St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-11

younger and less hardened; and no mis-
sionary ever worked with more zeal and more
success.
The State of Minnesota is maintaining
system of compulsory education in crime in
every Jail in the state where there is more
than one prisoner. Young men arrested for
first offense, and filed with computations
and good resolutions, are laughed out OF
| their scruples and inoculated with hatred for
society, resistance of authority, and desire
| for revenge for fancied wrongs. They go
into Jail novices; they come out fully init
| ated into the mysteries and the methods OF
| crime.
| The remedy for this public scandal is
proper system of grading. Let the different
classes of prisoners be kept entirely apart.
| Our law provides that ''the sheriff shall keep
| separate rooms for the sexes, except where
they are lawfully married" Yet not more
than twenty out of over ifty-two jails here
| have separate room for women. This law
| has been violated in at least five counties
during the past fifteen months. The Ramsey
county Jail is kept in constant violation of
| the law. Male and female prisoners can
readily converse, and incorrigible males are
locked up for punishment on the women's
side. The law provides that ''juveule prs-
oners shall be kept, if the Jail will admit of
| it, in apartments separate from those con-
tanning more experienced and hardened
prisoners; but very seldom is such separa-
ton maintained, even in jails having more
than one room.
This separation of the sexes and children,
which is all that our law contemplates, is
evidently not enough to prevent criminal
instruction in iails. In Heunepin county,
municipal and county prisoners are separ-
ated; but that is not enough. Shall we grade
according to the magnitude OF the crime
charged? But an innocent man may be ac-
cused of murder and a hardened villain may
be arrested for petit larceny. Shall we grade
on general appearance OF the prisoners!
Warden j. A. Reed, probably one of the best
judges in the state, said some time ago:
THE more l have to do with convicts the
less confidence l have in outward signs OF
character. The most innocent looking man
is sometimes the greatest rascal, and vice
versa.' The truth is that in our jails-es-
pecially the smaller ones-there are usually
as many grades of character as there are
prisoners, and
THE ONLY SAFE PLAN OF GRADING
is that which has now been practised for sew
eral years with complete satisfaction in the
Boston Jail and the Richland county Jail at
Mansfield, Ohio, namely the complete separ-
alton of every prisoner from every other dur
ing his detention. Popular prejudice is OPP
posed to solitary confinement, but with reas
onably speedy trials, comfortable cells, good
reading matter, and frequent visits from the
officers and other suitable persons, such tenn
porary confinement is not harsh. Innocent
prisoners will be thankful to be freed from
base associations, and guilty ones will be
benefited by an opportunity for quiet reaec-
ton. This plan prevents plotting and CO.
operation for escapes, as well as the forma-
ton of criminal acquaintances and the ma
turing of plans for future depredatons. 1t
has the approval of the most thorough stu
dents of the subject, and whatever objections
arise to it az first thought, it will, ii is be-
lleyrd, yield to careful and candid study of
the subject, especially if undertaken in con-
nection with the actual inspection of county
jails.
In conclusion Mr.. Hart says he had pro-
jected for his report series of statistics
which should exhibit the character of their
population, causes Of commitment, time of
detention, etc, also the cost of the jails Of
the state, together with the cost of admins-
tratiOn and maintenance, and especially of
uel, but without clerical assistance he found
it impossible ID do the work