New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-01
THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
PRISON REFORM.

putable that the article relating TO the penal system
of the State is an immense advance any previous
legislation relating to the subject If it shall
be sanctioned by the sufrages of the people, nothing
short of revolution will be effected by it in
prison system.
/. The new system will take the management of
State Prisons out of the domain of politics The
choice of prison managers will no longer be through
party nominations by party votes, and for party
ends; instead, their appointment will be made by
the highest dignitaries Of the State-the Governor
and Senate. Holding Office for 10 years, the Prison
Board will be comparatively permanent, and may
take their measures on their own independent judg-
ment and conviction making their appointments on
the ground of qualification. ftuess, and merit
@ The new system will impress n character Of sta
bility and permanence on the executive adminstra-
ton of the prisons. The four principal officers
Warden, Chaplain, Physician and Clerk-are, by
the terms of the article, to hold Office during good
behavior. Even the Board that appoints will have
no power to remove. except for cause, which cause
must be stated in writing, and opportunity be given
TO the accused to make bis defense parchment
and trial will thus be the only means of removal as
far as regards the officers named The Warden
being the responsible head of the prison. and held to
strict accountability for its condition and disc-
pline the sole power of appointment and removal Of
subordinate officers is placed in his hands. OF
responsibility resting upon him. would ever either
appoint OF remove men, except upon the ground of
thor fitness or unftness for the duties required. 1t
Is to be presumed, al so, that there will DO
gradatons both in the rank and pay of the officers,
20 that q constant stimulus will be presented to
fidelity and everinereasiug efficiency in the service
The system in use takes away all those motives
70 integrity which in private life are found neces-
sary TO insure it, As no degree of merit can secure
L.. 10 lop hn man fm
than Roman virtue who does not act upon the prin-
chile of getting all he can out of it while 1t remains
i'm his possession. Whatever honesty may be found
In prison officers must therefore be set down to the
credit of inherent and unaided human virtue. The
system is utterly at war with heightened pure,
NrtuOus serviee and if it does not render such ser
vice an impOssiblty, it Is at least standing invita-
ton to Veuality and population.
g The new system will insure a better class of men
in the dictatorship of our prisons. The office at
present political one wit salary and perq9lsltes
attached and also with abundant opportunity lS 20
70 indulge such a propensity. That more than one
has gratifed prOclivIty of this kind Is matter OF
common belief and there is need TO be squeanlsh
about saving so The Office, under the Amended Con-
stitutiOn, will have no emOlumentS connected Win
it, 1t will be merely honorary ana DenencenS Inel9
hungry politicians and, consequently, there VIII De
selected Tor the service only men who are moved
thereto by an impulse of beneYOlenee, or sense Oh
duty and whom the general voice OF their Fellow
citizens has pronounced fit for tho arduous but non
4. The new system viii secure higher grade of
qualification than is now found in prison officers.
when NM. DemetB and de Cohrteilles were about
10 found the ReformatoTy Colony Of Mettray instead
of building lofty walls for the RESTRAINT OF thelr
future wards they eaaoa,ea e ,n WO wf f
coercion. We did not disguise from 0uTselNes'--so
they declared in one of their early reports that
she task of changing bad boys into good ones Was
not one to be cOnfded to the first comers ~ is ["
serious charge DEMANDING 5inGs aoYS sns
3icion" Accordingly, instead Of opening Their
Youthful prison with such material as came 10 hana
they established Preparatory School, ana deNQte's
the first six months to the training oil stan on
oficers to aid them in then WoIK; NOI ui it,i
qualified assistants did they receive the first install
lient of the young delquents who were thence1Ortn
to constitute the colony The EcOle PreparGtoe has
been intained ever since NOW 80 years. and its
course of instruction includes religion, grammar,
arithmetic geometry geography, housekeeping; lin-
ear drawing, gymnastics, swimming, vocal ana M
strumenta mnsic agriculture IN all its details with
the elements Of tho sciences with which 1t IS con-
with tic special duties of prison officers. The result
is a reformatory from which q percent, on the ay-
erage. go ont 10 become viTtuous and worthy citi-
zens; reformatOTy consequently, the most success
FIJI the world has ever seen. So vital part OF the
institution does ~ Demetz consider this Preparatory
School, thot he does not hesitate 10 declare t1at
were it TO be closed Metray itself must cease Ger
tainly there is the highest wisdom IN these prllees
and in the procedure founded on them. We take 1t
for granted that, although the article under
consideration does not and could not descend
TO so minute detail as this, one
of the earliest measures of the new Board created
by it would be to establish just such school OF
special training as that above described The posi-
tOn of prison officer would be permanent under the
Constitution and the officers themselves should
be pTOpOrttDnably raised IN character and dlgRity;
but 10 such elevation higher grade OF educatl0n'
morals, and special fitness would be Indispensable.
Entering the service IN early life they 81 ould form
class by themselves. should be thoroughly trained
n all their duties (which very yaUOus, serving
inst guards, then as keepers with gradations in
each class then deputy wardens, then as wardens
Gi sn rsoh es sd chiefly Inv the small
of reconvictions under them, as wardens of larger
prisons Thus alone would the details or prison dis
cpline be gradually perfected, and uniformity IN It's
application attained. For only when the admins
tfatiOn of public punishment is made profession
will il become scientific, uniform, successful
5. The penal system created by the Amended, Con-
sttution. if carried out TO the extent provided for
and intended. would give unity and homogeneous
TO this department OF the public service AT pre-
sent the fundamental principle Of all good govern
ment "a responsible, but supreme authOrity-ls
wanting in reference 20 our prisons.
g. The provision IN the new Constitution VIII en-
able the authorities to introduce better system OF
prison labor. The present arrangement, by It's con-
tinual change of officers and the consequent utter
instability in the administration Tfecessitates the
contract system of labor in our State Prisons and
that eystem Is extremely preiudIcal to the interests
of the State, both financially and morally Under
permanent officers and o stable administration, the
Industries OF our prisons might be successfully man
aged by their respective wardens.
z. The new system would undoubtedly make the
reformation of the COnvicts the actual as well as the
declared object of the discipline. But is such reforms
ton pOssbef In expressing our belief In its prlc-
tcabilty regards at least the CT cOnyics we
do but echo the opinion almost universally held by
gentlemen of the SOundest judgment and the widest
experience in prison matters. Nh. Haynes, Warden
of Massachusetts State Prison for thirteen years,
states his opinion thus 81 have doubt that eighty
Der cent can be reclaimed" The Rev. John Luck. v,
Cor nearly twenty years chaplain at Sing sing, says
Il think that nearly all cOnycts through the use OF
right S Te an 10 of tbS
system of prison discipline, WHO proved