The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-11

associated with the novicel The hope.
less villain whose condition will never be
bettered-whose reform will never take
place; bat, who is made exceedingly
worse by his Imprisonment and labor.
having lost all sense Of honor and char.
%aetcr, s~ulIenly looks upon all around
him, meditating vengeance upon society
for his degradation aud punishment:
should he ever escape-grecdily seizes
the opportunity to lnstlil lessons of crime
and to lead his pupil deeper into the
wiles of accomplished and dexteirous
thieves.
The policy Of incarcerating boys and
young men for a term of years, with old
experienced and hopeless convicts, to
me is questionable in the extreme. The
object of all penalty, for the violation
of law should be to reform. Imprison,
ment without such an object, would be
detestible and inhuman. A majority
of criminals new in prison, no doubt,
we're inticed into crime by adopts,
stepped in degradation, the hope of be-
ing restored to respectable society, of
engaging in laudable pursuits, leading
to usefulness and honor, should ever be
held up to the gaze of the prisoner to
emulate him to nobler acts. Where
mere boys arc confined thus with harden
ed wretches, will the object of the law
be obtained reform take place ?-Or
will they come away from their dreary
abode with fresh incentives to urge
them further into crime2 If a~ssocia-
tions can do aught-if the Instructions
and exampL of shrcwd villains can be
hcedcd-if retaliation and hate can in
f~luence, then beyond a question they
will grow worse and worse.
How then can the difficulty be obvi-
atcd ?--the evil corrected? 1t is urged
that the State groans under the weight
of a debt of millions-that taxpayers
have been ground to dust--that the
load is insuferablc-that it cannot be
injured without political danger P
Grant it, but there is a remedy. Let
one of the New Lunatic Asylums, 10
almost useless to the state, be turned
into a House Of Refuge for JurcniIe Of
fe7sderS under a certain age--let them
have associations calculated to elevate,
rather than to d~egrade--let proper NOR
al instructions be given, and the follies
and foibles that may have caused them
to depart from the path of rectitude will
ere long be atoned for and when they
again are free, it will only be to become
honorable members of society. By such
a system but little reproach would at
tach to their name and reputation, and
hence additional encouragement, would
be given for a thorough reformation
But when all prospec: of responsibility
is cut of, and no CLEAN of hope lightens
up their dreary abode, they are inclined
to brood sadly over their hard lot, and
when released from confinement to go
forth for retaliation and revenge. This
is wrong-inexperionced boys commit
errors, which are punishable with impris-
When such is the case, we
should not unnecessarily degrade them,
bat rather extend the reproving hand of
a parent, than improperly infict the
of the law. ne
Were you to behold old ceuvicts all
with crime, chained by associ-
alton with the novice, the effect of which
is to contaminate or wholly obliterate
the remaining redeemable traits in his
character and disposition, your forcible
pen would speedily evince a feeling for
the poor convict and cry i" let justice be
It is theme y orthy ADLER pens
than yours or mine yet our mito will
add somewhat to lessen the evil. Let
as labor for good-for the elevation of
our racc-:nnt their degradation and ruin,
by barbarously thrusting the young
into a felon's cell to be tainted by foster
ing crime-staincd wretches, who neither
regard the law Of God, nor those of men.
JUSTICE.