Huntsville gazette., 1885-10-24
COUNTY JAiLS.

synopsis OF Paper On the Subject of
"County Jails," Showing Their Demoral-
izing Influences, Read BY Mr.. Eugene
Smith, of New York, Before the National
Prison Association at Detroit, Mich.
DETROIT, MICH, October l9.-The
following Is a concise summary of
startling paper on "County Jails" read
at the Annual Convention of the National
Prison Association now in session in
this city, by Mr.. Eugene Smith, of New
York. 1t presents vivid picture Of the
evils to individuals and to society ema-
mating from these lily contrived and
badly governed falsely so-called reform
atory institutions:
The great objection to the County Jails, a:
now administered, consists in the indiscrim.
mate commingling of the inmates and thelI
unrestrained companionship. During the
daytime, al the prisoners are herded to-
gether in common apartment, without EN-.
plOyment and without discipline; the asso-
citation is necessarily debasing and tends to
reduce them all to the moral level OF the
worst. The force of this objection can be
understood only by considering the diverse
elements which make up the population of
the County Jails The iais are used for two
essentially different and distinct purp oses
first, az places of Imprisonment under penal
sentence of persons who have been tried
Tor crime OF minor order and convicted,
and secondly, as places of detention
until trial for persons who are accused 81
crime, or who have been witnesses of crime.
The persons thus detained comprise many
innocent persons, as well as culprits Of every
grade from young men who have committed
their first misdemeanor and have just start.
ed on a downward career, to DID, hardened
criminals who have passed large fraction
of their lives in prison and are guilty of the
most heinous offenses known to the criml
nal law. All these different classes, the in
nocent and tie guilty, the young ana the old,
the novice and the adept In crime are treat
ed in the County Jail without the slightest
distinction, and all are thrown together ir
prOmiScuOuS association.
The County Jail is like hospital where, II
such an absurdity can be imagined, all the
patients are confined in single room with
out any regard to the contagious character
OF the complaints from which they are suf-
fering. In the jail, as II to insure infection,
the prisoners are kept in enforced idleness;
and so, as by malevolent forcing, the leav
en- of unrighteOusness is made to pervade
the whole mass.
These are the reasons why the County Jails
are declared by every one who has investi-
gated their condition to be schools o.
crime" Sinclair TOusey said of them
"More of the vice and crime that prey upon
the community can be directly traced to the
corrupting influences of the County Jail than
to any other cause, not excepting the use OF
Intoxicating liquors"
The evils pertaining to the County Jails
are 50 widespread and universal that II
would be difficult to say which State In the
Union is entitled to the pre- eminence o;
having the worst jails; and the same abuses
still exist that characterized them nifty and
even a hundred years ago. The movement
in favor of PRISON reform, which has
achieved the most marked results, has been
directed almost exclusively toward prisons
of the higher grade and so the County
Jails have remained the most stationary
clement in our political organism
Two measures of reform, or more properly
OF revolution, are insisted on as absolutely
indispensable. The first Of these Is the
elimination from the County jail of all per
sons convicted and under sentence, and the
restriction of the Jail to use as place OF Ge.
tention for persons accused OF CRIME until
trial; and during this period OF preliminary
restraint, which is ordinarily briei, eacr
prisoner should be confined IN
separate apartment where commu,
nication with other inmates OF
the Jail shall be impossible. Such isolation
is essential as the only means of avoiding
the morai conf animation resulting from as
sociaton and is useful, too, rs chastenlna
and healthful discipline to the prisoner. Few
of the existing County Jails are so construct
ed as to answer the requirements OF sepa-
rate confinement; some OF them are sus
ceptible OF re m odelin@, but it Is true OF the
vast majority of them that they are worthy
only of utter destruction. For sanitary rea
sons alone, most of these structures ought K
be leveled to the ground with righteous in
dignatiOn.
The second measure of reform advocated
Is the establishment of suitable reformtory
prisons to receive the County Jan conylcts.
Better refOrmatory results are attained IN q
large prison than in Il small one withln GER
tain well defined limits; and single reform
atory prison would meet the demands OF
four, eight or twelve counties according "
the varying density Of population. The new
prisons required, therefore, should not be
county institutions; the county Organization
Is ill adapted to the maintenance of puni'
tive prison, nor is there any reasoI
on principle why the county shoulC
undertake to punish otenses a2ainsl
state law. The State should protect its own
majesty; and all conv!cts of Whatever grade
should be delivered over to the State, WHICH
ought to control all prisons for the punish
ment and treatment OF crlminai ouenuers'
The advantages of such centrallzeu aulnln'
istration would consist in securing Uniform
ity in the application OF penal justice
throughout the State, in increased eihc.ency
and in the introduction of more sclentlnt
methods of refornative principle: All the
prisons in England have been mace suDlect
to the central administration OF tne nome
Department, and since the adoption Oh ina,
measure the decrease of crime IN Eng
has been continuous and rapid.
In answer to the economic Objection tnat
the reforms proposed involve large expena-
iture of money, two suggestions are E.aue
First experience has demonstrated that ap-
proved methods of prison discipline WEI re,
form Ill q will divert from life OF crime ana
turn into law abiding AMI self supporting
citizens) eight convicts ont OF every ten SUP
iected to treatment. The result is now actuai, +,
ly in progress at the Elmira Reformatogy ano
that, too. with felon convicts guilty OF Staee
Prison offenses. The statement can De yll
dicated by positive figures that the saving &c
the community computed In actual money
resulting from the reclamation or eighty pei
cent. of our jail convicts, would oe suinclen
in a single year to rebuild all the County
JaiIs in the United States. The other sugges'
ton in answer to the economic oblectlon }.
Of a different character. Our civilization Is
menaced by subtle forces at WORK under the
names of socialism, communism, nihilism
these forces are yearly acquiring system
and strength, and are openly hostile to Jay lay
government, to religion, to all that makes
life worth living. 1t is to the erarnina rntinmt
owe their energy and deadly persistence.
ana it is certain that from the County
Jails comes a steady column OF recruits &c
swell their ranks. That flow must DC
stopped, at whatever cost; it is not ques.
ton OF paltry economies. but necessity
for self -preservation-an urgent ana sacreu
duty of citizenship.
,Justifiable Homicide.
ID. ncfohar 10 - hOut