The Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1861-1862, 1862-01-11

IL SeeHlS 10 itle llitts tne aggregate OF the
expenditures for the support ofthesa Institu-
tlons is unnecessarily large. respectfully
suggest whether such m assures canuot. pror-
eslg aiontsa ss ,sithens tiiia paiFtg their
lpsefulness OF efficiency, will materially reduce
| their expenses.
AT no former period has there been SO great
degree of success in the Reform School as
during the past year. Its accommodations
have been enlarged so that one hundred and
fifty inmates can be comfortably sustained,
though the average number has ,b,en o,.e
hundred and seventy y-eight. The numb.r
who left the Institution during the year, is
seventy-seven. Could all the applications
have been met, the number at his time would
be three hundred. Not a case OF sickness has
occurred during the year requiring the attend
| ance of a physician. But two inmates have
escaped. The financial condition Of the school
Is very gratifying
The amount of appropriation in
the Treasury at the commence
ment of the year, was $12,517 co
Appropriations for 1861, 1874 co
Total expenditures for past year, $3l, 800 90
| Uunpaid notes in the hands of the
Acting Superintendent, 1,4OS 80
Unpaid appropriations, 6,910 IL
Experience has demonstrated the great val
lie Of this Reform School. The almost fatal
effect of incarc2rating boys under sixteen
years of age with older and hardened Offend
erS in the Penitentiary has been avoided, and
hundreds who were rapidly tending to Grim
inal practices ir our cities and towns, have
been arrested in their course and been saved
from crime and ruin. The discipline is OK
cellent, and the entire School ard Farm are
conducted in such manner as to commend
the Institution to the favorable regard of the
people.
am happy to state, that during the past
year, the number of conv cts in the Penten-
tiary has diminished. The total number on
the first day of November last was nine hun
dred and twenty-four, Will: on the first day
of November, 1860, it was nine hundred and
thirty-one. The average number duing the
year was nine hundred and sixty-fvc.
The enlargement of the prison, and the
erection of new cells have extended It's capA-
city so that it will contain ten hundred and
fifty convlcts. 1t is for you to determine
, whether it is expedient to provide immedi-
atcly, either for its further enlargement, or TO,
the erection of new pcnitentiarv
ask your attention to the recommends
: tions of the Directors and Wafslens, for tn,
, erection of new structures within the present
enclosure. @.
The total cash receipts for the pas! veal
were S92, 1928 IL. The labor of conyicts for
the S-ate, in the erection of new structures,
$13,O56 80. The total expenses have been
Il 500, 125 2S. The earnings thus appear in
excess of expenses, $3,9G6 63
1t is gratifying to know that moral inhu-
cnces are relied upon in the discipline of the
pcnitentlarv, to secure the submission and
promote tha reformation of convicts. Kind
ness and religious instruction are blended with
regular but not oppressive labor, and are pro-
ducing results propitious to morality and to
virtuous sympathy. Your earnest interest is
solicited to the correction Of whatever defects
there way be in our penitcnciary system.
The too frequent exercise of the pardoning
power must necessarily impair the efficiency
of the administration of justice. Incons;der-
ate clemencv operates as an encouragement to
crime, and produces more misery than it allie
viates. The prerogative of mercy should be
exercised with q view only to the legitimate
objects of punishment,- reformation of
offenders and the prevention Of crimes With
in the scope of this rule, l have deemed it
my duty to restrict the exercise OF the par
donins power
The ;!holc number of rardons granted dr-
ring the last year is eighty-nine of these
twenty-four were issued upon the certificate
of the physician of the penitentarr accom-
panied by the accommodation of the War
den and Directors, in cases where there was
danger of the death of the convict so par
doncd, in pursuance of the act prescribing the
manner of applying for parlons.
Connected with the subject of parlons
there is one feature of our criminal code tt
-. which it my duty to invite your attention.
refer to the provision for minimum period
> OF confinement in the penitentary.,
, Numerous applications have been made tt
) me for the exercise of the paraoning powc,
: by the Judges by whom the cases were tried
, upon the ground that the periods of confinc
d ment were longer than the circumstance
e would justify, and that the sentences ha
), been made so because minimum periods ha
been fixed by law, and no discretion, belo,
: those limits, left to the Judge. An examin
n ton of many of the cases has satisfied me q
: the force of these considerations, and the par
II doning power has according been exercised
y Reflection upon the subject has brought m
1t to the conclusion that it would be best to TAX
vt away the minimum limit in all cases. ant
Y leave the Judge to fix the time, below tn
II maximum limit, as his judgment, in view o
i all the circumstances in each case, may deter
= mine
e The only objection which can be urged
rs against such a measure is, that in some in
stances the period Of confinement night b.
n too short to meet the expenses of conviction
), and transportation. The answer is obviou.
and conclusive. The legitimate objects O
punishment, as already stated, are the protec
ton of society and the reformation Of the Of
fender. Pecuniary considerations are entitled
to little weight where the interests of publi
Justice are concerned. In my Judgment, 3 th
objection is also nearly, if not entirely, with
out foundation in the fact which it assumes
It is believed that the sentence would rare!
be so short that the timefwould not be suffi
cent to reimburse the State in as large pro
portion of its outlays as it receives in the av
erage of other cases 6wherein the periods c
it confinement are longer, 49,, t.,.-,.r..-.f
A tabular statement Of the various peni
70 tehtiary cFin1es with the maximum and mn
10 mum speri0d of confinement prescribed b
70 law for each one, will be found with the doc
: urnents accompanying this message.
70 I commend to your consideration the Re