The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-11-24
THE REFORMATION OF CRIMI-
NAILS
From the N. Y. Evening Post.

From the N. Y. Evening Post.
The National Congress for Prison Re-
rm, which met il Cincinnatila las week,
has published declaration of princi
l,les,' setting forth in the clearest [ighf
. the evils o. the prison systems now in
1ipracsice, and the methods by which any
Thorough improvement must be sought
) 1t SHOWS plainly that the influence of
these institutions as whole is very near
4 ly the reverse of what it ought to be.iaJ
| The starting point of the congress is
THAT the aim Of prison discipline should
be reformation, not the infiction of slf
fering,. Apart from all con3ideratien,
OF humanity it is rtain that the prot &c
ton OF society and the maintenance Of
civil order will be promoted far better
by turning criminals into good citizens
than by any amount of terrorism. The
MY answer to this ever suggested is that
when Lien become open felons, they can
/ not be reformed, and must be regarded
as hopeless outlaws. But this is assumps
ton, not proved fact. An earnest and
wise attempv, on large scale, to reform
prisoners, has never been made Such
experiments, on small scale, have had
partial and encouraging success When
all has been done In this direction shat
can be done, and has failed, it will be
soon enough to adopt the theory of des-
The congress believes that human ma
ture, even in guilty men, is commonly
susceptible of the influence of religion,
education and kindness. They do not ex,
pect reformation Under a system which
makes the control of prisons the spoil of
party struggles; and therefore puts in
office unsuitable men, actuated by. the
Hove of gain, and then changes even these
SO often that each Of them has a strong
motive to make his place proftablei,to his
pocket, with scarcely any motive TO make
it useful to the prisoners or to TIE com
immunity. Still less doithey look for NOR
! al Improvement in men who are frequent
Fly sentenced for short periods to a con
fnement which, has no influence but to
make them restless and in which the
discipline administered only inficts on
them series of degredations.l 1sy o3
They would reverse all this. They
would make prison government a high
and permanent trust to be placed in the
hands of good and able men, who's will
make it their profession. They would
have its aim to be the restoration Of the
manhood and self-respect of every con
vicS. They would have his confinement,
in every case not apparently hopeless, a
probation, to be ended upon satisfactory
proof OF a complete reformation. To eff
feet this, they would employ all the NOR
aland industrial forces which keep So
ciety itself org lnized, and which prevent
81 many of its members from falling in
to crime. F"@ea EgfJ ~
Nor would they, at the end Of prison
life turn loose upon the world their ward,
with the brand Of felon on him, to
choose between starvation and o. life Of
crime. They would provide work for
discharged prisoners, and encourage them
to recover their place in society. In
short, Chey would make it q part Of the
prison system to smooth the.away for ey
cry criminal yho honestly tries TO be-
come man again instead of resisting
/ his efforts, as they are now resisted, by
the whole force OF the community.
i II the-changes in puo policy and in
the laws dem nded y the congress are
too great to be suddenly or hastily male,
IACS 1iO oiSO WV : GAsN 7LlsA IV' dO3ii <sDk z
not to be fairly considered by thoughtful
men. There is az feature of public life
in the United States 40, hopeful a3 lhe
growing disposition OF the Wis9st and
best cltlzens t. take IN active partaia the
discussion o. social pr lblems on higher
grounds than those OF party politics, and
among the noble refornS, to which such
inquiries point.in she future that of ohe
VII IL disciplinary work of government
and societyh lltbS 81 lg 1h albse.. s,r
The soldiers should remember that by
the terms of a law of Congress, passed
last July, every person who served nlne
ty days or more in the military or naval
forces OF the country, is entitled, on the
payment IF ten dollars and the usua
C ,mmiss ons, to enter 100 acres ofoland
on any of the even numbered sections o.
the public domain not reserved as miner
al lands The whole cost Of the land fol