The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-05-14
Five Gents.
A Court of Parole.

"A court OF F0fOles
The state of New Jersey has begun an
experiment. novel in this country, which
will be watched with interest by penolo-
gists and philanthropists. The Court of
warden of the state prison. a court of pa
role, empowered to grant tickets. of. leave to
cOnvcts who have record of good behav-
iOr in prison, and who can secure employ
state. The law seems to be we'll guarded
as to the surveillance of such enlarged
prisoners, and their summary arrest for
misbehavior. Having been under consider
alton in different forms, for two or three
years past. it is a deliberate experiment.
and the new court Immediately proceeded
to parole ten prisoners. of whom two were
serving long terms for manslaughter. and
four for burglary. The immediate causes
which produced the statute are alleged to
be the OvercrOwding of the state prison and
the pententiaries. and the too great laXity
of the Court of PardOns, which last year
released Internationally no less than 101
cOnvictS, or about ten per cent of the av-
erage roll of the state prison. The census
shows that the number of cOnvictS in state
prisons and penitentiaries in the United
States on June 1. 1890. was 1928. as
against 30, $50. in 1880. The rate of in.
crease was 27.28 per cent, while the in
crease of population was but 24.S per cent.
The number of ''leased' prisoners. in the
Southern states has nearly doubled in ten
years, and of 43. 1877 cOnvicts whose BIRTH
place and parentage are known, the for
eign element furnishes ID, 725; the cOlOred
race H. 687, and the native white pOpula-
ton, which probably Outnumbers both, only
13. 3.715. The strain upon prison accOmmO-
datiOns and state treasures is making itself
felt in many states. and gives interest to
the workings of the New Jersey law. A
Wisconsin life convict recently wrote to the
Secretary of the Navy suggesting that the
dearth of recruits be remedied by enlist
ments of young men from the penitentia-
ries, but no general relief is likely to be at
tanned in that direction. The New Jersey
measure, however, received the support of
many intelligent persons on higher grounds.
There is growing sentiment among penOl.
Ogists in favor of affOrding cOnvictS a bet
ter chance of reform and restoration to citl-
zenship. Judge Gresham, of the United
States Circuit Court, has recently expressed
the opinion that there is a great deal of
heartlessness in dealing with criminals.
They are arrested and ground through the
courts they get the impression that there
is no hope for them, and they get desperate.
That impression remains when they are re-
leased" Governor Fifer. of Illinois. in his
last message to the legislature says that
man once sentenced to prison is as one who.
entering his cell, "leaveS all hope behind.
Practically nothing remains to him but a
life long war against society,"" and urges
the suggestion of ''indeterminate sen.
tences," so that the length of Imprisonment
shall be virtually fixed by the prisoners
own conduct. and Mr.. Brush, late warden
of Sing Sing prison. thinks any prisoner
can be reformed, if his sentence is long
enough under a proper prison discipline.
General Booths book is prolific of testi-
mOny to the same effect. "At present
every prison is more or less training
school for crime. The prison brand is
stamped upon those who 60 in, and that so
deeply. that it seems as if it clung to them
for life." The total abandonment of the
idea of vengeance in the legal theory of
punishment, has yet attained little practical
result, and SO far as society is concerned
the doctrine of ''eternal punishment of the
wicked" finds full analogy in the treatment
of criminals. 1t remains to be seen whether
such an open label as the ticket of leave
system, with it's close surveillance. offers
any moral advantage over the strict seclu-
sion of the convict. But it is good to know
that attention is being aroused more and
more to this grave social question. AS
Prof. Theodore w. Dwight says. ''when
statesmen take hold of it (prsOn manage
ment) in earnest. with due sense of the
vast dangers that confront us from the
strength and power of combination of the
criminal classes. the problems that now
narn1ay and will hQ naarar their
luton. THE Churchman.