The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-01-17

released prisoner that return to his evil
ways would be sheer madness. We hope to
see the parole system so amended as to in
clnde all classes of prisoners in it's benefits
Why should life men be excluded? We do
not believe that any argument can be ad-
vanced against that question, but which
could easily be refuted. No one ever adj
vises the life man to abandon hope. They
are not excluded from the pardoning power
as vested in the governor, and are frequently
released under it. There are fewer 'cOn-
firmed' criminals among life men in pro-
portion than among any other class of crim-
mails. and any warden will tell you that
they are not any more dangerous than other
prisoners; that they are trustworthy to
greater extent than two thirds of the short
term prisoners. We have never heard of
life man being returned to prison for crime
after receiving pardon. We do not say
there have been no such instances but they
must be very few or we would have heard
of one at least. No man should be turned
out of prison if known that he will return
to criminal life, yet men are dschalg ed
from prisons every day who are known to
be thus disposed. while others are held in
prison many years after the officers are
satisfied their release would not endanger
the public's welfare. The parole system is
meant to remedy this. and it will to great
extent in this way: The prisoner is given
his liberty on certain conditions before the
expiration of his sentence. and on his
strict observance of those conditions de-
ponds the continuation of his freedom. If
he abuses his privilege he at once becomes
an outlaw, and if discovered will be re-
turned to prison and compelled to serve out
the full term of his sentence. But if he
lives up to the requirements of his parole he
will have acquired habits of industry and
sobrety that will lessen the probability of
his returning to evil ways when released
from surveillance. Now. the paroled life
man would be less likely to violate his
lease of freedom, with possible return to
a life imprisonment as the penalty, than
the short term man who would have alb
sOlute freedom after serving out the re-
mainder of his full term AS the parole
law now stands man may have cOolly
planned and committed hundred crimes
prior to the time he is caught and sent to
prison for the first term. and yet if ne be
under thirty years of age. he may be sent
to the refOrmatOry and released on parole
after serving the minimum time provided
by law for his crime. Yet the young man.
who may have lived an upright life until
gOaded on by some real or fancied wrong,
in moment of passion. Stays fellow
man. is condemned to lifelong imprison-
ment and is excluded from the benefits of
merciful law. Long years of patient
suffering and perfect conduct do not earn
for him the forgiveness and mercy he hopes
for from his more fortunate, but also i'm
say: "Oh, we have no doubt but that it
would be perfectly safe to turn him out in
SO far as he is concerned. but if we do so.
where is the terrible warning to deter
others from kilIing?" Why was it that in
the days when criminals were publicly eX-
ecuted in the most horrible and revolving
manner that great crimes were more COM
mon than at the present day? Is it law
of the Christian religion that no mercy
should be shown him who Stays his fellow.
man? Some of the most unfOrgiving SEN
timents we ever heard expressed in refer
ence to the homicide have come from teach
ers of Christianity. but not from all of them:
not from the wisest and truest teachers.
We feel certain that the time will come be-
fore a great while when no class will be ex-
cluded from the benefits of the parole sys-
TEN. The prison workers of to-day are