The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-09-24
PRISON. REFORM!
Interesting Letter of a Convict in the
Indiana State Prison. South.

| Correspondence Richmond Palladium
| INDIANAPoLis, Sept. 81.
In as much as many Of your excellent
citizens are interested deeply in great
reform, il which some of them, including
Mr. Coffin and Supt. Hobbs, have taken
distiu guished part, the following letter
of convict to his chaplain may not be
unwelcome :
INDIANA STATE PRIsoN, SOUTH,
Sept. Is, 1870.
Rev. j. w SULLIVAN:
SIR :-Learning that
you are an accredited member of the
Prison Congress that is to meet in Gin
cinnati and knowing the deep interest
you have at all times manifested on the
subject of Prison Reform. have thought
proper to address you upon that subject
Well do remember the day when you
stood in the Library koon and announc,
cd to us as we came in for our books,
that our new Warden would rot only
sustain you in your efforts, but that he
| would lead the way. You, sir, must re-
member how that announcement was
| re ceived. There were eyes suffused
| with tears that had almost forgotten,
during the long years of cruelty, how to
weep. Smiles lit up the countenances
of men who had long known nothing but
| sadness. Now, what has brought about
the great change among the prisoners
that has been going on for the past TWEEN
| ty months Was it diminishing our
daily task Of la Dor ? No. We have la.
bored as hard since the advent Of Col.
Shuler as we did under the reign Of
Merryweather, whisky and the CATS
Was it an increase Of the pittance that
contractors gave for our work No, sir
for this has been stopped altogether, and
still the work goes on.
1t was the love of the kindness dis
played by our Christian Warden, and his
strict attention 10 the best interests Of
the State. lie has taught US all to have
confidence in him. But | am sorry to
say that he has such restrictions placed
upon him that he can go no further in
carrying out fris great work of reforma~
| ton. / do hope that the honorable
body Of which you are memter will, at
/ its Cincinnati meeting, pass resolutions
to be submitted to the various State Leg
| isatureS, giving Wardens more power.
der the most favorable circumstances
Cut off from home and friends. compelled
| to toll for years that prison contractors
may grow r'ch-to drag out long mis-
cradle existence and then be thrown on
the cold mercy Of the world, with mind
bewithered, health destroyed, almost
naked and penayless, is it any wonder
that so many are tempted and fall again?
Mr haf
does the State n AXE for her prisoners at
the expiration of their sentences The
State allows a prisoner when he is dis
charged fifteen dollars. Out Of this he
has TO buy clothing. and upon it he must
+! subslst till employment can be procured.
! Can he get work the first day :? II not,
he has not the means to procure > single
meals rictuals. or a'aights lodging. ADJ
uniting wolk can be had the first day
/ very doubtlul-a boarding house must
be had. The discharged prisoner has
neither tools nor baggage of any 6escrfp-
| tion-nothng but the fifteen dollars on
| his back, and the landlord would not
| look with favor upon that as security for
his board. How will the discharged
| moul3e r, blacksmith or Inachinest find
employment He has no TOOLS without
which he cannot get work. The fifteen
/ dollars on his back will not Be sufficient
security for the hardware merchant. He
cannot sui sist on or buy tools with the
kind advice given him by the Chaplain or
the Warden. The Peca. Code of the
State declares that reform alton, and not
indicative justice, IS the object Of the
law in dealing with criminals. Now,
what is the practice To sentence
man ten, fifteen or twenty years places
him beyond the pale of reformation. Bus
the pardoning power is supposed to be
remedy in such cases. Now. IS the
! pardoning power exists, there are but
lew who really deserve to be pa1doned
| who receive it.
| If convict had to depeEd upon
his good conduct and reformation
| for pardon his chances wuu!d be
poor indeed. A man must have
frienas and money before be can
procure pardon. no matter how
deserving he NAV be. There are
men here whose friends, no doubt,
mourn them IS dead, and who
| would rather die here than let those
friends know OF their disgrace.
| Therefore, there is no clemency
Tor them without money. If the
pardoning power were given 10 the
Warden and the Board of Direc-
tors Il en- there would tie some
chance for the .deserviug and re-
formed to be patdoned. But as it
is, it depends upon dollars and
cents. IL the baneful and PERM
c.ous con tract system were nbol-
ished, the prison could he made
self-sustaining, besides allowing
certain per centage to GO towards
supporting prisoners families, or
to be retained to help them at the
end of TIL cir sentences 1.-THE pris-
oner received a certain per cent. of
his earn;nga he would lea to
practice greater economy than it
is possible to beat or torture ont
of him by any of the appliances of
the torture rooms.
You may preserve an outward
appearance of discipline, and even
cen.entmeRs by cruel and degrad-
ing punishn ents, but you will new
| err reform man and teach him
/ economy by lessons of cruelty, or
by clothing him in garments that
make him appear hideous, and de
stroy his seli-respect. When you
do that, you blow out the last
spank upon which you can rely to
bring the erring back to virtue and
right. Compare the condition of
the inmates of this prison since
| Col. Shuler took control with what