Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-10
rHg PRISON REFORM CoavEsrIoa.

L
cisco. AssembIages Of this kind have been |
frequent in the United States, and in the
European Prison Congresses the American |
delegates have always been fully abreast |
of the freshest penological science. So
far as theory goes this country has perhaps
outstripped Europe in prison reform. And
yet the ugly fact remains that in the
application of these reform doctrines
America is undenisbly behind the rest OF
the world. The explanation of this SEEM
ing anomaly is not difficult, however. In
the United States everything that comes
within the reach Of political manipulation
is thenceforth administered on the sordid
and disastrous principles of the "spoils
system" Thus our prisons are looked
upon as among the spoils of partisan war
fare, and the offices connected with them
are filed by men who are appointed
because of their political claims, and
in total disregard of their fitness
for the places. There is no position
which requires special training and
fitness more imperatively than that OF
a prison officer. It has been agreed by all
the ripest students OF penology that prison
officers ought to receive special eduea-
ton. Yet here, in this so-called enight-
ened country, the people are content to
have the prisons managed By men who are
entirely ignorant of the duties they should
perform, and who not only possess no in
terest in their work, but are certain to be
turned out before they can become accus-
toned to it. DR.. Wines, in his Z" State of
Prisons" observes ''The two master
forces which have hitherto opposed and
IS still oppose the progress of prison discip
% line and reform in our country, are polit-
/" ical influence and instability of admins
" tration, which stand to each other in the
'' relation Of cause and effect.
The same author thought that the pro-
visions of our new Constitution in regard
to the government of the State Prisons were
deserving of all praise. He said "It is
" difficult TO see how, in Government
{" ike ours, prison management could be
more effectually removed, on paper, from
'i the domain OF party politics. 1t remains
only that the execution be carried out in
sc the spirit of the theory with intelligence
i" and vigor.n These observations are
quoted in the report of the late Special
Commission on the Prisons of the State,
and the Commissioners proceed to show
that the Constitution has been made dead
letter that partisanship continues to gov
ern the prisons, in the teeth Of the law
that the direct and unambiguous mandates
of the organic law are spurned and set
aside by the Prison Directors that, to
quote their own language, "the whole
"prison administration has been thrust
back into the political groove, and every
purpose of reform indicated In the new
Constitution has been stiied and aborted. .
They further declare it to be their be-
lief that "it is impossible that any
'reformatory system should be introduced
g to the State Prisons while this paralyzing
political influence IS permitted to con.
q troll the administration. 1t is, however,
''equally clear that if the plain letter as
'' well as spirit of the Constitution can be
''ignored and violated, the mandates of
$" the organic lsw are useless to remove
"abuses or to promote reform. These
forcible statements, together with mass
Of the most damaging testimony against
the present Board of State Prison Directors,
were laid before the Governorseveralmonth
ago. And on Tuesday evening he made a
speech before the Prison Reform Conven-
tion, in which, after acknowledging the
value and force of the conclusions of the
Special Commission, he chopped to see the
"many reforms they had suggested
"adopted by the present Prison Managers. :"
Why should Governor Perkins express
that hope? Is there any likelihood that a
Board which has now had the strongest
reason to conclude that it is privileged to
play football with the Constitution and the
laws, and which is actually in the position
of being retained in Office after having been
convicted of lawlessness and wrong deing
by Commission specially appointed to
investigate the whole matter, will think
itself under obligation to do anything but
what it chooses to do! The present prison
management is bad. 1t has been found
bad by an impartial and trustworthy tri-
bunaI. In spite of this condemnation it is
maintained in Office. And after it has thus
been indorsed in the face of all the evil
dence, Governor Perkins expresses hope
that il will adopt the reforms suggested to
it. Truly the Governor is an optimist, but
such confidence as he evinces is assuredly
doomed to be betrayed. No reform was
ever yet accomplished by condoning cor
ruption and lawIessness. No reform was
ever had by asking it as favor from il.com-
petent officials. Until far other methods are
adopted there will be no prison reform in
California, and because this is as clear as the
sun at MONDAY we do not anticipate any
practical good from the Prison Reform
Convention now in session.
We have no sympathy with those who
play fast and loose with great questions.
We viii not pretend to believe that there
is hope OF reform when all the evidence is
against any such expectation. We know
what ths present Board of State Prison
Directors is, and we anticipate nothing
from it but continuance of the conduct
which secured its condemnation. Nor is
it rational to spend time in discussing
ways and means of reforming criminals so
long as the sine qua non of reform-the
elimination of politics from prison manage
;. ment-appesrs thus unattainable. The
RECORD. UNION has battled for prison re.
form twelve years, but it has reached the
discrimination to waste no more energy
upon the subject so long as it is impossible
either to shame or argue our politicians
into deceucy, and so long as it is impossible
to awaken the people to a sense of the in.