The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-06-13

The grading system of maintaining disci
pline is the only way by VIII eli prisoners al
class can be encouraged to strive for self
improvement. By-seif.improvement we d.
not mean the acquiring of book learnin!
alone. but the cultivation of the habits o
cOurteOusnesS. cleanliness. industry ant
cheerful Obed ence to rules. OF course
some men may practice all these virtue
in prison and still be great rascaIs but sucl
are the exceptions. The greater numbel
of men found i'm prison were unfOrtunat,
in their early training. and have arrived a
manhood to find themselves the victims o
vicious habits. blunted sensibiliteS. ignO
rance and slothful dispositiOns--in short
unimpressed with the infalli5le truths s,
pOintedly set forth i'm the sayings of Solo
mon. Most cOnvictS are deficient in pride
the pride that makes man feel ashamed
when he has acted dishonOrably. Some
thing must be done to arouse feelings o
pride in the breast of tile prisoner. We d.
not ask to have the prison converted into
pleasant home where criminals will b.
treated as ''unfOrtunates." but place in
which the law breakers will be treated as re
SpOnsible beings. and be made to conform
to rigid rules of manly department, as wei
as to labor. We are not asking for la,
discipline. less work, more sympathy or {
larger square of gingerbread. What WI
want is to see prisons managed Sc
that the inmate will be compelled Il
! act as a gentleman whether he chooses tt
be one or not Some say that prison
should be made terror to evil doors; bu
experience shows that a.terror of a prison
graduates terrible criminals. And the same
persons say that if a prison is conducted
on reformatory principles it will be sough
as an abiding place by the vicious.
prison is just the place for such persons
and the community should be glad to have
them shut-up in place where they must
labor. 1t is true that some worthless char
acters get into jail to escape the rigors o
winter. but they dread the strict discipline
fthe peniteDtiary.' No. we do not ask tina
the discipline be relaxed. but that the prisol
be made a place where mems energies
will be forced into activity instead of beins
snHthered. AS most prisons are now con
Quoted the managers can hold out but it'll,
to incte the inmates to steady efforts 70
self-imprOvement.. 1T they conld have
system of grades. with several wholesome
privileges pertaining to each grade. the,
could say, tor instance to the man just EN-
terng prison.: I'VE have here three grade
of prisoners. You will be placed in til,
intermediate grade where you will wear
suit of grey clothes and have some freedom
and eat and sleep like the OK, you viii
probably serve your full term in that grade
But if you show an inclination to improv
yourself and rise above your. surroundings
the third or highest grade. where you
privileges will be increased and you will b
better clothed. On the other hand. if yo
are disObedent and slothful. you will SIM
To Inc lOWeSt graue Wnere. you VIII nave n
privileges. be clothed i'm stripes, and marc
in lock step With such a system the les
son wonId be taught that good conduct i
its own reward, and few would be foun
in the lowest grade Most of us are NOR
in need of encouragement in we'll dom
than sympathy. And this grading system
is the ONLY one by which all the inmate
of the prison can be advanced according
their personal efforts for self-improvement