St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-19

longer experimental.
DIFFERENCE AND REFORMATION.
Ihe two dominant ideas in the creation of
prisons and in the treatment of prisoners
are or ought to be, the deterrent influence
upon those outside and the reformation of
the prisoners inside. The old doctrine of
retallation requiring an eye for an eye and a
Iootn Tor tooth is not teneble under the
christian dispensation, and experience has
SHOWN that il is not effective in attaining the
proper end of imprisonment, viz, the pro-
tectlon OF society. Vengeance has no place
IN prison reform. Formerly deterreuce alone
was considered, and it was thought that the
deterrent influence of Imprisonment was in
proportion to its severity. Less than century
ago LOU oHenseS were punishable with death,
ana other severe punishments were inflicted
yet crime steadily increased. 1t finally began to
dawn on the governing classes OF England that
the religion they professed taught different
method OF dealing with the criminal classes,
ana in place of the old system came the
Christian conception of the brotherhood of
man, recognizing that even criminals are
children of common father, and that the
State should discipline, but not destroy, the
errlng members of its family. wherever
these methods have been carried OUT crime
has decreased
In the reformation of prisoners the most
important requirement perhaps is classified
ton. Old offenders and hardened criminals
which make up about 25 per cent in the
prisons aud 10 per cent. in the jails are the
TEACHERS AND ORGANIZERS OF CRIME
and must be kept apart. In Ohio prisoner
convicted Il third time is adjudged hardened
criminal and may be held for life. 1t is
strange that this clearly essential require
ment is so rarely enforced. In our jails
where four-hfths of our prisoners are kept
and where majority are awaiting trial or
convicted for trivial oHenseS, free in
tercourse is allowed among the innocent, the
N no old LOFT dnrS orn
half dozens jails in the United States
where this folly is not practiced. Any large
advance in prison reform must begin with
the county jail, and such separation must
prevent any one prisoner from associating
with any other during the period of his in
generation, This may be considered as
axiom No. in the science of prison reform
The classification must be kept up in the
penitentary, but penologists are not agreed
as to its extent In some places in this and
the European countries the cellular system
is in vogue, in which each prisoner is kept
separate during his whole inceratioD. The
general drift of opinion among penologists
seems to be in favor of the system of pro-
gressiye classification, better known as the
Crofton system, which was introduced In
ireland in 1854, where it is in present
use. 1t is also in operation in q
few prisons of this country. In this
system the prisoner passes through certain
grades, his promotion depending upon his
own efforts and excellence. This system in
its most approved form is initiated by pc
riod of cellular separation. He is then put to
work with others to rise or fall under the
working system. 1t has been shown in favor
of congregate labor that it is easier to intlu-
ence numbers than individuals. When moved
they go farther and assist each other. In
ireland the progressive system has three
stages and three separate prisons for each
sex. There is u penal cellular stage, reform
nd q
which they are discharged on ticket-of-leave.
In America this system is carried out in
single prison. We have in Ohio q reformatory
for bows and one for girls, an intermediate
prison for young men convicted of their first
offense lin process of construction,
and a prison for confirmed criminals
In each of these is the tripartrte classitica-
ton with the progressive system. The
progressive system is now Endorsed by prison
experts the world over Another require
ment of prison reform is the employment of
prisoners at labor that is both productive and
instructive, contributing to the support of the
prison and preparing the prisoner for self
support after discharge. In the United
States we have never had the penal labor, as
the tread mill to any extent, but it has been
so conducted as to make it u punishment
rather than u privilege or means of reforma-
ton. The different forms of prison labor are
in controversy just now in almost every state
and it is difficult to say what form is most
conducive to prison reform. But prison eX-
perts the world over are substantially unit
in condemning the contract system. Pro-
ductive labor is large item of progress in
prison reform and to its proper
administration we must look largely for
progress in the future. A very important
step in the way OF reform is the indefinite
sentence. A criminal is convicted of crime
and sentenced. He may be held for the max
imum period specified by law, or he
MAY BE RELEASED
at the expiration Of the minimum period.
This is in operation at Emira, N. Y, and to a
limited extent in Ohio. This form of SEN
tence assumes that criminal is morally dis
eased and should be sent to prison as an in
sane patient is sent to hospital to be cured,
and should not be discharged until cured.
The prison should effect the punishment for
the crime and the cure of the moral disease.
1t is as impossible to predict the end of a
moral as well as physical disease. The GRIM
| inal should not be turned loose upon society
| before is cured, nor detained after he is
| cured. society is not protected by the GRIM
| malls imprisonment unless he is reformed by
| it. OF course, prison conducted on this
| principle requires the highest wisdom, capac-
| ity and integrity in its administration and its
| adoption in the average American prison,
where the management is changed with every
| change of political parties and where party
| fealty is the main requirement Tor d prison
officer, would be preposterous. So with all
| reformatory measures, if politics are to rule
| our prisons.
Another important phase of progress is that
of conditional liberation. 1t began in England
as feature OF the Crofton system.
| The ticket-of-leave is simply con-
| ditional release, valid only during
good behavior Police supervision
| is maintained over the prisoner and he is re-
quired to report at stated times. In the Uni
| ted States it is in operation at Elmira, n. Y,
| in Massachusetts,, and. recently, in Ohio. A
| ticket-of-leave must be earned by good con-
duct, under the progressive system. 1t
| should be q reward OF merit free from out
| side influences.
| OF the reformatory agencies in prisons, the
most powerful for good is education. Ignor-
ance is the most potent cause of crime. One
| third of the prisoners in the Northern
states and two-thirds in the Southern states
are entirely illiterate. If in the term educa-
ton we include industrial and moral training,
but small per cent. of persons can be con-
| sidered educated. At Elmira every prisoner
goes to school and his training is thorough in
the different grades. Every prisoner
should be taught to read and
write, and trained in some in
dustrial employment When we remember
that a large majority of all prisoners are
young men whose habits of mind and body
| are not beyond the capacity of change, we
| can understand the effects of
STEADY DAILY DISCIPLINE,
| especially when supplemented bS the enor-
nous leverage of the indeterminste sentence.
Reform is the most conspicuous, perhaps,
in the amelioration of prison panishments.
Twenty years ago corporal punishments were
inflicted daily in all prisons, but they are
rapidly disappearing. and in another decade
it will be known as relic of bafbarism. If
| we wish to reform men or to maintain the
| discipline, we must appeal to something
better than the lash. High consideration is
due to religion as an element of progress in
prison reform. Fifty years ago there was
scarcely a prison chaplain in the country, and
now few prisons were without them The
character of prison chaplains is all import
ant. There is no place in the world where
a perfunctory officer would be quicker under
stood, or where conscientious one would be
sooner recognized. There is not successful
example in the world Of success in prison re-
form without religion.