The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-07-21
PRISON REFORM.

In Sundays session of the conference
of Charities and Corrections being held
in ST. Paul, Mimi, General Brinkenhoff'
of Ohio, read a paper on prison reform,
IN which il was stated that The domi-
nant idea in the creation of prisons
should be the protection of society by
reform. The reformation or permanent
detention Of prisoners for vengeance Is
not tenable under Christian dispense
ton, and experience has shown that it
is not effective. In the reformation OF
prisoners one of the requirements is an
indeterminate Sc tence under which
Criminals are sent to prison as q
moral hospital, and from which they
are not discharged until they are
cured" During late years there has
been great advance in the conduct Of
prisons and the treatment of prison
ers; that is 10 say, there mas been ad-
vance at such penal institutions
which are under the control of humane,
intelligent and Christian people. In
some prisons the rules which
were in force during the dark and
middle ages are still applied. We
occasionally hear of prisons and peni-
tentiaries being dens of vice and houses
OF cr.me,. from which the convict
emerges at the expiration of his term,
not only more hardened in his con-
science and more determined to follow
a life OF wickedness, but more learned
in crime and better skilled in the ways
of criminals. When prisons are
managed as if they were relormatories,
and not institutions where bad men are
to be nerded and abused by brutal.
vengeful and vicious keepers, more OF
the unfortunate occupants Ct these
places will come out with an ambition
and q determination 10 be better men.
1t is an unfor innate fact that not few
of our prison keepers have an idea that
all who fall under their custody are
proper subjects upon which to practice
cruelties and brutslities; that any food
is good enough for a convict; that in
conveniences and annoyances should be
imposed upon prisoners, and that
harshness must be employed on all oc-
casions in dealing with those who cannot
resent them. We know of nothing in the
law which gives a jail-keeper the right
- be brutal TO a prisoner; humanity
ever suggests the opposite course. Soci-
ETY. has tie right to protect itself
against the vicious and unruly, by re-
straining them, but society has not the
right to be brutal 10 any of its mem
bers; it is questionable if it has a re-
tallatory privilege against individuals,
but it certainly has no right to be vim
dictive and vengeful.
The prison r>form associations and
the charities and corrections societies
have done much towards curing TIE
evils which have come down from the
middle ages in the management Of
prisons, but there is much more for
them to do. Their work will not be fin
ished while thumbscrews, sweat boxes
and other devices for torturing prison
ers are at the command of brutal
keepers and vengeful guards;
nor while convicts can be
terrorized, maltreated or abused; nor
while any indignity or brutality can be
inflicted upon a prisoner, or any re-
straint or punishment imposed that is
not consistent with the theory that
prisons are established and maintained
for the protection OF society against the
vicious, and not for the purpose Of Civ
ing community an opportunity to be
brutal towards any Of Its members.