The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-02
An Amendment TO Vote For.

There Will be submitted to the voters Of
this State next Tuesday an amendment to
the State Constitution which they should
without fail adopt This amendment abo-
ishes the offices of Inspectors of Prisons,
mud substitutes "a Superintendent, to be
appointed by the Governor, confirmed by
the Senate. and 10 hold office foe I've years.
The superintendent VIII appoint the
warden, physician, and chaplain of the
prison. offices which are now frequently
abused by their occupants, and which are
given to party favorites, who are tempted
to try 10 make the most of them during
the uncertain teuures OF their places.
State Comptrolcrs Of both parties have
borue witness to the evils which attend
the present connection between the PRISON
manugem mt and party politics. and ear
nestly advised that the prisons should be
kept removed from all such influences.
Common sense approves the recommends
ton, and experience shows what serious
mischief attends the present practice OF
making the places OF the officials who inn
medHtclY control our PR .ons the rewards
of party service.
with Superintendent Of Prisons rs
provided for by the amendment, We
should have one responsible head, with
subordlnates directly under his orders,
ana having the motive TO work for the re-
tention OF their places by just, prudent,
economical, ana efficient management.
As il j. NOW, the inspectors beng elected
each for a different term of office, aud the
board changed yearly, the supervision of
the prisons is imperfect careless, or in
connivauce with peculation, while subor-
dinate appointments are matters of trade
ANA decker, and the administration of the
penal establishments is u disgrace TO the
state.
No more difficult question voxes society
than that Of the treatment of its malefac-
tors, Civilization has not advanced so
rapidly ana 80 far in this matter as the
humanitarian might reasonably have
hoped Tor Instead Of preventing crime.
our prisons oftcntimes are rather its nurs-
cries. But here in New York there are
peculiar evils in our prison management
which We should not turn over to the
future for settlement. The number Of
convicis is steadily increasing. 1t was
1856 in 1865, 1905 IN 1866 $3.50 in 1869 3, 0GO
N 1874. and 3,1j5 IN $50 The cost per man
Of supporting them in excess of their earn
.ngs keeps advancing at an even greater
ratio. In 1875 each convict cost Sl53 SO in
excess of his earnings against 5000 in 1868.
The expense Of convict in the State
prison above his earnings is from three
10 four dollars q week, whereas in the
county penitentiaries 1t is only about
dollar ana half In 1870 the State spent
Oh Its convcis nearly six hundred thou
iand dollars over and above their earnings,
ana IN ten years the excess has amounted
10 over hve millions ana quarter. In
two years there have been four wardcns of
Sing sing prison, nud the cost Of the prison
has been over four hundred thousand dol-
lars above the earnings of the convicts.
Though VIC must Of course make allow
nnces in the statements made by EDwAnD
s. STOKES regarding tho manner OF ms
treatment at sing sing, aud the privileges
over the other prisoners he enjoyed
through the payment of money 10 the OIL
cials there. yet every one who knows any
thing OF the management Of that prison
knows that exceptional liberties and lux
nries are purchasable at sing Sing, that
bribery prevails, and that the disc pline Of
the institution and its reformatory infu-
onces are greatly impaired by the mo
quality of the treatment meled out TO the
cony4cts. In fact. Us now managed, our