The New York herald., 1870-01-15
PRISON REFORM.
Memorial OF the New York Prison
Association.
The Want md Necessity OF Higher and
Better Order Of Penitentiary
Management.


The memorial OF the New York Prison Association
to the Legislature III favor OF an amendment to the
State constitution as TO pententarv system Is
document deserving of serious and attentive con-
sldcration. An article on Prison LaDor.r published
recently In the HERALD. dealt With one phase OF the
PRISON system the memorial deals with all. 1t is
unusually vigorous and condensed aud must arrest
the attention OF every concerned in penentiary
reform. The starting point Of their reform Is EN-.
braced in the following constitutions
There shall be board OF managers or prisons,
the advice aud consent, Of the Senate who snail hold once
board shnl have the charge superin,cnd-
ance ~ the state Prisons and have such aud perform
sue dals IA resest to sae prisons Ia tho State the
Legislature may pitsefihe
able at teir pleasure, perform Gueh duties the Legislature
the board may direct receive salary to DO deter
10. M-lhc moubers OF The board shall receive com
peusation other than reasonable travelling Official
lcnses.
and chaplain OF state Prison, power to
remove them Tor cause My after opportunity be heard
1p-Ail officers Of each prison shall be appointed
Sta.th-Thc Governor may remove any the managers
for rseondae, or neect OF duty, after opportunity to be
kyAaihe nvc managers first appointed shall, the Leg
expire at the end etch two years during the rs ten wears
.s0a-This amendment shall elect the first
from aid after which date four Of article Ave OF the
consultation shnl be null and void.
The utility and practical bearing OF this project
may be variously estimated. Many there are who
think the Prison Association lmpracticablc ana
Utopian In their schemes Of penitentary reform;
therefore 1t is that outline OF what the society
complains OF ana asks To be remeded may be OF
interest and instruction to the public, Us showing
the quality OF argument employed against the pre-
sent system. They put pertinent questions In
IL 1t that convict labor remains
now at about the same price ut which iI
ranged twenty years ago. when within that
time everything else has enhanced In price that
the ordinary expenditures for the prisons have risen
from si6s, ,4l6 year to $3.50 9i3y Why abandon tho
marble quarry at Sing Sing when heretofore the pro-
duce--which was OF an Inferior and condemned quail
ity-was taken from he surface and now, when 1t
Is taken thirty forty or fifty eet below the surface
1t is said to produce very superior article and that
said by the State officers and experienced who
are WORKING it, VINO are confident OF results as to
be willing to guarantee that with 500 prisoners
gagged IN the quarry the whole cost OF the
prison can be paldY And. Inal1y, why aban-
hon the IRON business at Cllnt0n when it Is
declared that the failure there has been entirely
Ing TO the ''contracr system, and that with the
LABOR OF the prisoners conducted alone under State
authority, that prison also can be made 10 be SELF
supportingy
SO far Tor the labor part OF the matter; but 1t
not so hS 10 Inc moral
OF the prisoners that the society addresses nseli
Their ann. as the people know IL first to aud
strengthen the moral MANHOOD OF the convict
ana aiI him, when he Is discharged, In the
denvor TO lead an honest ~tife The services they
nave performed IN the past Tor the better govern
mclt ana Information VI prisoners have been really
great and numerous. Their first business as % hui
ASSOCIATION was tn dlsabuse the minds OF the
officers Of the Ilca that was their duty to in6icS
upon the PRISONERS any suffering not required by
law, mercy because plDl1nnlent FOR crime was the
object of tner confinement. This was slow and
.t,4I..x EsuI nr rpl n.aI
Il SHOWN III various ways even 10 TINS day--as In
the iepu!slve character o. their uniform, the denial
OF paper Tor the water closet, the suppression oI
funeral services, arolrary commands ana an over
bearing manner towards them, &c.
1nc introduction oi libraries INTO the prison was
an interesting movement. out OF S6l prisoners at
sing sing in lSti there were Only 10 who cOutd not
read The Others, being seven-eighths OF tie whole
number had nothing 10 read but their Bibles ana
hymn DOCKS and such works as were smuGgled III
among them. Since then there has been vast good
performed IN this branch OF the pcntontiafy m
Proveinenis.
Announcer measure was to Increase the means OF tho
convicts on leaving tho PRISONS An allowance Of
only three dollars apiece was then made.
IL was ascerta.nei by the association that seven
out OF ten the discharged male convlcth led nom
est lives afterwards, and IL was becyed that this
proportion could be increased ny more aid to thcia
on their discharge The Inspectors at sing Sing,
IN November ls4 4, appealed 10 the public 10 rem
der their AID BY forming society whose
object should be to lind employment for those who
snail gYe evidence oi repentance and reformation"
There upon this ASSOCIATION was formed, and in it5
first appeal for funds 1t avowed among its purposes
Ito aid discharged prisoners IL their Efforts ~ lead
ing honest lives"
Ths measure also wasin accordance with public
feeling. Liberal contributions were made, so that
the association was enabled to employ an agent
Qsaac I. HOpper), whose whole time was devoted 10
thar OBJECT aud during Its first year relief was ex-
tended 10 seventy-four from the State Prison at Sing
sing. forty from the PenitentAry and two from the
Hoase Of Reiuge OF the males thus relieved places
OF employment were procured Tor nftyeight, ana
only one Of the number turned out bad.
The Legislature I'D due time again iatcrleren ana
Increased the allowance to discharged cOnvictS from
three dollars apiece 10 ten dollars.
A plan was introduced into all tho prisons TO allow
the inmates what Ii known as 'overatiny," COM
pensanon Tor oyerworA to be paid 10 them on their
discharge.
The advantage OF this measure was at once ap-
parent in the good order and industry or the men;
but was snorn OF much OF its benefits by the want
of legislative sanction. u was introduced on the
mere motion OF the prison officers anu could be
carried out only by an arrangement with ihe con-
tractors me men who were o. wors ior llc
deprived OF the privilege, because the officers had
10 power to cxpcnd the funds or the state Tor that
purpose
AnotIer reform was tho Introduction OF funeral
services NJ sig Sing Before tlat Inc practice was
TO cut UP and pack tue dead bodies barrel to be
sent TO New YORK ior dissection, or encasc them IN
rough wooden boxes aud have them borne away oa
the shoulders OF three or four men and thrust in the
ground to rot ana be forgotten. The efecb OF the
new measure was wonderful, ana was SHOWN IN
Their feeling CURING the service ana 10 their more
supdaed and cbcdienl Gcnorrinent afterwards.
The Incans used 1or Maintaining discipline IN the
prsons IL denounced as beng without sympathy
witt the humane spirit OF the age and Ia TINS regard
tue public wl.l be likely TO agree without dissent.
Tnc shower, back crucifx, inuinbscrews dc.,
I'll only Tor medieval times. In conclusion the asso
CATION tanks Jhss, taking nl these things into cor
sileraton, IN Wow OF the fact that an additional
STATE prison IS contemplated, end seeing plainly
that our renitentiary sYstem has not KEPT pace 1in
tho advance OF our knowledge, tho increase Of our
population Dpd the consequent augmentation
OF crime among us, and believing that the time
has tullY arrived when e requisite reforms may bc
established, tho association viii not propose any
mere temporary remedy, ana Is not prepared WIFE.
OF permanent character. But they do most
earnestly recommend the appointment OF cca-
mlss.ol-.to whom no pay shall be given except Tor
necessary expepses--who shall be charged Win the
duty or inquirng into and maturing financial
plan fof our state PRISONS; OF maturing system
OF prison discipline and Of making ali the
Investigations necessary to thar end, which
hhal nerrnannnL hndY clnllnd with tho