The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-05-23
How TO Make Professionals.

We hear considerable about reforming
convicts. Now. reformation is certainly
very desirable. But did you ever think of
the fact that a convict can and will reform
himself if he chooses to do So, without any
assistance from the outside public? If he
does not want to reform, kind treatment,
books, ministers, even the efforts of noble
women. will not change his determination.
If there is so much humanity lying around.
why cannot little be taken to the county
jails? There is the place to separate the
sheep from the goats.
The great mistake committed in the adj
ministratiOn of the criminal statutes is this:
Men and boys are sent to the penitentiary
who should not have been sent there. The
remedy is in the following plan: When a
person is behind the Jail bars for the first
time, and charged with petty crime, sus-
pend sentence in his case if he will promise
to lead an honest life. Now. of course.
every one of them would make this promise.
but how are you to know if it is kept?
Adopt the Bertillon system of registration
in every state of the Union. Let that sys-
TEN cover, not only the cOnvcts in the pen
itentiary, but also those persons who have
been granted suspension of sentence. If
a released person continues leading GRIM
inal life and is arrested second time. the
system of registration will show that SEN
tence has once been suspended upon him.
Then the judge might we'll say to that man:
You have committed your second offence
against the criminal laws. Because of your
solemn pledge to live an honest life, mercy
was shown to you. Mercy had no effect in
your case. Your present crime proves that
you are determined to lead life of crime,
and l will give you the limit of the law"
Or, if the judge was convert to the theory
that crime is a disease, he could. after mas
tering his emotion, say: Young man. this
is one OF the saddest cases | ever had before
me. Twice within very short time, this
terrible malady has fastened its fangs upon
you. l could do nothing for you before.
But this time l will make it my personal
business to see that you get board and
clothes, at the state hospital, for a good
long stretch of time"
There are advantages and disadvantages
in the plan of suspending sentences for
petty crimes. Among the latter are. 1St:
The party might commit many crimes
before being arrested the second time. How
numerous these crimes would be no one can
say. But very good idea can be obtained
by learning the number committed before
the first arrest; that number, in this day of
railroads and telegraphy. is, Oh an average.
extremely small. The remedy is in acting
upon the suppOsitiOn that the crimes COM
mitted. in the interval between the first and
second arrest. have been numerous and
make the sentence the severest allowed by
law. End: The keeping of the records would
require considerable labor and would cost
some money. But it would require more
labor and cost more money to keep the
party in the penitentiary.
Among the advantages which would re-
suit, are, 1st: The offender would be
able to secure employment, at honest wages,
which he might not and probably would
not secure if he was an ex- convict 2nd:
He would not be placed among criminals
whose influence would make the chances
for his reformation almost hopeless. Sd:
His family and friends could surround him
with inhuoncn which wOuld fond To kuon