The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-07-31
Schools in Prison.

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capable of yielding to proper remedies and
specific individual treatment. 1t is true
that the science of penO neurological treat
ment of crime diseases is still in it's infancy;
yet it has made more progress in the last
decade than has any other section of the
alienist's province in medicine. Every ad-
vanced penOlogist looks upon new discover
les with something akin to pleasure. if those
discoveries but promise solution of the
weighty problem of the rehabilitation of the
criminal. Such men as Richard Vaux and
Major McLaughery are always in search of
new methods to gain the end for which all
penal institutions are established. This end
is the perpetual protection of society through
the reformation of the criminal. Fichte
claims that this reformation must needs be
a political reformation, ''Since no man can
judge of the inner changes OF mans moral
nature" While there is. and always will
be. room for hypocrisy and imposition in
such matters, experience teaches that it is
possible to judge of the certainty and gen
uinenesS OF such changes as would warrant
belief in desire to live rightly in the
future. Such moral change as society has
right to demand can be indicated only by
conduct without verbal professions. 1t is
not difficult to pick and choose the false
from the genuine. The difficulty rests en-
trely in finding the means of making or
producing this change. 1 hose who have
given the matter most thought have declared
that education based on moral instruction or
religion will do more toward accomplishing
this end than all other methods combined.
The first announcement of purpose of
trying to school the manhood of convicted
criminals was made by Gen. A. c. Pilsbury,
of the Albany County Penitentiary, in 1870.
He defined his position in paper read be-
fore the National Prison Congress, and
boldly declared his belief in the efficacy of
moral and literary instruction in aiding a
man to overcome temptation. This. too.
was by the advocate of the strictest of prison
disciplinary systems. He established his
prison class of ninety-three members. OF
those ninety-three. only four men afterward
returned to life of crime. The success of
this first American prison school was so
pronounced as to lead to the opening of one
in Sing Sing. OF this Sing Sing school the
| Superintendent of Prisons has this to say:
For five years this school has been in sue.
cessful operation, and has proved most ex
cellent auxiliary in the discipline of the
prisoners, transforming noisy and restless
men into quiet interested readers of good
and profitable books" (Report of Superin-
tendent, 1881 In the report of the warden
it is thus spoken of: Il never in my exper-
fence visited school in which the pupils
more respect to their teacher and to the
rules. Its effect upon discipline is good. as
many of the men who, when entirely ignO-
rant were noisy in the cells and restless.
are now quiet readers of profitable books"
(Warden Brush. 1885, If school work in
prison can accomplish no more than this, it
pays, and pays well.
TO prove that school work can and does
do more than aid in maintaining perfect
discipline, we will refer to other prison re-
ports. The first at hand is that of the ''ln-
spectors of the Michigan State Prison for the
closing year June 80, 1885," In this report,
Mr.. Howe, superintendent of schools. says
that its (the schOOPs) work has been of in
calculable benefit in forming character and
enabling the officials to judge of the trend
of social life maintained in the prisoners, a
life which must shall lead to disdain of
meanness and wrong" (pages So and go of
aforesaid repOrt). In the Michigan school
there are 498 cOnvicts enrolled. The course
is that of an ordinary graded school. The
teachers are both keepers and prisoners
In the Indiana Prison North, we find the
work thus mentioned: I'VE are glad to learn
that the privilege is highly appreciated by
the inmates. and that those in attendance
are showing a marked degree of improve
ment." (Remarks by the warden in his re
port for 1882 The instructor in that prison
speaks of his work in this way: 1.-The ca
gerness with which this opportunity has been
seized by the prisoners, and the persever-
ance they have shown in the prosecution of
their simple studies. would be considered
| quite enough to Justify the outlay, even if