The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-01-10
MINOR OFFENDERS.


know whereof he speaks. In commune
cation to the Pioneer Press he says great
many things which ought to be of interest
to the general public. especially to those
who are burdened with the protection of
society. Among other things he says:
From time to time since the establishment of
the Minneapolis workhouse there has appeared in
the daily press articles containing advice and sug-
gestions to what should be done in the man.
agement method of conducting and the way its
inmates should be treated. Ministers of the gos
pei have been called upon to enlighten the dull
public, to visit the courts. witness the trials of
these poor ''wretches and then give their views
that the dear public might be better informed on
the subject have read with great deal of
interest about all that has been written on this
subject and am pleased to that there is inter-
est taken in it. But far the result has been
nothing but words! words words. 1 beg to lay
before your readers few facts from the inside Of
the workhouse and to add my views (such as they
are) on this subject. Minneapolis. like all large
and growing cities, has a certain per cent. Of peo-
pie who are thriftess. careless and improvident.
given to drinking and broling, which is called by
the ordinances of the city misdemeanors. They
are for the most part working people. When they
sturb the public peace the police arrest them
and the penalty by ordinance prescribed is in
ficted by the police justice. What discretion he
has is we'll known Ninety days or $100 is the ex.
treme penalty 1t was the custom until the work
house was established to send these people in de-
fault Of payment Of the fine to the county Jail and
pay the sheriff Of the county 1926 per week for
the board of each one. In the jail they were
crowded together, nothing to do. no change Of
clothes, the young and the old, without regard to
age, color or prev Ous condition. Now these peo-
pie not to be called criminals. They are not
criminals. For instance. here is man (and the
great ma jority of this class are such) who works
at his trade He is not drunkard, but occasion
ally after working hours INDUCES in glass of
beer or spirits "a bad habit all will admit but not
a crime.) On his way home. under the influence
of it, he meets jealous policeman who thinks
that, according to the city ordinance, he is will
fully, unlawfully and wrongfuly found in state
Of open and notorious drunkenness il public
place within the city Of Minneapolis, contrary to
the ordnance etc., and consequently runs him
in That is all right The policeman has only
done his duty The man under the influence
of liquor and arrested. The next morning he
pleads guilty and is told Ito go and sin no more :"
Oh. $50 Or twenty days. He has no money
and is sent to the county Jail the time out
while the city paid the sheriff 1926 per week for
his board. He probably loses his job, feels the
disgrace keenly and his fam ly much more so. He
is compelled to associate with people he would
not recognize elsewhere, and the city is out in
cash to the sheriff just s1O,5G for his board. Now
this was the way three years ago. Do you class
this man criminal? And yet out of 1927 men
committed to the Minneapolis workhouse last year
ia we're of this class, first offenders don't
offer here remedy. but state the facts.
1t is now winter. and almost every day we send
men and women from here whose time is out.
with hardly any clothing and not cent in their
pockets-no work, friends. We cannot give
away pair of stockings. if one of them is
barefooted, is often the case. dare not give
an old pair of shoes. The city council by resolu-
tion forbid us to do it. Do you expect such peo-
pie to keep honest and sober? Where will they
get their dinner? Where? Why. steal it: where
else? The authorities should take hold this
winter, and my word for it, one year from to-day
there will be no fault-fnding or growing about
the wOrkhOuse.
Be it understood that Mr.. Whalen is
superintendent of a prison in this state. 1t
is called the Workhouse, but it is a prison
where men and women are sent for their
good and the good of society when they
have been guilty of crimes and misdemean-
Ors. Where are the philanthropsts who
labor for the prevention OF crime and the
curing of crimnality? Is this necessary
condition? 1t is necessary that man who
gets slightly unbalanced by mbibng too
freely should be sent to the Workhouse and
leave his family to suffer for bread that he
would be earning for them if he was at
liberty? Is it in the interest of society to
turn men out of the WOrkhOuSe in winter
with insufficient clothing and make no pro