The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-03-07
Punishment.
Editor Mirror:


in the newspaper we are led to believe that
there are yet in the civilized world few
persons who think punishment inflicted up
on the wrongdoer will reach the object of
the criminal law. In other words, they
think the object of the law is to punish,
that Imprisonment is punishment and the
amount of punishment inflicted is measured
by the gravity of the offence. the criminal
| ity of the offender. etc. | cannot think of
the word punishment without associating
with it suffering and pain. We some
times hear the expression. eff he is guilty
of that crime he should be made to suffer
for it," Does this mean that our laws rem
der evil for evil? Does it mean that if a
wrong is committed against the person or
property of an individual that the wrong
dOer should be punished to an extent that
will right the wrong? Does the wrong
against ones person or property, added to
| the punishment inflicted upon the wrong
dOer. make all right? Does it place the one
wrOnged where he was before the wrong
was committed? To all of these answer,
NO.
In order to clearly define my position up
on this question let us view few cases,
parallels to which can readily be found.
These will serve to some extent to repre-
sent the degrees of crime:
A kills B. and is sent to the peniten-
tiary for life. Does this mean that A is
imprisoned to punish him for his act? Or
does it mean that he is deemed an unsafe
man to be at liberty and is imprisoned for
the protection of society? l claim the lat
ter is the intention of the law as shown by
the provisions made for the care and treat
ment of the offender during his imprisOn-
ment. He is fed and clothed; his health is
looked after by skilled physicians employed
at the expense of the state; his food and
clothing must be such as not to impair his
health; he must not be required to perform
labor that will be detrimental to his health:
he must be supplied with pure air and
comfortable place to sleep. Wherein is the
punishment? The only possible punish
ment is mental suffering. if the imprisoned
| gets what the laws provide for him.
| Now, let us suppose that the murder was
cold blooded; that there were no eXtenuat-
ing circumstances. Rather strange that the
law contemplated Furnishing man by the
present system of Imprisonment which in
sures the same treatment to this same de-
PRAYED wretch, that the boy eighteen years
old receives who slipped from the path of
rectitude but once? The boy did the act
which brings him within the grasp of the
criminal law in moment of weakness.
What would he not have given to right the
wrong when it first dawned upon him that
he had committed an act which would for
ever disgrace him if it was found out?
l ask the reader to pass along the journey
of this criminal and note his punishment.
q ic 6QtpofpH o,lo
rest, but who will attempt to describe his
feelings when he feels the touch of the Of
| ticer and hears for the first time, ''YOu are
my prisoner" Now is the beginning of eX-
posture. Go with him to the Jail and read
the horror and desperation upon his counte-
nance when he finds himself a prisoner
among hardened criminals. His friends
hear of his disgrace and come to see him
and learn that he is guilty. They are poor
and ignorant of the ways of the law and
see no hope for him. He is indicted in
few days, and pleads guilty to charge of
forgery. He stands up to be sentenced; he
| is asked if he has anything to say as to why
| sentence should not be pronounced, and what
can he say? His emotions overcome him
and he says he ''never did anything wrong
| before" Tho least sentence he can re-
ceive is five years and the judge. consider
ing his youthful appearance and the fact
that no ill-report of the boys previous ca
reer has reached him, says, live years."
Accompany him to the penitentiary and
see him enter upon his term of PUNISH
MENT. The boy is punished already more
than it would be possible to punish the de-
PRAYED wretch first mentioned, in a life
time, but their treatment during imprison-
ment is the same. The object of the law is
clearly the protection of society. That OBJ
ject is reached in the case first mentioned,
but how about the boy who must serve five
years for the commission of an act which
by nine men out of every ten placed in the
same circumstances. But the advocate of
| nuniShment will say he must serve his time