Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-10
Chain Gang.

Judge Albsry, tine Probate Judge of this
county, has recommended 70 the Commissioners
the propriety of establishing chain gang, as
the best means of ridding the county of set Of
vaqrants who look upon the jail IN no other
light than a good place for lOahng. The re
commendation is a good one, and we trust II
may be carried into effect.-COlHm6Hs Ga=.
Cleveland should have its city, and Cuyahoga
county its ehain-gang. They would prove the
greatest terror to evil-doers that can be devised
for petty offenders and drunken loafers, whether
of high or low degree, dread work as they do
drawing sober breaths Year after year. the
honest, the sober, the industrious people Of the
city and county are enormously taxed to sup
port a set of lazy vaglbonds who furnish bust
ness for police officers and spend considerable
portion Of their time in prison and from the
long neglect in the matter of chain gangs II
would seem as if Courts and their officers are
pleased to have it So as each arrest, tsial, com
mitment, discharge, and day s support in COun-
ty Jail or City Prison, puts money in some Of
their pockets. Do the taxed people ever con-
slider this on election days.
1t may be objected to chain gangs that they
are too degrading, and cannot be made TO pay
The seryitude in chains is voluntarily leopard
ed BY the criminal, and much commiseratior
therefore is morbid. The guilty are the pun
ishe5, punished as their own good and the peace
and security of society demand. Enough car
be found for the gangs TO do, partially remunera'
tive at least, if not entirely 1t would cost but
little more to support them with ehIin and bal
at their ankles during the day in building sew
ers, repairing and cleaning streets, dc, dc
than to feed and let them. sleep away the time
in their cells, or else coneOet Villainies togeth
er, to be put in practice as soon as opportunity
offers
Instead of assessing fines, which but ie"
rogues and peace-disturbers can pay, and send
ing such to prison Tor thee, five, ten, fifteen
twenty or thirty days, put them into the chain
gang for double the time according to the of
fence, and Cleveland and CuyahOga would
soon get rid of considerable portion of the
old and new Jail boarde:s Industry is great
reformer, and once set the vicious male
idlers to work or TO running to escape public
employment under a task-Inaster, and abandon
ed females would soon thin off in similar pro
portion They herd together, and become mu
tual supports in prison and out
Our criminal policy greatly needs reform i
is now an expensive farce, with but slight /
any, benefits The prison has become eOvet-
ed home to many, and is a terror to but few o.
ils inmates The old are hardened in 1t, thu
young yitiated and corrupted As place o
reform it is worthless; as school Of crime 1t Il
terrible. Look at the police rePOrst- From dal
to day almOstthe same names, the same Offences
the same sentences. Drunkenness, assaults
disturbances, licentiOusness, petty theftsr max
up nine-tenths of the calendar. Young boys
young women, young men, middle-aged, an'
The gray-headed in vice and crime, appear AM
re-appear in the dock The record is sicken
iug-disgr4eeful TO law, to justice, to humanity
and to a people who permit such state
things to exist and grow worse from year Il
wear