Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-01
THE DAILY RECORD-UNI0N.
SIX-PAGE EDITION
CRIME AND REFORMATION.
EXPERIENCE OF A DETECTIVE OF
TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS SERVICE.
The Cause of Crime-Reformatoiy Insti
tutions-English Prisons Described
The Silent and Probationary sys-
tems-The Origin of the Hood
lums-strange Anecdotes
Etc, Etc, Etc.

On the 26sh of July detective officer 1. w.
Lees. of San Francisco. was examined as a
witness by the State Prison Investigating
Commission. His testimony is given here
with. Questions are preserved only where
necessary to make clear the answer:
have been detective officer % years
next October. My observations as detective
officer are confined principally to California.
have made several trips out of the State
after criminals. and had opportunities to
some extent to examine into the prison sys-
tenn of other countries. | have had observa-
ton of the prison system here (of this PRISON.
and am familiar with the method of prison
discipline here generally, and as penal
system know something about it. Am IA
miliar with it to some extent. My conclu'
sions. formed from my observations with
reference to the reformatory character of the
nenal institutions of California, have not
been favorable. The first duty of the State.
in my Judgment, is to make your prison such
as would be
REFoRMAToRY;
That is, to reform the prisoners. And under
the congregate system as it has been adopted
in the State from It's beginning, 1 can not see
how they can arrive at that. The mingling
of first termers with second, third. fourth and
fifth termers, in my Judgment, means school
of crime. But under the present system OF
law l don't see we'll how that is to be reme-
died. It would be no fault of the Wardens
and management under the present laws.
The State management ought to first SEN
tence all its prisoners to one single penal IN
stitution. These prisoners should be graded;
they should be sentenced or confined
there for certain period of time, until the
Warden is enabled to determine the charac-
ter of the man, his fitness for certain classes
of labor, and, in fact, what would be best for
the prisoner. Then drafts should be made
from this prison to other prisons. All the
incorrigibles, secoad terms and long terms
should be confined in one single
penal institution and the young and
inexperienced in crime should never be per-
mitted to come in contact with them at all;
not in the slightest. But, as | said before,
under this present system of management it
is no fault Of the management of the officers,
because they cannot classify the prisoners and
have not the facilities.
SECOND TERRIERS.
Q.-Is there such thing to any great ex-
tent-are there any considerable number of
men whom you term professional criminals!
A great many of them. Men are
termed professionals who are second
termers-"
O.-Now, when you have observation of a
prisoner who has served term of incarcera-
ton here, what characteristics does he pre-
sent as a criminal?
A.-WeI, if he has only served one term
he is not regarded as being professional.
There are q great many reasons that weuld
enter into the question of a man going into
prison for once; great many reasons why
man might not really in any way be vicious
or bad. There are first. termers, however,
who would be perfectly classed as Of the
criminal classes. Some of the cunning and
smart thieves, for instance, elude detection
for a long time. The object Of CON-
uniting them to one penal institution,
to enable the Warden to determine the
character of the man. He determines he
will learn something about him if he is
vicious and bad, even if he Is a frst-termer.
If be has been thief for years and escaped
detection, he is no less vicious and bad man.
The Warden during this probation determines
his character, and if bad then he should be
drafted off to the prison where none but in
corrigibles are kept. 1 should commit every
prisoner to this prison. Ii you permit the
Judges all over the State TO determine
where a man is to be confined, you never
can have the separate system you never
can classify conyicts. Let Judge SEN
tence a man to Folsom, aud he has to remain
in Folsom. II the prison authorities deter
mine to make thai penal prison for the
vicious and the bad, and the Judge has SEN
fenced a man who is not vicious and bad to
Folsom. why, how are you going to separate
them? The English system is nine months Of
probation. The Warden determines within
that time the character of the prisoner, aud
then he makes draft. and they are sent off.
THE ENGLISH SYSTEM.
Concerning the English system, I will
describe it, as requested: The first nine
months of prison confinement in England. in
all penal institutions, men are sent to Mill
bank or to Pen9onviIle. One is situated on
the banks of the Thames, close to West
minister, and the other is on what Is called
the Portland Road, on the outskirts of Lon
don. All prisoners, when sentenced, are
sent either to Millbank or Pentonville, and
there they remain not less than nine months.
The rules governing those prisoners are, as
near as l can remember them, as fol-
lows: After Il prisoner has been con-
victed there and sentenced, he Is sent
to Alillhank. and at the expiration of four-
teen days after he is received there, he
is permitted to write to his friends, under
the rules and regulations as laid down by the
Governor OF the prison. He is entitled to
receive an answer to that communication,
but the answer must contain no worldly mat
tiers at all simply relate to family or bTsi-
ness matters. The same with his letter going
out. II must not relate at all in the slightest
manner to prison officers or prisoners. All
prisoners lose their identity as soon as they
go in one of those prisons. There is no such
thing as ''.lohn Brown or John Smith :"
every prisoner there is known by his num-
Der. Names are never heard OF. A man is
known by his number all the way through.
At the expiration Of six months more he
is permitted to write and receive an answer.
Again, at the expiration of six months more,
making twice in the first year. In the
second year Of the service, he is permitted to
write and receive answers once in four
months. and the third year once in three
months. and then stops at that point. Ii he
is ia ten years, or any other number of years,
he is only allowed 10 write once in three
months. All that is governed by whether he
loses any of his marks.
ALL PRISONERS GET EIGHT MARKS
A day there. These eight marks day there
are computed all along When they run up
to 1000 and odd they compute up If be
has lost any of hese marks some of those
privileges are stopped; and they haye
the same system here. The Goodwin Act Is
taken substantially from the English system /;
and in sentence of FIVE years it would be les
sened year and some months, if he don't
lose any of his marks-good conduct That
good conduct system Is not only in behaving
himself, but in the performance of his work
Q-Captain, I want to call your attention
te the difference between what you are de-
sovibiap and the Goodwin Act In the sys-