The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-05-02

The course of study is a picnic for him.
He learns readily the mechanical work to
which he is assigned; he has no difficulty
in entering the first grade at the expiration
of his six months service, and is teachinga
class before the end of the year. He per-
feet in everything and he must be released
at the end of the year. "Oh no." says the
management, I'VE can hold him until he is
REFOMED." Yes. you can hold him as
long as some influential citizen, who is seek
ing revenge, tells you to- For where one
man is imprisoned by the demands of JUS
tice, nine are imprisoned by the demands OF
revenge. Some one has been beaten and
they want to play even with the man who
beat them. For this purpose l know of no
better institution than the proposed refor-
matory, but this unntelligent ghost of sus-
piciOn that lie may not be reformed, and will
be held just because it may suit the fancy
of the management sounds to me more like
the reasoning of a Puritanlcal old maid
than IAN intelligent means of making men
better"
Do believe the inmates of the refOrma-
tory should be required to study? Yes; but
| do not believe that what they accomplish
should have any direct bearing upon their
release, for it is in no sense a test OF man
hood or morality. Do believe they should
be required to work? Yes; but l don't be-
leve mechanical skill should have any in
fiuence on the length OF sentence. Do be-
leve they should be graded on their con-
duct? Yes; but not in the manner pro-
posed, for to make man subject to severe
discipline, is to rob him of all individuality,
and make mechanical man Of him. 1t
has been established by the history of every
| prosperous community that ever existed.
that men are self-suStaining in proportion
to their individuality and self-relance.
One other feature | wish to nOtice-his
parole. When an inmate is released before
the maximum period of sentence, he must
report to the superintendent every month
for six months. and this report must be in
dOrsed by some one of known character.
Brilliant idea. The superintendent holds a
mortgage on a mans liberty for six months,
and may forclose it any time, and imprson
him again. because some high grade reform
er thinks it policy. This is about as near
owning man as it is possible to reach own
erShip of human beings under our laws.
Reader imagine that you have been dis
graced by serving sentence in penal
| Institution and when you are released. the
fact Of your disgrace and shame must be
constantly before you for six months, and
you must advertise yourself to at least one
man of character, instead of being permit
ted to bury the fearful past and start at
once to build anew your character where
the stain upon your life is unknown. have
read the letters of these parOled men; they
are published in the Summary, newspa-
per published in the Elmira reformatory.
and if any reason exists for such law, it
is only in the cases of men who have never
had any character previous to their impris-
onment, and have no sense of shame or
honor. They can never have had either in
dividual or family pride. The same insttu-
ton claims that men have come back after
being discharged and asked to be admitted
again. Think of a man making personal
application to be admitted to penitentiary.
If you can analyZe his ideas of life, you
may see good reason for the existence of
1eformatOry on the proposed plan; but
that intelligent young men should be re-
quired to descend to the level of these vag-
abonds and be REFORMED by the same pro-
cess. is not only an absurdity, but a greater
wrong than the majority of convicts inf1ict
on society. OBSERVER.