Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-01
tr.ening to it, which they have not under the

tr.rning to it, which they have not under the
, present system.
FOOD IN OTHER PRISONS.
! Q.-Do you not think that there is too
much leniency shown prisoners in this State;
for instance, in the food-a better quality
of food than is necessary.
A.-No. think not. / think the food in
English prisons is fully upto the standard.
They get meat three times a week there, and
they get pound of suet pudding, or duff,
as we call it, once week, and one day in the
week they get pork on Sundays they get
bread and cheese, and the food is all first
class. For supper they get pint of Cruel
or oatmeal porrid9e, as it is called, taken
with molasses. In these prisons there
is one thing forgot. There are grades in
these prisons, and the grades are three in
character, and each grade is designated by their
clothing. You can easily tell all the differ
emit grades. The higher grade can choose
pint of tea instead Of a pint of oatmeal,
which is the hight of the prisoners am
bition. When he gets into the upper
class he can choose between the tea and
porridge. These are the probationary pris-
ons; there are three grades of them. They
wear-not like our prisoners here-the knick.
erbocker, or knee breeches, and the Oxford
tie shoes, long stockings and short jackets,
of course all covered over with the Queens
mark, which is a sort of arrowhead and can
be made of the same material. 1t is all OF a
sort of brownish wooden goods. The pris-
oners look very neat.
| Q-Now, suppose man in Pentonvllle or
Millbank prison should manifest no DISPOSE
ton whatever to reform, no disposition to do
better; or become good prisoner; suppose
he should not be reformed, would they
still continue him in this probationary state
A-Oh, no: they have punishment there;
they have dark cells there. They punish
them by imprisoning them in the dark cells
by solitary confinement even in Millbank for
any violation of the rules. 1.-THE convictdoesn't
work, for instance if he is lazy, and refuses
to work, they punish him by putting him into
this dark, solitary cell on bread and water.
Q.-Have they penal institution where
they sentence those who are very refractory;
who have refused entirely to be reformed!
A.-No; everybody is sentenced to Mill
bank.
Glow long do they keep them there !?
| We had a case before US yesterday OF
prisoner who had admitted that be knew
that at any time he could release himself
from the cell, and yet he remained in the cell
sixteen months.
A.-They would have kept that man in
|
any wen regulated prison.
Ole had threatened to kill the captain
of the yard.
Att would make no difference; as long
as he violated one of the rules of the prison
they would confine him to the dungeon unless
he promised to behave himself, they would
| keep him there till he did promise to behave
himself, because he can't be master of the
prison. You can't allow convict to turn
! master.
Q.-This man was punished but still
Accompanies his purpose in the end. He
wanted to be transferred to another shop,
and he was transferred.
Ale couldn't have done it in any well
regulated prison.
Odd you ever in your observations
know of an instance where a prisoner who
was not really of the professional class
| of convicts become such by term of i'm
prisonment in the prisons of California Do
you recall cases where they have become
| steadily worse by their incarceration
BECOMING PROFESSIONALS.
Al think that this congregate sys-
TEN is a school of crime, and in saying
that l don't mean to reflect on the man
agement of the prison at any time during its
organization 1t is the fault of the State in
failing to provide facilities. 1 would have
different system, and different management,
after the State furnishes the facilities, laying
down certain rules by which the prisoners
shall be graded, separating the young men and
| boys-I call all men boys up to the age OF 22
| or % years old because really it depends
| on how they have been brought up. A young
boy % or % years old, If he has been brought
up in a country town, and let drift in large
| city, will commit crime by getting into bad
company, and landed into this prison may be
| not at all vicious OF bad. In fact it would
have been almost better to have let him go;
suspend sentence and hold it over him;
l am strongly in favor of that. l think
| he could be reclaimed under that condI-
ton more readily than if he had been sent
here one term. 1 think there are o great
many instances where, if sentence had been
suspended by the Judge, and had just held
| that over him as a guarantee OF the good be-
havior of this man. If he was ever brought
up again for another crime, he could be SEN
fenced under the former Judgment. !
| think it would have good effect that Is Ii
| it was not abused.
| Q.-How do the police of the State, and
the detectives regard man who has served
! two terms:
A-As professional.
Q.-They take it for granted that he is CO.
ing to pursue a life of crime, and don't ex-
pect anything else from him?
A-No, sir as general rule man who
has come back a second time appears to our
judgment as being vicious.
Q After he has been here three Or four
times !?
A.-Then he is incorrigible.
MIR. Ames-Captain Lees, don't you ind,
as d rule, that those who come back here
| second time are those who have been con-
fined in county jails Or the Industrial School;
haven't they come here in that way-isn't
that the rule?
Am a great many instances and there
is another fact that ought to be taken into
consideration in the probationary prisons. 1t
ia not only the sentence Of commitment In
this State that the Warden should look into.
but his antecedents to see If he has done
time" as it is called in some other States and
counties-as if he had been here for three or
four times. But it is the Warden's duty in
this probationary prison to
FIND OUT THE WHOLE CHARACTER
OF the man, and 1 can give you an illuatra
ton. The Governor of Pentonville within
the last six months wrote to me about a
prisoner he had there to know what his char
acter and reputation had been in this coun-
try; whether he had ever been convicted of
any crimes prior to the one he Is now com
mitted there for now. OF course / wrote him
that he had not only been in prison here, but
in Mississippi and Alabama also.
Mr. Ames-That is the custom in this
| country. We receive letters from other pris-
ons. and frequently write them.
Mr. Lees-It is the duty of the man who
has those probationary prisons to fiud out the
character and reputation of the man just as
much as il he was going to employ him and
| take him into his own confidence. If found
to be professional thief he should be con-
fined in the prison where his class of prison
ers are confined, and not be brought in con-
tact with the young. Prisoners teach each
| other crime when they are in here by their
| bad example. AS long as the congregate
system exists they will talk about their ex-
p!oits, and the young man who is brought
| into contact with them, continuing from one
| years end to another hearing the same story,
| it gets TO be the hight Of his ambition to be
just such fellow as this fellow, whom he re-
CARDS as being the best man in the cell. Pro-
fessionally speaking-I mean professionally
that is the feeling as Judge Freelon ex-
presses il, there is hierarchy of crime. Now,
If these younger people were kept to them
selves in the prison, L think they would come
ont much better men. The chances are
very much in favor of their reform, very
much. AS to the effect the convicts have on
each other with reference to their better after
! life when thew leave the prison. have known