Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-28
PRISON Reform.


The Educational Factor i'm the DIFF
ticult PrObiem.
Whiting in Harper's for February, |
Charles Dudley Warner says: In order
10 reform any person addicted to evil
living, an adequate motive must be
offered. AT Elmira the powerful motive
10 The desire Of regtlnlng liberty. This |
wouid seem enough, but it ia not always |
sufficient to arouse ambition in q sluggish |
nature, especially whom the period of |
incarceration is fixed and is short. This
motive, then, has 10 be supplemented by
others. A way must lie found to arouse
the sluggish body and interest the dor
munt mind. II is sometimes long before
this way can be discovered. These ruined
natures have often very little that can be
appealed to successfully. But believe
there is in most men and women, however
degraded, the seed of better life.
The first step will probably be the
awakening an interest in something out
side themselves; not u purpose OF change,
but simply an interest. Ii may be de.
sire to learn the alphabet, or an awakened
taste for reading, or little inclination to
know something. II may be a pride in
| personal appearance, or wish TO get
commentator for good behavior, or
dawning sense of the a2reeableness OF
| order, neatness, cleanliness. Or it may
be some pleasure in discovered power
to do we'll piece of work. This interest,
once aroused, can be stimulated by
various indictments, slight rewards of
promotion, the fear of social degradation;
and this path of doing we'll will become
powerfully attractive when it is seen to
be the path, and the only one, to liberty.
But this interest in any form, with even
the prize of liberation, can not be
depended on to last. The will of the
criminal is weak and vacillating. He can
not be depended on, he can not depend
upon himself, for continuance. He may
fail and fall again and again. The only
remedy in this case-and il is common
case-is to keep him at it, keep him try
ing, until a habit is formed, until his will
is strengthened, until, in fact, il is men,
tally and PHYSICALLY just as easy for him
to live o normal, healthful life as it was to
live disorderly life.
In the life that is required of him under
the Elmira system il is very difficult for
man to shuin. The study, the work, the
behavior, demanded of him continuously
almost preclude hypocrisy. The neophyte
may try to pass himself off as doeile, and
eysn as pious, but no deceit lasts long
under this severe, exacting, trying disci-
pine, which is applied equally to his at
tention in the workshop, his alertness in
school, and to all the details of his per-
sonal behavior and appearance. The re-
quirements are too rigid. If the man
does not put himself willingly and hon
estly into harmony with his position, he
is pretty certain to break down and go
back into the harder conditions of prison
life. These he finds very unwelcome
after taste of something better, and he
tries AGAIN, with new resolution. The
pressure is inct ssant. The incentive of
liberty, better apprehended as he gets
into II normal state, is always inviting
him. Meanwhile habit is doing its work.
He can continue longer in straight
course. He begins TO feel in all his reno
waited physical and moral nature not only
the desire for liberty, but a longing, how
ever faint, to make a man of himself.
| The important thing, as necessary in
this 81 stem to getting out Of confinement
ms to becoming man, is the formation of
habit. And here is where the notion of
an indeterminate sentence comes in as the
only condition of forming fixed habit.
An indeterminate sentence is the sem
tence of a convict TO confinement until in
the judgment of some tribunal he is fit to
go out into society again, until it is evil
dent that he is likely 10 be law-abiding.
II person is determined upona criminal
life, the best thing that can be done fol
him and for society is to confine him
where he can do no mischief, and where
his labor will pay for his keeping, so that
he may not be an expense to society mol
terror to it. And, logically, he
should be confined until there il
good reason to believe that he viii
be self-supporting, law-abiding member
of community. Now, the difficulty
heretofore has been to determine when
person might safely be released on IN in
Discriminate sentence. Under the presen
prison system, if release depended simpl,
on good behavior, on external observance
of rules, most criminals are shrewt
enough to behave admirably, and to ever
, offer evidence of Christian conversion, il
order to get release. Where is there
tribunal that could pass upon his char
acterH The Elmira system compels
person literally to work out his own sal
walton. 1t will take some men longe
and some men u shorter time to do it
that is, to acquire such habit that for
given period they can stand perfect il
study, in work, in conduct. Under on
present rule of determinate sentences
there are many incorrigible cases. Prob
ably there are some natures in
capable of being changed to any
thing better. Let such stay where the,
can pay for their living and not iniur,
society. But it is difficult to soy of an,
man that he can not be reached anc
touched by discipline, physical, mental
and moral, for long time and continu
GUS that it is impossible to drill him, il
years of effort, into habit of decent liv
ing and Il liking for an orderly life. 1t il
impossible, psychologically and physiolo
gically, for person to obey rigid rules Of
order and decency to be drilled in menta
exercises, to be subject to supervision fol
intelligent and attentive labor, for con
siderable length of time, and not form
new habits, not be changed sensibly anG
probably radically. 1t may be in one
year, it may be in 10 years, but ultimatel,
habits will be formed, and the man col
not, without greater or less effort, b,
what he was before he was subjected t.
this process.
This is the education of which speak
this is the education which does not fit OF
incline man to be an expert criminal
but which makes disorderly life in hi
case improbable. And he himself deter
mines when he is fit to go out of confine
ment and out of the discipline to which
he has been subjected. His record show
it, for his record shows whether he ha
acquired new habits and isreally changed
Of course some tribunal must pass upol
this record and upon the whole appear
{ ance and tendency of the man
but its work is comparatively, easy ant
liable to few mistakes. After release
of course, something must be done I,
place this man, who has acquired habi
{ of and liking for correct life, in
position in community where he has
' chance to maintain himself. He can no
be turned loose to all temptations in fac,
of the contempt of the world. Blu
/ philanthrophy can provide for that as
q part of the system which has given him
by long discipline, the habit of deeen
, living. And it will happen that when tn,
! community understands this system, tn,
finding employment for men who hay,
been in state prison will not be SO Difficult
as it is now.
, -% go