The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-25
DAILY PRESS.
Tuesday Morning, 0ctobsr %, 1870.
The inciunnti Prison Reform
.oNILAND

The 6inciunnti Prison Reform
| Congress.
The following are the articles adopted by
the Prison Reform Congress on Monday o
last week.
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES.
Mr.. z. r. Brockway, of the Detroit House o
Refuge, offered the following, which wa
adopted and ordered to be printed:
/. Crime is an intentional violation of du
ties imposed by law which intlicts an injury
upon others. Criminals are persons convicted
OF crime by competent courts. Punishment
is suffering inflicted on the criminal for the
wrong done by him, with an especial
view to secure his reformation.
III. The treatment of criminals by society
is for the protection of society, But since
this is directed to the criminal rather than to
the crime, its great object should be his moral
regeneration. Hence the Supreme aim OF
| prison discipline is the reformation of crmi-
nails, not the inaction of vndictive suffering.
| Ill. The progressive classification of pris-
| opers, based on character and worked on some
| well-adjuste mark system. should be estab-
l;shed in all prisons above the common Jail.
| Nv. Since hope is a more potent agent than
| fear, it should be made an ever-present toI ce
in the minds of prisoners. by well-devlsed
and skillfully-appled system of rewards tor
| ing Rewards, more than punishments, are
essential to every good prison system.
| V. The prisoners destiny shOuli be placed,
measurably, in his own hands; he must be
| put into circumstances where he will be able,
| through his own eXertions, to continually
better his condition. A regulated seli-interest
| must be brought into play.
vi. The two master forces opposed to the
reform of the prison systems OF our several
states are political appointments, and a con-
| sequent instability of administration. Until
| both are eliminated the needed reforms ars
impossible.
VII. High qualities and special training
| are required to make a good prison officer.
| Then only will the administration of public
| punishment become scientific uniform and
| successful, when it is raised to the dignity of
a profession, and men are specially trained
| for it as they are for other pursuits.
| VIII. Peremptory sentences ought to be
replaced by those of undeterminate length.
| Sentences limited only by satisfactory proof of
| reformation should be substituted for those
measured by mere lapse of time.
TX. OF all reformatOry agencies religion is
| first in Importance, because most potent in
| its action upon the human heart and lite.
X. Education is vital force in the refOr-
| maliOn OF fallen men and women who have
generally sinned through some form of igno-
| rance, conjoined with vice. Its tendency is
| to quicken the intellect, inspire self respect,
excite to higher aims, and afford a heallhful
| substitute Tor low and vicious amusements.
| Education is, therefore, matter of primary
| importance in prisons, and should be carried
to the utmost extent consistent with tho 9TH
er purposes of such institutions.
XII. In order to the reformation of impris-
oned criminals there must be not only a Sc
| rious desire and intention to that end, but a
/ serious conviction in the minds OF the prison
officers that they are capable OF being reform
ed, since no man can heartily maintain dis
cipline at war with his inward beliefs; no
man can earnestly strive to accomplish what
in his heart he despairs of accomplishing.
| XII. A system of prison discipline to be
| truly reiormatory must gain the will of the
convict. He is to he au ended; but how is
this possible with his mind in state Of hostil-
| ity? No system can hope to succeed which
does not secure this harmony of wills, so that
| the prisoner shall chose tor himself what his
| officer chooses for him. but to this end the
officer must really choose the good of the
prisoner, and the prisoner must remain in his
choice long enough for virtue 10 become hab-
it. This consent OF wills is an essential con-
dition of reformation.
| Alkls Luz lHlCICob vi o'ClCly dllu tuC iu-
| terest of the convicted criminal are really
identical, and they should be made practi-
cally so. At present there is a combat
between crime and laws. Each sets the 9TH
| er at defiance, and, as rule, there is little
kindly feeling, and few friendly acts on either
side. 1t would be otherwise if criminals on
conviction, instead of being cast of, were rath-
er made objects of generous parental care
| that is, if they were trained to virtue, and not
merely sentenced to suffering.
| XIV. The prisoners self-respect should be
cultivated to the utmost, and every effort made
to give back to him his manhood. There is
| no greater mistake in the whole compass Oh
| penal discipline, than its studied imposition
OF degradation as part OF punishment
Such imposition destroys every better impulse
and inspiration. 1t crushes the weak, irrl-
tates the strong, and indisposes all to submis-
sion and reform. 1t is trampliug where we
ought to raise, and.s as unchristian in prin
ciple as it is unwise in policy.
| XIV. In prison administrations, mora
forces should be relied upon, with as little ad
mixture of physical force as possible, and or
ganized persuasion be made to take the place
of coercIve restraint, the object being to make
upright and industrious treemen, rather than
orderly and obedient prisoners. Brute force
may make good prisoners; moral training
alone will, make good citizens. To the latter
| Vi tuCSc tuuS luc llVlllS SOulo uluSJ Uo WOu
to the former only the inert and obedient
body.
XVI. Industrial training should have beth
higher development and a greater breadth
than has heretofore been, or is now, common
ly the case in our prisons. Work is no less
an auxiliary to virtue than it is a means Of
support. Steady, active, honorable labor is
the basis of all relOrmatory discipline. 1t moi
only aids reformation, ,but is essentia
to it. 1t was maxim with Howard, "Makt
men diligent, and they will be honest"-
While industrial labor in prisons is of the
highest Importance and utility to the convict
and by no means prejudicial to the laborel
outside of the prisons, we regard the contract
system OF prison labor as prejudical alike tC
discipline, finance and the reformation O
prisoner, and sometimes injurious to the in
terest of the free laborer.
XVII. All the most valuable parts of the
Irish Prison systematic initial, primitive
stage OF separate Imprisonment. the refOrma
tory stage OF progressive classification, ant
he probationary stage of moral imprison
ment and natural traning-are believed to bt
as applicable 10 one country as another.
XVIII. Prisons, as well as prisoners
should be classified or graded, SO that there
shall be prisons for the untried, for the in
corrigible, and for other degrees OF deprave(
character, as well as separate establishment
for women, and for juvenile offenders.
XIX. Its believed that repeated short sen
tences for minor criminals are worse than use
less-that, in fact, they rather stimulate thai
repress transgression. Reformation is wor
OF time, and a benevolentregard for the good G
the criminal himself, as well as the projection
of society, require that his sentence be Ion
enough for relormatoIy processes to take e
feet.
Xxx. Preventive institutions, such as tru
ant houses, industrial schools, ETC.. for the re
ception and treatment Of children rot ye
criminal, but in danger of becoming so, con
stitute the true field of promise in which t
labor for the repression of crime.
1 XXI. More systematicand comprehensiv
methods should be adopted to save discharge
prisoners by providing them with work an
| encouraging them to redeem their characte
and regain their lost position in society. Th
State has not discharged its whole duty to th
. criminal when it has punished him, nor eve
when it has reformed him. Having raise
him up, il has the further duty to aid in holt
ing him up. And to this end it is desirab
that StaIe societies be formed which shall CT
operate with each other in this work:
XXI. The successful prosecution of Grim
, requires the combined action of capital an
labor, just as other crafts do. There are tW
well defined classes engaged in criminal ope
ations, who may be called capitalists and IL
operatives. 1t is worthy OF inquiry wheth
a more effective warfare may not be carrie
on against crime by striking at the capitals
as class than at the operatives one by one
XIII. Since personal liberty is a right
: respectable at least as the right of properly,
| is the duty OF society to indemnify the citize