The New York herald., 1874-08-08
PRISON DISCIPLINE
Defective Management Of Our Penal
Institutions.
THE SOLITARY Confinement SYSTEM
What the Warden of Sing Sing
Says on the Subject.

Gays on the SuUeCC.
The successful management OF our state Prisons
has thus far proved only Utopian theory. To
mete out punishment to the criminal classes and
after they have expated their offences against
society to liberate them with conviction that
they are better men or women than when thew
were first incaroerated Is problem which, on
this side of the Atlantic. has yet to be solved bv
our legislators, moral reformers and humanita-
rians. With each revolving year It would seem
that the de ais OF q new scheme for the better
governing or for the conversion OF those crime.
dyed atoms OF the community are elaborately laid
before the public understanding. but when tested
by reason aud practicability are found radically
deficient. And yet, Notwithstanding all that has
been done for the amelioration OF the convict,
coupled with the encouragement he receives to
amend his ways, no again revels in
THE COMMISSION OF cRIMH,
and complacently returns to prison life ''as dog
to Its vomit or as q SOW to her wal.owing In tha
mire." This can scarcely be termed an exaggera<
tion. as a careful estimate places the proportiou
of convlcts who find their way back again
to the PRISONS having been previously dis
charged therefrom, at ninety per cent,
Nor has that most dreaded feature Of penal servt-
tude solitary confinement, been left untried In.
April, 1921, the Legislature directed the Warden,
OF Auburn Prison to select number Of the most
hardened criminals and lock them up in solitary
cells night and day, without interruption OF any
kind. After q SUFFICIENT number OF cells were
completed, some eighty convicts were placed In
them. The experiment, however. proved disas-
trous. as within year Eve OF those who vera
thus confined died;
ANOTHER BECAME INSANE,
and stIl another, watching an opportunity when
his keeper brought him something threw himself
from the gallery. The remainder were fast drift
ing into idiocy physical imbecllIty when to save
their lives, the Governor pardoned twenty-six.
while the others were again put to work in the
prison shops. The system, while proving so fatal
to the health OF the convicts, totally inefficient
IN producing reform, as out OF the twentysix par
doned fourteen were soon returned for new
offences.
Anxious to ascertain how the inmates Of Sing
Sing Prison were progressing, and also for the
purpose Of eliciung the views Of Warden Hub
bell on the "sottary confinement" system,
HERALD representative called at that
famous abode OF turbulent mortals yesterday
morning. 1t must not be inferred that the insti-
tuition Is often the scene Of noise and disorder On
the contrary, excepting when the more unrulVi
among the jail oirds assume an attitude Of open
insubordination, the immense structure is as
noiscless though the foot OF man had never,
fallen inside Its massive walls. Warden Hubbelr
versation which ensued he courteousiy and with
out reserve EXPRESSED himself regarding the udi-
what Sing sing was, Is and ought to be.
TALK AT SING SING.
In response to the question as TO % whether ne dld
vcts for frequent communication with each other,
Warden HubOell replied
fore yesterday bears me out precisely In what
have always said-namely. that this prison is little
distributing point to the other penal institutions.
Young boys, in gangs Of from ten to fifteen, and
arrive in the evening, fresh from the haunts,
Of crime. ana instead OF having separate cells to
Them side by side with old and hardened GRIM
That state of aralrs must surely tend to demor-
"It certainly does, and l have no hesitation IN
saying that our system Of prison management Is
THE WORST IN THE WORLD
''These boys. as you may readily imagine bring In
news regarding the movements and plans OF 0ut-
side Criminals which they communicate to experts
In burglary and other nefarious professions. In
return Tor this information the old and dexterous
convict initiates the novice into the finer arts OF
In many other ways"
.sDo you not think that this is owing In part, ia
the ignorance or inefciency OF subordinate prison
oncers9"
"Undoubtedly 1t is The officers who have charge
INSPECTORS Or perhaps, by the Inspector In charge
In the absence Of the Board, and in most
instances the appointments are made with
out the appointee having been seen by the
Inspectors: This mode OF furnishing the prison
tsed, and must, as a natural consequence, con-
tnue until prison management Is separated from
PRISON LIFE IN EUROPE
"Eaying visited some OF the English and Irish
Their their system differs rom ours in that respect ?"
I'm any part OF Europe q man might as wen
think to become the Pope OF Rome as 70 obtain ths
hrst thoroughly taught the business In Europe
the warden selects all OF the subordinate oncers.
but even the most subordinate post can only be
filled by one who has regularly learned the bust
'Tt is not possible then, under the prevailing
system, to cneck this evil OF convlcts communi.
eating with tn each other by night as we'll as IN the
"In the present order OF things 1t is scarcely
possible to absolutely prevent them. nave re1
Geny s ySly nd Se 10 ING
energetcally carried out ;but as have Just init.
mated, 1t is extremely difficult to do 1t edectually
IN an associated system like ours.
THEY WILL TALK AT NIGHT
despite all we can do and 1t Is almost impossible
OF the convicts carry little piece OF looking glass
this oHtslde Of the cell door Fe they can P plainly sec
the guard along the whole length OF the prison.
"The discipline OF the prison has not been very
excellent OF late; do you think there is any i'm.
y in that important feature OF the man,
.swithin the past two weeks there has been .visl-
BILE vast Improvement IN n discipline, since I in.
be invested with the power to enforce discipline,
or otherwise resign my position. 1 need scarcely
say that was gratiled on receiving the assurance
OF the Inspectors cordial cooperation.
'Have You adopted any unusual means to ac-
compllsh the end soughtW
STRINGENT RULES INAUGURATED.
81 have ordered, among other things, that no
convict shall take money from visiting friends or
relatives; that there must be no more staring at
visitors to the prison, and that tra6ic OF every
description must cease. Although the officers ara
all showing commendable fidelity In carrying out
those orders, am frank to say that the pubs
Tic must not, cannot expect satisfactory re-
nr unfo nh nj
until the system is changed from political to busi-
ness-llke management"
THE SOLITARY SYSTEM
care you in favor OF the solitary or silent system
OF Imprisonment as carried out In some OF the
European prisons, and, to come nearer home, In
the Eastern Penitentary Of fPennsylvanar
"TO Q certain extent am In favor OF what Is