Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-11-05

hii'i 'N' ~ ''i'I'. W N'NN"'N h''h
TO crime. Unless the higher senti-
ments are developed, the selfish,
baser passions will become the more
fixed and dominating. Unless this
class come back to society armed
with new thoughts and purposes they
will return only to repeat their crimes
and corrupt the community. The
offender must not only be viewed as a
criminal, but as a man. As such he
has rights to be protected and claims
that must not be disregardcd. His
condemnation has not annuled these.
He is IA citizen and part of the
general society; he Is IA brother, a
member of the greater family. We
may notice some things due to him
and necessary to his recovery.
/. 4 wise discrimination i'll the pen
atty inflicted and the methods of
reform. Crime is not the same with
all. Some have inherited predispo-
sitions to crime. They are malform-
ed. Theft and even murder is n
natural instinct and in some SO over
mastering that it is scarcely resist
able. These make up the most des-
pcratc classes. They are committed
again and again, and some spend
most of their lives within prison
walls. As ho-edity must be charged
largely with this tendency it slould
come in as mitigation of the offence,
and while it cannot excuse the wrong,
the method of treatment should be
different from that Of the common
offender. He is both n criminal and
an unfortunate.
The sanitary conditions of our
prisons should be the best possible.
Disease and death through bad sani-
tary conditions is not part Of the
penalty the State has right 10 in
tlict. Where this is the case the
State becomes the criminal Many
of the iails in this State are but little
better than pest houses. The sur
roundings breed malaria and death.
Many have no proper ventilation,
sewerage or those conycnienccS that
a civilized condition demand. Ill
health has much TO do with crime.
II Justice to the criminal in this
matter is denied him, il ought not to
be denied the State The princi-
pie of self-protection should secure
a reform of the sanitary condition of
our jails.
Our jail system must he materially
formed. We can have but li.tle hope
of a large portion Of our criminal
cla,sc, until this system j, changed.
These are ut present reccptacles for
an in3iscriminatc class of offenders.
Persons of all ages and charged with
various crimes find a common home.
Boy, and old mon-thc youth for his
first offence. and the old and expert
cnccd criminal. il II thc verdict of
all who have interested themselves
in this elias, lhat oar lails are
school, of vice. What can we
hope for or boy, who have been led
INTO crime with such schooling as
our iails are giving them With
nothing TO do and brought into direct
contact with these old offenders what
have they TO @o bat to listen to their
tales of criminal adventure and drink
i'm thc spirit of their gross and de
ba,iug language; Our boys should
never he confined in our jails, nor
should older offender, be retained
there in the way they now are. Two
thiug> arc necessary TO the best re-
formatory results. Isolation and
employment; Contact and idlencss
breed crime There is no reason
why one incarcerated for even 80
days should be kept idlcness. The
way 20 the reform school and State
prison should be made shorter and
more direct.
Sentence, should be made largely
tentative and indeterminate The
decision, Of our courts are simply an
attcmpt to approximate Justice. Only
q part OF the facts are in; much light
may be thrown upon the case sub
Scqu nty that should change or
modify thcycrdict Some, especially
OF the young, are more sinncd against
than shining, and others may give
such evidence of real amendment a.
TO make il wise to cut short their
imprisonment while others may be
able to establish their innocence of
the particular crime Of which they
are charged. \ committee Of com
potent mon should ave this matter in
charge and the executive should
simply voice their decisions
Scarcely any privilege of the
executive is 50 liable to abuse rs
that Of the pardoning power. And
SO there is no other that should be
more carefully guarded.
Our criminal classes should be
protected as far as possible from
tends 60 corrupt their
morals and should be surrounded
with tho moSt hpolthful Influences