St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-20
CRIME AND PRISONS.
The National Prison Association Now
Holding its Fourth Annual Session
at Detroit.
Many Prominent Men in Attendance, Wht
Talk About the Reformation of
Criminals.
Rapid Increase of Crime, and the
Necessity of More Complete
Statistics.
importance of Having Women's De.
partments Arranged in Sta
ton Houses.
Prison Reform.

Prison Reform.
DETROIT, Mich, Oct. 19.-The first bust.
ness session of the fourth national prison
congress assembled this morning. Rev. D.
A. u. Byers, secretary of the Ohio state
board OF charities and corrections, opened
with prayer. The chairman announced the
subject OF the morning, and A. A. Brush,
! warden OF Sing Sing, n. Y, conducted the
discussion of the topic. Prison Labor. The
flrst proposition he brought up was The
Necessity of Productive Labor in Prisons,
the reasons given being disciplinary, re-
formatory and financial. Gen. r. Brinker-
hof OF the Ohio board of corrections and
charities was the first to take up the general
discussion. He announced his belief that
ONO had about solved the prison labor
problem, Notwithstanding the recent
opposition to it. He described
the ''piece-price plan of prison
labor" which in his opinion was the solu-
tlon OF the prison labor question. S. r.
Brockway OF Elmira, N. Y, suggested
many questions for consideration, but be-
heved in he organization of labor in tha
prisons to allow the prisoner to engage in
labor in much the same way as if he were
| employed outside of prison walls. The
government should pay only for the expense
and all additional expense should be paid
from the product of the diversified labor
OF THE PRISONERS THEMSELVES.
In an answer to Question he explained
| his idea to be the selection of men for that
kind OF work for which they are best
adapted. Mr.. Massey Of the Central
prison of Toronto recited the
different kinds of prison labor in his place,
favoring the piece-price plan. Brothers
| AnthnnU Of
their views of reformatory methods, the
latter denouncing the present contract-labor
system and letting of the work done on the
protectory In charge of the Christian
brothers. A few others opposed contract
labor. Prof. Francis Wayland of Yale col
lege stated his position as favorable to the
contract system. It is his belief that the
complaint against it is due to the abuse of
the system. He believed that it was not
yet time to pronounce the condemnation of
| the contract system. Charles E. FELTON, of
Chicago said he had never favored any one
system, but that he believed that different
systems were practiced under different cir
! cumstances. He considered the various
systems and their good qualities. believing
that
THE GOVERNMENT
should have sole control of all prison labor.
The morning session adjourned at o'clock.
At the afternoon session Rev. j. Miligan Of
the Western penitentiary OF Pennsylvania
presided over the discussion of the topic
Prison Statistics, opening the session with
a notice OF the different causes for crime
and depreciating the loose and unexact
method OF gathering statistics now in vogue.
Accurate statistics he considered as lying at
the base of all reliable theories. The fol-
| lowing resolution, offered by President
Hayes, was read by the secretary.
Resolved, That committee of three MEM
| bers OF the association be appointed for the
purpose of bringing to the attention of con-
gress the propriety Of the collection of stat
istics of the prisons Of the United States and
of the several states by the appropriate de-
partment of the general government.
! The resolution was unanimously adopted.
President Hayes announced the next subject
as Women's Prisons, which subject was
| opened by paper by Mrs. G. f. Coffin of
Chicago ON Reformation. Police-matrons,
etc. She considers the general question of
| woAlEN's PRISONS
of vital Importance, affecting the life and
vigor of the nation. She favored institu-
tions more warm, where all the surround
ings would be elevating. She maintained
| that bad women can be reformed. Station
| houses were termed places of almost un-
mitigated evil" and the speaker believed
the employment of matrons in these police
stations was in the right direction. Presi-
dent Hayes announced the following COM
mittees to secure from congress measures
for securing statistics of the United States
and states prisons: F. FL. Wines ofsIllinois,
Gen. r. Brenkerhoff of Ohio and Charlton
T. Lewis of New York. The first paper
of the evening was Sundry Anomalies in
Criminal Jurisprudence by Prof. Francis
| Wayland of Connecticut; County Jails was
the subject of paper read by Eugene
Smith, recording secretary of the
NEW YORK PRISON ASSOCIATION.
Charles Dudley Warner, editor of the
| Hartford COurant, but more generally known
as the author Of much delightfully."- sensible
literature. read short paper on Education
as a Factor in Prison Reform. The paper
was reserved for publication in Harpers
Magazine. 1t attempted to set forth
a philosophical basis for prison re-
form and to answer the objection
that education in prisons only makes
sharper criminals. More radical treatment
must be undertaken if any considerable
number of the actual criminal class are
touched and reformed. 1t must be treat
ment that would take hold of the whole
nature of the criminal. This was to be
| found in education, not mere teaching Of
knowledge, but in the discipline that
reached mans body, his intellect, his moral
nature. He argued that criminals, as a
| class, were malformed, undeveloped,
! warped in body, mind and moral nature,
not in normal condition, with physical ma
ture coarse in fibre if not diseased, with
mind dwarfed, if sharp in certain ways,
and moral nature so abnormal that it could
not tell right from wrong and the
will powerless to take straight course and
hold to it. Man could not be changed by
decent surroundings or by usefulness. If
they can be taught to perform citizens
duties, they may be intrusted with its priv
ileges. If not they must be shut up and
prevented from injuring others. After the
conclusion of this address the association
adjourned.