The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-01-27

requisite reform ia oWr prAQn sys
tenn. contributes a well digested
and sensible article on the subject
in last weeks Telegram, from
which Ne have only room tu copy
his closing remarks, and briefly al
lude to alfew Of the nnportant sug-
gesti-ns he mikes. He shows
there are 40 msnz-te occupy $50
cells and, as the nnnlberof eonvicts
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 10 increase it,
The 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 baEhatism, the s,cat,
which should he = Instantly and
forever abandoned Nothing tends
more to degrade. y man than to
make bare his back get upon his
hands and knees and be dashed with
q cato nine-tails. by q, Man weighing
two hundred and fifty pounds
This is frequently dene- 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 asurly some
more humane means might be
used.''og 1HaE 9tni 4Eaas ng9 wsa'
Mr. Coffin thinks another build.
ing is actually necessary, and sug
gests that the labor of the surplus
men, not let to contractors, he
used in the erec ton 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 iudieiously and
properly using the pardoning pow
er, and hopes he will continue
to exercise it fearlessly, when
proper eases are presented. He
also recommends that an Inter
mediate Prison" should be erected
for the younger and more hopeful
conyicts, where more time caM be
devoted to their moral and eigious
Improvement, The Michigan City
prison can then be used for the
more difficult and incorrigible con
victs, and, those q manifesting q
desire TO reform can be transferred
to the intermediate Prison" 81
8 '1Crime increases naturally with
and, perhaps, in great
er ratio. At present our State Pris
ons turn out near three hundred
schooled IN crime, shg
matized by penal service, and hard
ened in sim Many, perhaps most OF
them, return to evil life. Thus we
shall soon, have q criminal class
built up amongst us. Let means
be speedily taken to obyiate this,
Some provision should q also be
made for discharged conyicts. They
are now turned out with SIS to
procure clothing and find a subsis
tence. Is it wonder that many OF
them are forced again into ailife of
crime: To do all these things re
quires some time Would it not be
well for the present Legislature to
a Board of ten citizens,
chosen for their devotion to the
public interest, and with little or
no salary, who should have the
of all spenal and re
institutions, with power
to transfer from one to another,
and make such improvements as
are needed. If this mas done / pre-
sumo they could soon, without
great expense to the State, place
The whole system onSa better basis,
pecuniarly and morally 1t is an I'M
portant question, and one which
affects the future welfare of the
whole country. * = s,f5 srs5.rr.
Another point in onr prisons re
auires present attentielt--that is
the education of the Ignorant CON
victs. The law b requires that ''the
Moral Instructor shall teach such
convicts as the Warden may send
him for that purpose the art of
writing, arithmetic and
at such hours as, may
be found most conducive to the
interests Of the In titntion" The
abor of the convicts having been
let to contractors their time during
working hours is fully employed
md the law is nearly a dead letter.
Some systematic arrangements for
CARRYING ont the provisions of the
aw should be made and efficiently
carried out. The law also requires
he directors to make provision for
lighting the cells in the prison"
This does not appear to have been
lone, since most of the couvicts
procure their candles by over
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