The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-11-07
Hind erances to Prison Reform.

Hinderances to Prison Reform.
The United States was the pioneer of
prison reform in the world, but it is now
tagging far behind some other countries in
this respect.
What is the reason? There are several
reasons. | think it fair to say that it is not
the fault of any particular governor or leg
iolattire or set of prison officials, but the
fault of the people of the United States.
Prison reform is matter of legislation, and
it must be brought about by public opinion.
1t cannot be very far in advance of the
average public opinion of the country.
One obstacle to the introduction of re-
formatory methods is politics in prison
management. Our people run to politics.
OF ali the charitable and penal institutions
maintained by the states. prisons are m ore
under the control of politicians than any
other class of institutions.
Another great obstacle to reform in prison
management is that we make money the
measure of everything. We carry that
principle tpo much into the management of
our institutions. and more in prisons than
elsewhere. The whole question. in the
mind probably of the majority of persons
who have to deal with this subject. is: How
nearly call we get our prison to be self-sup-
porting? The first thing that retormatory
method asks is that not money but man
hood shall be made in the prison.
| The last obstacle in the way is: Owing
partly to the fact that our state governments
have charge of the great majority of our
prisoners. we have not been able to secure
proper classification of them. In Ne
braska for instance, there are only about
three hundred convicts in the penitentiary;
and the state does not think it can afford to
maintain more than one prison. We ought
always to have separate prison for women.
| but in Nebraska you have only four women
in state prison.
! We all agree that we ought to have a
separate refOrmatOry for boys; we ought
also to have a classification of male con-
victs.
Habitual criminals, when proved such,
| should be sentenced for life. and kept in
prison to protect society. But many man
is led by temptation into committing one
crime. who is no better and no worse than
the average. No matter what method of
treatment he may receive, he would never
commit another crime. This class are re
formed" under any prison system. And
| "
urally DRIFT into vice and crime, because of
heredity. low surroundings, and imperfect
education. When they are convicted of
crime, they need something more than
merely to be punished. They need to have
the defects of their early education supplied
by industrial, mental, and moral training.
This our prisons do not do. and that is
where the work of the refOrmatOry comes
in. Probably half of the inmates of
our state prisons are of this class. An
ordinary prison does nothing for them, eX-
cept to keep them from disturbing society
for a short time. and to scare them little.
while it puts upon them the brand of ''pris-
on Bird" and introduces them to the COM
partnership of many noted professional GRIM
inals. The reformatOry prison has under
taken to change the habits and ideas of this
class.
These obstacles can only be overcome by
change in public opinion. and that is what
such gatherings as this are fora. 0.
| Wright, in Omaha.