The Portland daily press., 1873-02-12
JafI Reform.


the spb;ect of iail reform for the third time.
The defeat of the project on previous occa-
sions is attributable solely TO sheerignorance-
Ignorance of what has been done to cure
moral diseases, and consequent faithlessness
as to the possibility of doing anything more
than keep in operation the present contriv-
ances for securing a steady supply of crimi-
mails and paupers. Not one member in twen-
ty Of the Legislature of 1871 or 1872 had
taken pains to inform himself as to the pro-
gress made elsewhere in one of the most sue.
cessful of all the branches of modern re-
form. And to this day there is no doubt that
the gentlemen of those Legislatures by whose
votes the prison reform bill was defeated, re-
gard the whole project as the fruit of some
idle brain, the dream of some sentimental
enthusiast. And in the present Legislature
there are also to be found members who have
great difficulty in preserving their gravity
when they speak of 'tsending that sort of
people to school," and who are in happy self
satisfied ignorance of the fact that in govern
ments not SO enlightened as we think ours to
bes'that sort of people, are not only made
to pay by their labor the expenses of the in
situations in which they are confined, but are
almost all of them thoroughly cured of their
criminal tendencies by the moral and intel
lectual instruction afforded them. The truth
is the Jail system Of Maine, compared with
that of some other States and countries, is
medieval, and the worst of it is that hardly
anybody suspects it. While New York and
Michigan and Massachusetts, and Ireland are
alive to the importance Of retaining citi-
zens who are morally disabled, very many of
our Maine people who occupy official posi-
tons have not yet outgrown the vindictive
theory of punishment. To one observing
these things the reflection would naturally
occur that the influence of the decline of our
common schools is gradually making itself
felt in official circles.
We shall soon know whether the bill re-
ported to the House by Mr. Mortland of
Rockland, from the special committee on the
jail system will share the fate of its predeces-
sors. 1t is founded on the bill accompanying
the report of the special commission of 1871,
the provisions of which were recapitulated in
an article not long since published in this pa
per. But several important changes have
been made. Instead of providing for the es-
Enlistment of three or four district Prisons
where the inmates are to be instructed and
taught some useful trade, it authorizes ana
county to make such changes in its Jail as are
necessary to effect the desired purpose. When
any county has made the necessary arrange
Inents for carrying out the provisions of this
act, courts having criminal jurisdiction any
where in the State, may sentence persons
convicted before them to the Jail of that
county instead of to that of the one in which
the crime was committed. The prison in
spectors, who are intrusted by this act with
the supervision of the jails as well as of the
States prison. are also authorized to remove
to the Jail or jails where the reform system is
IN operation persons confined in the counties
where no proper arrangements have been
made for the employment and proper classif-
cation. Though the adoption of the system
Is not made compulsory, it is hoped that the
advantages of it will be sufficiently obvious to
lead at least one or more counties to initiate
1t. And when one county has put it in OPP
Grafton, it will readily be seen that there are
considerable inducements held out to the
other counties to follow its example. When
they see their prisoners removed from the
jails conducted on the present wholly barbaric
system, AMI confined at their expense in
neighboring county, unless indeed the labor
of the prisoners may relieve them from all
care on this head, they will probably be led
by motives of self interest, ifnot of philan-
thropy, to let the light of civilization shine
into their jails also. The probable immedi-
ate practical result of the passage of the
act in question would be the introduction of
the industrial and reformato1y system in two
or three of the jails most conveniently con-
structed for that purpose. If the expert
ment should prove successful in those two or
three jails its spread throughout the State
could not fail to be rapid. We have no doubt
that the necessity will be seen hereafter of
making more definite and certain provisions
for the education of prisoners than are made
in this bill, which is framed with view evil
IDENTIFY to secure the support of those to
whom the economical advantages of the new
system appeal most powerfully. Neverthe-
less the passage of the bill will be long step
in the right direction, and will raise rea-
sonable expectation that in the course of
ten years Maine may have reached point in
the theory of prison reform which Jeremy
Bentnam reached three-quarters of century
ago.