The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-02-20
ECONOMIC CLUB PAPERS.
Prison Management.
MISS LOUISA CoNovER.

In 17O4 Pope of Rome, Clement vi,
built the juvenile prison of st. Michael and
inscribed on marble slab inserted over the
door this sentence: 1T is not enough to re-
strain the wicked by punishment IL you do
not make them good bv education" This
was the announcement of the principle
which John Howard recognized and acted
upon one hundred years later. He was the
first to impress upon mankind the true pur-
pose and aim of prison discipline. He was
the apostle of prison reform.
The gradual advance Of civilization is
more responsible for the improved condition
of prisoners to-day than is any change in the
underlying principle.
The horrible brutality of the prison disci-
pline of century agois really an outgrowth
of the same punitive system of prison gov
ernment even now largely in use. The
principle which relies selely upon fear to
prevent recurrence of crime, experience
has declared to be failure. To continue
this system is to perpetuate failure.
That crime is increasing in this country
out of proportion to the population is pref
ty we'll established fact. We must know
then that large number of persons live
wholly or partly by crime and that honest
labor supports them. 1t costs millions of dol
lars in this state to only detect and try GRIM
inals.
This leads to the inquiry, what is the real
end sought in the establishment of prison?
We might say, to protect society from GRIM
inals. Imprisonment will protect for a
time by depriving the offender of the oppor-
tunity for offense. But then comes the fact
that sooner or later he will be released and
renew his contact with his fellOwmen. If
he comes out as he went in, criminal, how
is society now to be protected? According to
present methods by paying the cost of con-
viction for another short term and so on un-
til he may be serving his seventieth term
in the Detroit house of correction, as men
are doing now. Certainly society is best
protected when the criminal himself ceases
to be such, when he is converted from an
enemy into friend of social order. There
FORE society, to thoroughly protect itself
must require in regard to the criminal either
reformation or incapaeitation, and the
incapacitating must be in one of two ways,
by taking his life or by permanently taking
away his liberty.
Our law seems to be founded on the
theory that all crime is incidental. This
might have been so once but it is not now.
There is large and ever increasing army
of professional criminals. Then there will
always be the criminal who becomes such
under the stress of sudden temptation, and
the criminal of circumstances, who drifts
into crime because of hereditary, low sur
roundings and imperfect education.
1t is manifestly an injustice TO give this
habitual and deliberate criminal the same
rights under the law governing the man
who has fallen through sudden temptation
and possibly may never again be so over
come.
Our criminal law, however makes no dis
tinction, dealing only with the crime, with
no more knowledge of the criminal than can
be obtained in a short trial. And again the
technicalities of the law and the liberty of
its administrators makes the conviction of
even an acknowledged criminal very diff
cult. A more simple, just and prompt Grim
nal law procedure would assist in the re-
preston of crime.
imprisonment which we employ to pun
lsh crime and to deter others from crime
should have for its object the final reforma-
ton of the criminal. A most important adj
vance in this direction is found in what is
known as the indefinite sentence. This
does away with time sentences and vir-
tually sends a man to prison to remain uu-
til he is not criminal. The law says to
him: The date of your release depends upon
yourself. If you show yourself fitted to
have the rights of citizenship without abus-
ing them you shall be given the opportunity:
if not you shall be detained indefinitely. II
the man shows sufficient evidence of reform
he is released upon parole and if he violates
its conditions, taken back to prison.
short description of the Elmira Reformatory
will give an idea of this process of reforma-
tiOn. The men there are all young and un-
der the first conviction of crime. They are
received on an indefinite sentence which
can never be extended beyond the maximum
for the crime charged and may be reduced
by faithfulness in labor study and deport
ment. All new convcts enter second grade
and may advance or go down one grade
Every man may earn marks in labor, study
and conduct and these may obtain for hin
more privileges and physical comforts. thu.
every man is stimulated to sustain the high
est grade by the incentives of privileges ant
and liberty which they all understand
This requires restraint, fidelity, complianc,
and study, all of which tends to prepar,
them for the duties of free life.
There is class of criminals no bette
nor worse than the average man who unde
any favorable system would be reformed.
There is a large class of ignorant and her
| eullury CTlUllIldlS WHO Will ueeu " COUlplel
development physically, morally and men
| tally to give them an idea of what consti
tutes citizenship. But even these defectiv,
men will find themselves pushed by re
| lentless fate and the desire for liberty will
compel their efforts. But what of the in
corrigible, the professional criminal. Tn
man upon whom imprisonment and effort
at reformation have no effect. He certainl.
ought not to be released to prey upon soci
ETY. and be an example and q teacher of tn
young. The Warden's Association for tn
registration of criminals was organized il
Detroit March s, 1887, to assist in prevent
ing this possibility. Hitherto the identified
tion of criminal has been so uncertain tina
a confirmed criminal familiar with the GRIN
inal lawyer, the advantage of migration an
other modes of getting away has had littl
to fear from the law. The proposed remedy
looking forward to the permanent confin,
ment of all confirmed criminals is the BE
tillion" system for the identification ,
criminals j quote the advantages of til
system as enumerated at the Boston Prise
Congress:
1st. Ii places within reach of our cour
of justice knowledge of the criminal re