Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-12
WHAT IT IS.

WHAT IT rs.
1t will be conceded that in all states OF
high degree of civilization two great
aims Of society are: How to protect itself
against ills, and how to prevent the growth
Of evils chat threaten it. For this it es-
tablishes rules of action known as laws,
commanding certain things to be done and
lorbidding the doing of others. For this
it provides punishment for those who of
fend against these laws, and assail society,
which after all is but an enlargement of
the family. For this, human effort is di-
rected to the prevention of crime.
No men having ordinary interest in
public affairs deny the wisdom of prevent
i've. measures. Society, indeed, is unit
on this question, and hence establishes asy-
lums for the homeless young, that they
may not fall into evil ways by reason of
deprivation of natural parental control.
For this reason the press and the people
stitutions that surround men and women
with influences for good, and that will in
cline them in right directions, Withdraw
them from evil paths, and fortify them
against vicious temptations.
Punishment itself has its preventive
side, and is found in its simplest form
when the parent Furnishes the child, not
for love of inhicting pain, but that the
child NAV be restrained from wrong-doing
reformed, in other words. 1t will there
fore be conceded that one Of the duties OF
society. and of every individual unit OF 1t,
is to prevent growth of crime, not only to
make wrongdoers feel the smart Of punish
ment, bu. to SO apply it that they Will be
disinelined to second offending, and thus
The need of punishment be avoided. If a
citizen sees a mere lad pursuing course
that. unchecked. will lead him surely into
criminal paths, his natural impulse Is to
exert some influence to check, If only by
word. this evil tendency. 1t is for this
broad interest in the we'll being of society
that. in cases of Juvenile offenders, Judges
not infrequently suspend sentences, in the
hone that edmonition will check an evil
course.
Now, we take it. that our evening con-
temporary is differed by kindly, manly
and humane motives We would dislike
10 entertain the belief that it is less inter-
ested in the welfare of the community
Than other similar human influences.
When. therefore, our neighbor declares, as
It did Thursday evening, that the Peno-
logical Commission should expeDd its time
& in devising ways and means to put more
people in prison, and keeping them there,
than in listening to the hobbies OF men
Who can talk nothing but penology,' we
must conclude that it did not mean all 1t
said, or else it grossly misconeeived the
meaning of penology, since it is but term
expressive precisely of the keeping of peo-
ple in prison, and the punishment of them
while in prison.
But it means something more, the de-
vising of ways and means for rendering
prisons least necessary and least expensive
10 Taxpayers. We apprehend that our
neighbor would not lift its finger to pre-
vent the lessening of the expense OF main
tanning prisons aud the lessening of the
number of criminals. 1t is entirely true
chat the States convicts are treated hui
namely, well-fed and cared for, and fare
better than many poor man on the out
side, and it is for that very reason, among
others, that society should do Its utmost to
lessen the prison class, and this is all that
psychological science aims to do. 1t cannot
be that anyone will antagonize any means
to this end in California, that experience
has proved to be wise in other States.
Ii the idea prevails that pathological re-
form is an effort to better the condition of
prisoners for pure sentimentality, then
gross misapprehension obtains. Our con-
temporary observes that "there is great
deal of bosh talked about the poor con-
Wet" So there is indeed, but it falls into
unfortunate error when it assumes that
penologists propose TO infict this kind of
rot on the people, or have ever been
guilty of it On the contrary, penologists
all over the world are very practical peo-
pie, striving to severely discipline convicts,
make punishment effective and prevent
the wholesale manufacture of criminals
and that is all they seek to do. Our con-
temporary, we venture to suggest, will
find no one of them who take any other
concern than that in the matter
We scarcely think that our nelghbor's
confused ideas about "penology will lead
It to denv that these things are commend
abie in those who advocate them; IL
Such discipline of the convict that when
he mss expiated his offense, he will not
wish to offend second time. 81 The
se,aration of first offenders from hardened
criminals; thing every prison-keeper,
officer warden and guard in the world
.crees ought to be done, and that
has been done for years in New York