The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-10-17
Education in Prisons.
swept away

AS one of the objects of the public schools is
to prevent the citizen from developing into
criminal so in every true prison reform the
principal end sought to be attained is the resto-
ration of the criminal useful citizen to So
ciett. The United States was one of the first
countries to recognize the truth that prisons
must be refOrmatories and that imprisoned chill
dren must not associate promiscuOusly with hard
ened criminals. The New York House of Refuge.
established in 1924 of the first of its kind
and the aim of the American reform school is to
guard neglected children against the temptations
of crime and reform those whose criminal instincts
have cropped out
Among American reformatories for adult con.
victs the state reformatory at Elmira New York,
is held to be the most advanced type of a prison
organized and conducted upon the most progress.
sive system in this country. In its main charac-
teristics it is similar to prisons conducted upon
the same system in other countries, but its edu-
catonal features distinguish the Elmira PRISON
from any other. That meritOrious journal, The
International Record publishes essay, by its
editor, containing a graphic and interest ng de-
scription of the educational characteristics of
tn s prison. According to MIR. Wines the basis of
the whole establishment is educational The
criminal is held to be- before ALL OF defective
or perverted education who therefore must be edu.
Gated out of his love for crime. What we want to
do with the criminal is not to punish him, but to
protect ourselves and society against his devices
The surest protection is to convert him into an
honest man. 1.-THE true idea of a prison. 'says
the author. lis that of gymnasium where. by sci.
entifc methods. applied in a broad liberal spirit,
individual DEFICIENCIES of whatever Sort whether
of the body, mind spirit. are corrected and
remeded by exercise" The weak are put through
course of physical training; the ignorant are
taught what they do not know, whether it be the
rudiments of learning, trade, the penal code.
the constitution of the country the law of NOR
ais. Lectures are delivered to them and they are
permitted to form debating societies. They are
not permitted to read newspapers, except spe-
cial weekly. containing the most important news
with all criminal intelligence excluded. But they
have the freest use possible of a select library
''including many Of the leading standard refer.
ence books, works history. science and art.
with abundance Of choice felton, They can
indulge in Shakespeare. Milton, Bacon, Dante,
Browning any other leading author. 1t is
claimed that the prisoner "cannot be subjected
to such educational process without being
made over. and that the degree of his progress is
perfectly apparent and easily and accurately
measured.
1t is, perhaps. too early as yet for judgment to
be passed upon the doctrines and experiments
of Mr.. Brockway. Time and statistics will tell.
But to every student of social reforms in general
and prison reforms in particular the results OBJ.
tanned at Elmira will prove both instructive and
interestng.-[We are sorry we can not give the
above proper credit.
The first iron steamboat was built in England
in $780,
Coaches were first built in England in 1862