Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-31
PRISON REFORM.

Referring to the recent Prison Reform
Convention held at the East the Inter
Ocean says that if the people viii give
half as much attention to the questions dis
cussed, as did the members OF the conyen-
ton, prison reform will be soon settled.
This is true. The reform is not half so
difficult of accomplishment as most people
suppose. Penology as a social science has
now advanced so far that it is only ques-
ton Of applying remedies. We have now
for the first time Pathological Commission
III this State invested with authority. Il
is composed of the members of the State
Prison Board of Directors There are,
therefore, no two bodies one to act upon,
and possibly to be resisted by the other.
As result, whatever the Commission re-
solves should be done in the way of prison
reform Is equivalent to being put into exc
cution by the same men as Prison Direct
ors-at least, just so far as the Board is in
vested with legal power to change the sys-
tens, and introduce new methods. Of
course there must be a concurrence of the
Legislature in all those measures that will
affect the financial and economic system of
prison government. We shall look for
some recommendations to the next Legis-
lature by the new body Of radical nature
For, as We have said, the study of penology
has so far progressed and such experiments
have been tried and such success attained
elsewhere that our Commissioners have
really only the task of selecting from the
experience of others, and of pointing out
how far methods adopted elsewhere are APP
pHcable to California prisons. The Inter
Oceans analysis of those things upon which
the penologists in the convention
were agreed is very clear and better
than any other review of the work of the
Prison Congress that has come to hand.
1t appears that there was complete agree
mcnt upon the principle of retaining those
who understand prison management instead
of making the places political gifts. There
was entire unanimity in the statement of
Major McClaughry, that the best way to
reform prisoners is to reform prison Off
cialS. 1t was a matter of common agree
ment that there should be genuine sympa-
thy with prisoners; penalties which were
humiliating should not be resorted to, and
vindictiveness on the part of the official
should be zealously eliminated. 1t was
emphatically Endorsed that prison labor
should be reformatory and disciplinary
measure. 1t was agreed that a stumbling
block in the way of reform is the delay in
trying those charged with crime 1t was
agreed that wardens should have absolute
power to remove as well as to appoint their
subordinate officials, and that by such a
policy alone can the prisons be kept free
from the contamination of political in
fuences. 1t was unanimously agreed that
reform must begin in the county jails,
which have not that public attention that
their importance as factors in the problem
demands. The necessity for separate re-
formatorieS for female convicts was empha-
sized. Illinois is already considering
measure to provide State institution for
quasi-criminal girls, which shall be in the
trueSt sense q reformatory. The whole