The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-04-11
Reflections After Six Months, Imprfs.
Onment.

Just six months ago to- night was intro
duced to the chief heads in this prison. and
was assigned all abode in hole in the wall.
Six months ago to night. at the hour | am
writing these lines, l was taking my first
lesson in prison discipline. reading the rules
thoughts that filled my mind at that time as
| computed the long months and years that
L must remain in my diminutive. ill-furnish-
ed dOmicile would fill volume and can
not be given the reader through the medi-
um of The MIRROR. But among other
things that occupied my mind on the occa-
sion. was my thoughts of what prison life
really was and how the convict Jared. |
man, what was expected of him. and what
would be the consequences if he failed to
do what Was assigned him. presume the
same thoughts in the main. have passed
through every mind in the prison at some
time, and the result of all this useless
thinking has been the same. viz, an aban-
dOnment to the inevitable. and feeble
hope that the way would not be so hard to
be the final result. After six months of
prison life, these dark mysteries are cleared
up, and my mind is occupied with thoughts
far different from those mentioned above.
and it is but reasonable to presume that the
status OF my mind at this time is as it will
be when the last moment of my sentence
has expired and enter, life again-fOr GER
talnly an intelligent man must consider the
time spent III prison no part OF life-but a
void, as destitute of all that goes to cOnsti~
tute life as though he was in trance. Those
who pass through prison as full Pledged
cOnvicts are the only persons who know
what prison is No one can learn the IN
ner. actual life of the convict but the con-
vict himself. His recital of the incidents
OF his life even when accepted as true. cam
not place another in his place; hence it is
reserved for him alone to know the phys
ical condition of prison life. and the phys.
ical and mental effect of Imprisonment.
Those who have the control and care of
prisoners know much more than the general
public, as do those who have near relatives
or friends behind the bars, but in the case
of the former the tendency is to lose sight
of all phases of the life except those pre-
sented to view by force of obligation or ac-
cident; and in the latter the view is not of
the whole, but part in which the personal
interest centerS. There is another
class, however, who eagerly seek to know
the life of the imprisoned, and by knowing
the condition, they hope to apply healing
balm to the wounds of conscience, and pro-
vide for the restoration of the erring.
speak of the philanthropists. No one will
question the good they have done, and are
doing by their incessant efforts in the be-
half of the imprisoned; neither will they or
their supporters deny the fact that their
work is on an unsettled. unsatisfactory plan,
and that their knowledge is necessarily linn
tied. as well as their endeavOrs hampered,
b., tn existing regulations in the prisons
our country. However great their desire
to know, they are not afforded the OppOr-
tunity to know the actual condition of those
they labor to benefit.
From discipline which tyranniZed over
and brutaiZed the prisoners, a system of
comparative humane treatment has been
brought about by those who have interested
themselves in behalf of the imprisoned; but
the way is still open for improvement and
every year sees some change in the care and
treatment of the inmates of the prisons
i'll some one or more of the states. Since
those who have made the greatest study of
penolOgy have abandoned the old idea of
and have arrived at the true
purposes OF imprisonment, viz: to protect
society and better the condition of the
wrong dOer, great change has been gradu-
ally but certainly made in the man
agment Of penal institutions: and what is
Of greater importance, the public have been
to a humane view of penal inst-
buttons, and have learned that because a
crime has been committed by an individual
is no reason why he should be eternally con-
demned. and that he may, after serving a
term in prison, enter the useful walks of
life aud obey the laws of his country with as
great honor to himself and friends as his
more fortunate neighbor, who was likewise
guilty of crime but escaped the penalty.
1t is true that there is certain percentage