St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-09
PRISON REFORMS.

courtesy OF tue WdIutH you Ldf6 Iidu I'LL
opportunity to converse freely with the
convicts and to make personal eXami-
nation into all the conditions of prison
life, furnishes one with great deal of
food for reflection. You see here mass
of humanity whose lives are blighted.
and, in many instances, wholly wasted,
and your first impression is one of sad
ness that such things should be. But
you recognize that tho necessity for
these penal institutions will continue as
long as the criminal classes exist, and
then your thoughts are directed to the
possibility of making these institutions
reformatory, as we'll as penal; and 1t is
in the contemplation of this possibility
that the mind finds the most food for re-
Election.
Much has been said and written on
the subject of reforming the criminal
classes and of converting prison disci-
pline into refOrmatOry agent, but from
all that has been said and written on the
subject one does not obtain as clear and
intelligent ideas as from one day spent
within prison walls making a personal
study of prison life and prison cOnvictS.
The following observations and con-
illusions are submitted as the result OF
an investigation of the Saltwater
prison, made one day during the past
week.
First, as to the observations. The
state has been too parsimonious in its
appropriations for the institution, es-
pecially as to providing the essential
equipments for first-claSs prison; and
it is to be hoped that more liberal
policy will be pursued in the future.
The warden is keeping the prison in the
best order that it is possible to do with
his available resources, and is main
tanning exceptionally good discipline.
There is an air of cleanliness through
out the institution which is as grateful
as it is refreshing, and evidently nothing
is omitted that will contribute TO the
good health of the inmates. The only
drawback in the latter respect is the
location of the prison building itself,
which is set under a hill instead of
having been put on an eminence, as 1t
should have been, and as a result of
this blunder more or less dampneSs is
perceptible in the lower apartments.
An unrestrained talk with number Of
convicts elected no complaint as to the
manner of their treatment. Their fare
is plain, but it is wholesome and in
abundance. Their cells are clean and
comfortable, the prison discipline is a
commingling OF firmness and kindness,
and there are no instances Of harsh
treatment except where it is provoked
by the bad behavior of the convicts
themselves. This, in brief, is fair
statement of the condition of the Still
water prison.
Now, as to the conclusions deduced
from a days investigation of prison
management and study of the cOndi-
lions of prison life, and especially as to
the possibilities of making their prison
experience the means of lettering the
moral condition of the convicts, and to
return them to society better men and
more useful citizens. The same mis-
take is made in prison management that
is often made in the conductof our pub
lie schools that of applying the same
system of treatment to all alike, without
taking into account the difference in
the constitution of human beings. The
great fact in nature that we seldom find
two human beings so constituted that
like treatment will produce like results
is apt to be disregarded, and an unyield-
ing, iIon-clad set of rules for the govern
ment and discipline of the convicts is
adopted. If, as is true in most cases,
the criminal is caused by lack of
proper mental and moral culture in
youth, how much more important then,
does it become that in all effort to re-
form his character there should be an
exercise OF proper discrimination
in applying a treatment adapted to
dition to being the possessor of exec
utive ability, prison warden, like a
school teacher, should be person of
humane instincts, have keen sense OF
justice, and discriminating judgment.
When criminal is sent to state prison
the usual sentence is that he shall be
confined there a given length of time at
hard labor. 1t has been suggested by
some one-and the more the suggestion
is studied the more one is impressed
with it's force-that instead of debating
the restriction or removal of labor from
prisons, our legislatures could make
more progress in the work of correcting
the law-breakers into law-keepers if
they would make prison labor truly re
formatory by endowing it with worthy
purpose, and thus regulate it for charac-
ter building. Labor in itself has no re-
formatory influence, unless there is mo-
tive behind the labor to give it moral
power. The trouble with our present
labor system is that there is no sense of
responsibility coupled with it. The
prisoner is forced to work so many
hours day for so many years, and it
makes no difference to him whether the
work is we'll or poorly done. There is
no inducement to him to do we'll, ex-
cept to escape possible punish
ment. He is not educated to that
sense of responsibility which is the
foundation OF manhood. The system
adopted at Saltwater. and in some other
state prisons. of giving convicts credit
for so many days out of each month OH
their term of Imprisonment, as a re-
ward for good behavior, is i'll the direc-
tiop we have Indicated; but it does not
go far enough. If the penal sentence
were changed so that, instead of being
sentenced to Imprisonment and hard
labor for a definite time, the convict
should be sentenced to accomplish so
many average days. work, each good
days work to be counted in his favor
and bringing the end nearer, and each
bad days work counted against him and
nuttinr the end farther off than inStaad