New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-30
THE MANUFACTURE OF CRIMINALS.


The murder of brave and faithful police
man by Carlton, professional criminal, points
the moral of an article by Charles Dudley
Warner in the November " Forum" Carlton
has been a law-breaker from his youth up
His first burglary was committed when he was
sixteen years old, but he escaped punishment
because his victim was intoxicated at the time,
and could not identify him. He seems to have
continued q career of crime with more or less
impunity, until six years ago he was given a
fye-years' term in Sing Sing for highway rob-
berry. BY a curious coincidence, only few
hours before this murder the murderers
brother-ir law was arrested on charge OF
robbery Carlton has long been regarded as
dangerous character, and it is also clear that
his associates are Of the worst character.
The murder of poor Officer Brennan was so
brutal, and so clearly established by the testi-
mony of an eyewitness, that in all probability
Cartons career as a law-breaker is at an end.
But does it not occur to any one that 1t Is
great pity he was ever allowed to get as far as
the murder stage? This is the gist of Mr..
Warmers argument. Under our present penal
system the criminal who happens to be caught
and convicted lives well at the expense of the
State, reduces his term by good behavior is as
a rule subjected to discipline which has only
an outward effect and does not change in the
least the mental and moral character of the
man. Then he is sent out to prey once more
upon society, until he has the bad luck to run
into the hands of the police again. There are,
of course, exceptions to this rule, but all must
acknowledge that this is a fair description OF
large majority of the men who serve long terms
in our pententiares for serious offences.
Now the question which the advocates of in
Discriminate punishment ask is, why should
such man be released at all until there is good
reason to believe that his nature has undergone
a change for the better through proper pro-
cess of education and discipline? When man
has smallpox he is promptly isolated. when
he is discovered to be insane he is placed In
confinement or under proper restraint. But
a man whose mind is warped in the direction
of criminality is deprived of his liberty, II
shrewd LAWYERS cannot set HIM free altogether,
only for fixed term, which does not take into
account the character and intellectual and
moral tendencies of the prisoner. In the FL
mira Reformatory, where the experiment OF IN
Discriminate sentences is being carried on,
large majority of the prisoners released upon
parole, when the Governing Board are satisfied
that they fully intend to lead honest lives, are
believed to be permanent reformations. But
tho Emra system does not permit prisoner
to be detained in any case for longer time
than the full term fixed by law for the offence
committed The theory of indeterminate SEN
10; +O1 loci
not allow man to go at large who established
reputation as an incorrigibe law-breaker
any more than an ncurable lunatic. If we
ever bring or jurisprudence to this point, it
will not be soon. But are not the chances of
lessening of crime under such a system worth
thinking about