Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-11
PRISON MANAGEMENT.
rs THE MODERN HANDLING OF CRIMI-
NAILS a FAILURE?


security of society and decrease U
of taxation, Is due largely 10 the fact that we !,
have considered the problem as physical, | 1
and not psychological. The effort has been | I
to improve prisons and the physical condi- =
tion and environment of prisoners. This Of |
fort has been directed by sentiment, rather |.
than upon principles of economy and a study
Of human nature. 1t has been assumed that
If convicts were treated with moro Kindness, ,
II they were lodged in prisons well warmed
and well ventilated, light and airy, in cells
more roomy and comfortable, If they had
better food and more privileges (granted on
good deportment), they would be more
likely to reform and TO lead honest lives |
after their discharge.
This movement was dictated by philar-
thropic motives and l am far from saying |
that ii is all wrong But IL has not produced
the results that were expected and IL seems
to me that the revolt in the public mind
against what il called the "coddling" sys-
| TEN is justified by facts and results. Tho
modern model prison Is costly and archi-
| tecturally imposing structure; 1t is safer |
| to lodge In and freer from odors than most |
hotels its cells are well warmed, lighted |
| with gas, and comfortable IL has a better |
/ dietary than most Of its inmates are accus- |
| toned to it has bathrooms, library, often |
| large and well selected an admirably |
arranged hospital cheerful chapel, gar
| nished with frescoes and improving texts (;
there are Sunday services and Sunday
| schools; there il a chaplain who visits the
| prisoners TO distribute books and tracts, and
| converse, on religious topics there are lee
lures and readings and occasional musical
concerts by the best talent; sometimes holi-
days are given there are extra dinners on
| Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and the
Fourth of July, when the delcacies of the
season stimulate the holiday and patriotic
sentiments and in most state prisons man
| may earn a cOnSiderate abatement of his SEN
| tence by good behavior
| The sanitary condition of most of these
model prisons is good they are very good
refugees in which TO recuperate the system i'm
| paired by excesses and crime. The discip-
line Is excellent IL IN, in fact, improved by
the good treatment and privileges granted.
| In some prisons this is carried To a perfection
that is boasted of, and that wins the admira-
| ton of visitors the prisoners move like a
: | machine, they never speak, they never look
up. This appears tn be admirable In some
O | prisons, however, there are rclaxations from
a | the severe rules If the men dine at COM
q mon mess, they are permitted to talk while
O | at table the privilege being withdrawn ii
o | they abuse ii and become noisy and quarrel
some. The uniform close-crop Of the hair is
n not always insisted on, and the better prisons
a dIscarding the striped and motley prison
!, dress, as tending simply to degrade the men
Il and serving DO good purpose whatever.
h PREFERENCES IN PRISONS.
Is There is no doubt that the convicts like
the new prison better than the old. They
" have their preferences in them, as old people
IF have in hotels. Some prisons have a bad
~ reputation with the criminal fraternity, and
10 | fancy they rather shun the states VIII err
" these exist ! remember reading some tint
~ | ago, newspaper communication from al
10 old convict, man who had experience il
many prisons in different parts Of the Union
At who compared the diet in each, and spoke
IN very feelingly and bitterly of that in one OF
III them Cat Weathersiield, Conn.,) for its lacl
ty | of variety. lie wrote with natural indgua
tipn and I have M bnubf hal the ma
OF of good many philanthropists and sent
I'd mentalists. And it did seem an outrag
&c. (frorn one point of view of the management
OF prisons) that he should not have gree
corn twice week in the season, and fres
tomatoes, which are given in prison h
,rs named. professional criminal, who's
eh sole occupation is crime, has a right to d'
s., mand of modern civilization that it sboul
70 keep pace with itself i'm the matter Of prisons
and provide him agreeable quarters durin
the periods of his temporary seclusion fror
| general society. Nor is the question
~ economy wholly overlooked. Many of on
IN ~, | prisons pay their way that is, tho prisoner
an earn enough at hard labor (Which is no harC
a or as to hours or amount than free labor
1t | under the contract or other system, TO pa
ne the running expenses of tho establishment
m miul allowing nothing for interest on the cost, {
nc for repairs and improvements This is rea
III enable. The criminal has already cost Il
lu- state enough he ought to support himse
while i'm confinement The taxpayers ce
tainly have right to demand this and III
der this sort of prison system that al
a. | now considering, the first requisite shoul
,be he that 1t be self-supporting.
via The reform in prison construction an
management was very much needed, and
am not anxious now TO express an opinic
whether or not it has gone too far. But
must be noted that along with this movemel
has grown up sckly sentimentality abo
,,, criminals which has gone altogether too ia
I'm, LIN and which, under the guise of humanity
leu and philanthropy, confounds all moral di
an, l tiuptiOnS The maWkiSl SymDatlY of puJ
the and soft-headed women with the most d
ON graded and persistent criminals of the ma
nod sex Is one of the signs of an unhealthy pu
,, lie sentiment self-respecting murder
h 'h- is obliged to write upon his cards 81
ex- flowers" / think it will not be dem,
our that our civilization, which has considerab
her raised the average OF human life, tends
/. If foster and increase the number of weakling
,tv incompetents and crminally inclined. "
oo, systematic charity increases pauperiim, al
~, ou' unphilosophlcal leniency towards the erin
I I.is nal class increases that class.
~ :, 1t seems to me that we have either gol
~. | too far, or we have not gone far enough.
an az our treatment of the incompetent and yicio
ane is to keep pace with our general civilizatio
ny | we must resort to more radical measure
no The plan of systematized charity, which CT
ue' tivates independence instead of dependenC
il,il and the increased attention given to the ve
s,'o m young children who by their situation al
iug in the right direction. Probably it will
up up more and more evident that it is the be
w. | economy for the state to spend money libe
ms s | ally on those who are liable to become d
! leu pendents and criminals. If the state were
taa tne show as much energy in this direction as
W." does in police supervision and the captu
and conviction of criminals, it is certain th
marked improvement would be felt in {
ciety within generation. But we are nc
considering the treatment of criminals, ant
nod can best illustrate what l wish to bring in
ely relief by an example.
fter TWO TYPES COMPARED.
nty My proposition is, that there is very lit
leet difference between our worst state priso
e eeu and our best in the effect produced upon co
,dy | victs as to reformation or "a reduction of L
ext | criminal class. The state prison at Wet
lch ersfeld, Conn, is one Of the old tyI
be 1t is an old and ram-shackle establishmeI
ch patched up from time to time and altogeth
ON ON a gloomy and depressing place. 1t is, ho
the ever, well managed it is msde to pay abo
its running expenses; and many OF q
modern alleviations of prison life are apple
there-a library, occasional entertainment
q diminution of time OF sentence for go'
,ck- condnct, and so on, whatever such a place
of capable of in the way Of comfort consiste
our with the system. But the inmates are Il
- most sdiscourging feature of the exhibitio
n,o They are in appearance depressed, degrade
TO down-looking, physically sluggish, mental
ari- lin IN nd n