The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-07-28

It may not be out OF place here to OBJ
serve that it is never to be expected
that the health of such class of men
as are found in our prisons will be
equal to that of the same number of
persons beyond the walls, for they often
enter with constitutions vitiated by
hereditary disease or broken by bad
habits and exposure; unless the institu-
ton is unusually we'll managed they
suffer while in it from bad or made
quate food; they are apt to indulge in
secret vices; they experience the evils
of an exchange of a life in the open air
for one of confinement, and they labor
under the terrible depression of spirits
incident to their degraded position. Ac-
cordtngly the physician ofAuburn ISL
LENT Prison said in 1S49, From all the
observations have been able to make,
am satisfied TINT few men can bear
imprisonment eight or ten years with.
ont becoming both mentally and physi-
cally' debilitated; and many middle
aged men, when they leave the prison,
appear to be broken down in mind and
body.H The only Question for us to de-
termine here Is, which system is the
most injurious to the health. IF the
seperate plan involved the idea
OF solitary confinement the case
would be clearly against it., Prisons
were CONSTRUCTED. many years ago, first
at PhiladeIphia and then in Massachu-
sets, New Jersey, Maryland and some
other States, so as completely to isolate
the inmates from all human society and
to leave them even without instruction
or employment, But the system proved
to be SO utterly rufnonS TO their minds
and bodies and even. their morals, that
it was soon abandoned. With this plan
the seperate system has no sympathy
whatever. 1t may be repeated again
that it only insists that the prisoners
shall nnf 600 aaRh If 6naa mt
forbid them 70 have intercourse with
other persons. fthey need more ex-
erciAe thantthey can obtain in rhe cells,
they may be taken into the yard or
elsewhere for that purpose. Certainly
it cannot be urged that the mere asSocf-
alton of the eonvicts at their work
would be adapted to improve their
health. What advantage in this respect
has the silent over the sepeFate system?
This is a subject of which we can best
judge from the reports of those men
who have seen the practical working of
prisons. The writer wishes to express
his regret that he has not at his COM
mand documents of recent date from
which to quote. Those which he uses
are at second hand and somewhat old,
but they are nevertheless in every way
reliable and applicable. DIR. Coleman,
of the New Jersey desperately State pFis-
on at Trenton, in 1919, said that among
Sh0 EAlSOIGES VI L1hG lu6t4buIlOu tneEe
was las great an amount of health and
comfort as can be found amongst an
equal body of men under any cfrcum-
stances From diseases contracted in
the prison, where there are under disci-
pline two hundred and sixty persons,
the deaths do not average one year. :"
DIR. DanachS - of the Eastern penitenti-
ary of Pennsylvania, said that he had
no hesitation in declaring that the
white mortality in that institution sis
nearly If not quite as small as in the
community at large" The. excess was
entirely among The depraVed colored
conYicts. DIR. Hartsh0fne, who sue
ceeded Or. Danach, said that a compar-
ison of certain prisons conducted on
the silent plan, with certain others con-
Quoted on the separate plan, showed a
decided per centage in favor OF the
latter. DIR. DeBalzoe, Professor of the
Royal College, of Versailles, speaking
of the separate prison for the depart-
ment OF the Selnein France, says, 1.-THE
sanitary condition of the cellular prison
is incomparably better than that of the
prisons in common. Experience has
shown that the system (of separation)
is favorable to the health of the priso-
nerS, and that it has no deleterious in
huenceiontheir intellect y The physi-
clan of the separate prisons at Montpe-
lier, in France, says that experience
shows that the system of isolation, with
its attendant visits, instead of incieas-
ing, has a tendency to moderate and
quiet the predisposition to insanity"
In 1916, NJ. Ardet, Honorary Inspector
of the prisons OF France, declared at
the general Congress of those persons
who were especially Interested In the
welfare of prisoners, thatIs'the most
perfect unanimity is found in the OBJ
seryations ofthe medical attendants of
the separate prisons in France, some of
whom have feared the effects ofthe dis
cipline upon the health Of the prisoners.
All acknowledge that sickness is found
less frequently, and of shorter dura-
ton. Epidemic disorders, and sick
ness occasioied by the changing of the
seasons, rarely penetrate the cells,
whilst under the old system the inhab-
itants of the prison never escaped. They
frequently see prisoners weak, emacia-
ted, and Ianguishfng, gradually recov-
er all the onward signs of good health.
Thus several sphysiciaus formally de-
clare that the cellular system ought TO
be accepted as benefit on account OF
health.n sd3tg W t
8. Humantty.-Imprisonment must
be- in some form sufficiently So
we're to render 1t dreadful pun
ishment. Yet it should be strip
ped of all unnecessary cruelty. Mod
ern philanthropy has caused the old
evils of mutilation, corporal punish
ment, branding aud kindred abomina-
tions generally TO be abandoned. It is
fair, therefore, to raise the question,
which of these two sy6tems is the
most humane3. So tar as health is con-
cerned we have seen that the advan-
tage is, with the separate prisons, or at
least that the two classes OF Institutions
stand on. an equality. The poinEivet to
be determined then, Is whether it is
more cruel TO prevent men, by keeping
them out Of sight of each other, from
holding intercourse, or to accomplish
the same end by imposing q rigorous
silence when in each others presence.
Probably to the minds of a majority OF
unbiased observers the forced silence
would seem the most tyrannical and
| What could be harder than to bring
men every day into contact With each
other and yet not allow. them to lcom-
mpnieate any more than ifIthey were
separatsfI .1fthe silent system Is in
any case less cruel, it can only be be-
cause it Is impossi ible fully to enforce it
4. RefoTBIdtioh Of Eae aec6hDict.-Which
/ system furnishes the sttongest hopes
| based on J Christian lprineipIes, for the
reIortnati9RlOf. the 0rlminaIf, No more
| important inquiry than this could be
| raised, As an excellent writer onaEhis
subject has observed there are three
considerations TO be taken into account
Wnol4At9 WullAu duSNSE stAAlS question:
The. first "a, that in order to reform a
criminal you must as far as possible,
remove from him whatever upholds him
in his guilt or blinds, him to its enor-
nifty. 4 ust as long so you allow con-
yicts 20 see each othet you may expeet
to deteat this oobject. "A look. of sar-
casm, or contempt, or defiance, or scorn,
or hatred by one offender, may com
pletelY quench the contrition rising in
the heart OF another. Here separation