ted, in 1893.
| These re-convictions are the best evidence that
can be adduced of the incompetency OF the SyS-
tenn to reform its cOnvcS, and is suggestive OF the
necessity Of providing some auxiliary system TO ar
rest these afluentS of crime, that are constantly
passing from society to the penitentlary and from
| the penltentiary to society, and gradually anu
constantly undermining its moral foundations.
The facts come atteSted TO us from the semina-
res Of learning, from the Judicial bench and pull
pit that to arrest this increase OF crime the reIor
matory influence must commence al the crauie' In
lie before
the confirmed criminal. and when retrbutIve PsH-
allies give place to IeIoHmatoTy instruction. The
infant delinquentS that ATE brought under the lgd
penalties Of t, criminal law, and subjected to i'm
prlSonment in the jailS and State PRISONS by their
separation fr. I'm their friends the loss oil all SELF
reSnect the absolute destruction ct character, and
their associations with old and hardened teIonS,
their very punishment becomes the means OF con-
firming them in their life OF crime. The peculiar
and distinctive character OF House al Refuge Is
81 nlv
The Youngest inmates susceptibility of improve !
ment By discipline and training is unimpnirrd by
any of the injecting appendages OF ja'Is and prs-
ons; and when they are discharged, they are G9oy-
ed up and Strengthened with their moral cultlya-
ton. go forth endorsed with the discipline of this
benign institution, TO command character and
commence life Of use(ulneSS.V
The reports from the police, 1ails OF penitenI-
aEy. do not finnish the data by which an opinion
can be formed Of the number OF re-convlchons OF
infant offenders, VI their cost TO their country OF
State. But the memorial OF magistrates III Liver
pool 10 Parliament, furnish the facts that Will en-
able an opinion to be formed oil the extent Of TINS
evil aI its immense cost to the public. This me-
mortal States that the number of committas made
during the last sayen years for offences within
their jurisdiction is 16,434, that $3.50 oil them
were under the age of seventeen years; that OF
this number 1888 were once committed, S,Uo6 |
were twice committed, lib were three times COM
mitted, 2,947 were four times committed and H.
374 were committed five times and upward. But
this memorial furnishes further interesting lactS-l
Il presents the records of the actual cost attending
fourteen cases OF juvenile delinquents, who from
time to time, had been committed 10 the prison of
this borough, Tie referred to, were selected
in the year 1872 from the mass Of juvenile prison
ers in the PRISON by of their owl body who vas
eudeaYoring TO ascertain the charge incurred by |
the treatment Of Juvenile offenders in prison, in |
contrast with those in Teformatory institutions-l
These Offenders their frequent re-committals, up
prehenson, maintenance. prosecution and punish
0fR nj
states that the cost of euch reformed one, IN re-
Ea.u...... ;...Iitmtinns nhnnt R2k hiIst the