The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-01-27
ssIndiana state Prison, NORTH
Hinder this head. Gas. +. Coffin, Of

Jul City WIZ AAesAo, 10 49, kD~'S~
eral years paid special attention to
requisite reform in our prison sys
tenn, contributes we'll digested
and sensible article on the subject
in last weeks Telegram, from
which we have only room to copy
his closing remarks, and briefly al
lude to a few of the important sug-
gesticns he makes. He shows
there are AGO men to occupy $50
cells and, as the number of convicts
is constantly increasing, more room
will be necessary. The library of
the prison is small and poor, and
he thinks $1,000 per year should
be expended from the earnings of
the institution to increase it.
ssThe discipline is rigid but per
haps not too much SO for the class
of men confined there-most of
whom are desperate characters
with the exception Of the use of
that relic of barbarism, the ''cat,".
which should be instantly and
forever abandoned. Nothing tends
more to degrade n man than to
make bare his back. get upon his
hands and knees and be dashed with
a cato -nine-tails, by a man weighing
two hundred and fifty pounds.
This is frequently done, and some
times for what would seem to be
trivial offences. The prisoners
have no redress nor appeal. There
are bad men and Discipline of some
kind is necessary, but surly some
more humane means might be
used.
Mr.. Coffin thinks another build
ing is actually necessary, and sug
gests that the labor of the surplus
men, not let to contractors, be
used in the erection of the building
in this way the expense to the
State will not be great. AS an
incentive to good conduct, he sug
gests the Warden should be aloud
to recommend at least five to be
pardoned annually, and thinks our
present Governor is judiciously and
properly using the pardoning pow
er, and hopes he will continue
to exercise it fearlessly, when
proper cases are presented; He
also recommends that an Inter
mediate Prison" should be erected
for the younger and more hopeful
convicts, "where more time eau be
devoted to their moral and religious
improvement. The Michigan City
prison can then be used for the
more difficult and incorrigible con-
victs, and those manifesting O.
desire to reform can be transferred
to the Intermediate Prison
'sCrime increases naturally with
population, and, perhaps, in great
er ratio. At present our State Pris
ons turn out near three hundred
annually, schooled in crime, stig
matized by penal service, and hard
ened in sin. Many, perhaps most of
them, return to evil life. Thus we
shall soon have criminal class
built up amongst us. Let means
be speedily taken to obviate this,
Some provision should also be
made for discharged convicts. They
are now turned out with $15 to
procure clothing and find subsis
tence. Is it a wonder that many of
them are forced again into life of
crime: To do all these things re
quires some time. Would it not be
well for the present Legislature to
establish Board of ten citizens,
chosen for their devotion to the
public interest, and with little or
no salary, who should have the
management of all penal and re
formatory institutions, with power
to transfer from one to another,
and make such improvements as
are needed. If this was done pre-
sumo they could soon, without
great expense to the State, place
the whole system on a better basis,
pecuniarly and morally It is an i'm
portant question, and one which
affects the future welfare of the
whole country.
Another point in our prisons re
quires present attention-that is
the education of the ignorant con-
victs. The law requires that "the
Moral Instructor shall teach such
convicts as the Warden may send
him for that purpose the art of
reading, writing, arithmetic and
geography, at such hours as may
be found most conducive to the
interests of the Institution The
labor of the convicts having been
let to contractors their time during
working hours is fully employed
and the law is nearly dead letter.
Some systematic arrangement for
carrying out the provisions of the
law should be made and efficiently
carried out. The law also requires
the directors to make provision for
'.lighting the cells in the prison"
This does not appear to have been
done, since most of the convicts
procure their candles by over
work
From Wnshfngton.
u
In a raoonf laftnr. from WaSh