The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-06-06
Warden Aull on the Treatment of
COnVictS.

In letter to Alfred Ii. Love. of Phil
Prison Discipline, Warden Charles Aull of
the Folsom. Cal. prison. gives the following
views on the government of convicts:
My experience is. that you seldom find
two human beings so constituted that like
treatment Will produce like results. 1t
Is a fact well known to every school teacher or
parent, that some children can be controlled
by harsh means, and that the same treat
ment in Others arOuSeS the most obstinate
resistance. Is there any one who would
claim under such circumstances punish
ment should be continued until every YES.
tlge OF Self-reSpect was broken down and
nothing was left of the child but the ami
NAL instinct? Would it not be better to
study carefully the physical. moral and
mental conditions, and having first made
correct diagnosis of the disease for DISC
bedience and crime is disease. although
admitted to be hereditary then ntelligently
apply the proper remedy? Whenever a
child feels that it has been treated uuustly,
whether it Is true or not, you have made
the beginning of bad man or woman and
yet. again. If child is punished for will
ful dISOOedlence, the angry resentment sell
dom lasts beyond the cessation of punish
ment The difficulty lies in guaging the
mental calibre of the children: tor while
some would readily perceive that they were
in error and their punishment was Just. and
would avoid like mistakes in the future,
others would fail to see themselves in fault,
and punishment would be received as gross
injustice. What is true of children. is
equally true OF cOnvictS. for it is but human
nature after all. and we are but grown up
6pH noI
is caused by lack of proper mental and
moral culture in youth. how much more
necessary it becomes for the prison officer
to exercise proper discrimination in the
treatment OF those chronic, mental and
moral patients confined to his care. From
the above, L deduce that All unyielding iron
clad set of rules for the government and
discipline of the cOnvictS is not a success.
l believe that the warden of prison should
know personally with whom he has to deal
and as nearly every case presents differ
ent aspect, he must of necessity exercise his
ingenuity in meeting the emergency as it
may arise
His management must be firm, decided,
but kindly. There must be no compromise
for the purpose of tiding over a difficulty.
Equal and exact justice must be melted out
to all. But the greatest care should be taken
that the cOnvctS understand and feel that
it is equal and that it is just 1t is not
sufficient that the warden and the directors
know that it is just. The convict must
know that also. else you have done more
harm than good. The convict must neces-
sariy look upon the warden as his friend
He knows that the law makes 1t the duty
of the warden to safely keep him and to
see that he performs proper amount of
work each day. Aside from this the war
den must provide him with proper food and
clothing. see that he is cared for in sickness.
settle all difficulties when they arise, and
in word protect him from all trouble within
or without. From the very nature OF things,
the warden and convict are thrown into the
closest relations. If the warden can ncul-
cate in the mind of the convict feeling
OF confidence and respect then the first
long stride has been made towards mould
ing the convict into better man. He Obeys
the rules at first from necessity. He finds
1t betters his condition in prison. If he gets
into trouble he obtains patient hearing OF
his grievances, and he feels that the iudg-
ment is founded in spirit of justice, fair
ness and kindness. In the outside world
he has probably been an Ishmaelite Ibis
hand against every one and every ones hand
against him." In prison. completely i'm the
power OF the law. he should not only find
justice but charity. For the first time in
his life he is made to see, if not to feel. the
difference between organized society gov
erned by just laws and unbridled licentiOus-
ness and crime. l confess that some of the
above is ideal to some extent, but there is
enough to cause serious reflection amongst
those into whose care many thousands of
human beings are committed, not only as
punishment for violated law. but in the
hope that they may be returned into society
better men and useful citizens