The record-union., 1891-02-12
PRISON REFORM.
The Bills to Parole Deserving Prisoners
and Their Object.
Clara Shortridge Foltz Favorably Re-
views the Measures-Reformati
and Economy.

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one on ga State Board of Charities" and
the other on "a Parole SYSTEM" prove
that you are truly interested in prison re-
form, and prompt me to add word touch
ing the latter measure, to which, for some
years past, 1 have given much thought
and attention.
The parole measure is a timely one.
The present system has demonstrated it
self a failure. 1t is not economic, nor
does it lessen crime. On the contrary
crime is actually increasing much more
rapidly than our population,
| While population, in ten years, has in
creased only about SO per cent, the Grim
lnal class has nearly doubled: and for it
and the coming brood we have erected q
new State prison, q reform school at lone
and another one at Whittier l repeat,
the system does not lessen crime, and so
| true IS this that five years ago California
had won the unenviable distinction of
| having the largest percentage of criminals
OF any State in the Union
Nor is the system an economic one.
! The expense is increasing much more
rapidly than the number of criminals.
| Some years ago The single prison at san
| Quentin was nearly seif-supporting, ard
| entalled bat Il slight expense upon the
| State. Now, apart from money TO erect
new buildings, each Legislature is called
upon to appropriate Il half a million of
dollars for the support OF penal institu-
tions. Both the number OF criminals and
| the expense of Keeping them are increas-
ing out OF ali proportion 10 the popula-
ktion, and i'll view OF this the present sys-
! tenn cannot be considered successful
either as financial scheme or as deter
/ rent to crime.
E1iifcryoi., ,,.@4 ,Ir -, III
ence. Other States have tried the same
| system, and IN fifty years not State
| adopting it boasts that it attains the OBJ
lect OF imprisonment. The truth is the
| system is out of joint with the time, out
of harmony with the spirit of the age,
ana at war with our national character.
| AS substitute Tor this, what is known
as the parole system IS proposed, and is
urged as being CT once refornatory and
! economic.
The bill provides that q prisoner, after
serving specified minimum term and
| showing by exemplary behavior his de-
| sire to reform, may. in the discretion OF
Board of Commissioners appointed for
the purpose, be pardoaed, or allowed to
| go out OF prison under such rules reoG-
lations and conditions as the board may
choose to make. In other States the rules
require the prisoner to have constant en-
! ployment with a reputable EMPLOYER. to
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bad company, and to report regularly to
the prison authorities. No doubt rules of
| similar import would be adopted here.
If the paroled prisoner violates the rules
or the law he is to be returned to the
prison Immediately to serve out his full
term. For this system it is rightfully
claimed that both theory and practice
prove it to be both reformatory and eco
nomical.
Under system permitting prisoners to
| be paroIed every man knows from the
day he enters the prison that his future is
III his own hands. There is a door to
freedom, but he must open it by his own
good conduct. No one can open it for
| him. And when he is paroled and he
| breathes the air of freedom, he knows
still that freedom will be short or long,
according to his conduct. This knowl-
edge gives him hope and courage; it urges
him to self-control, industry and good
conduct, first to secure the parole and
then to keep it; and almost uncon-
sciously, before he knows it, and before
| his term of sentence is ended, removed
from evil associates, he has developed a
new and reliable character that will carry
him safely over the temptations that be-
fore beset and conquered him. In short,
he is reformed, and as the reform has
come from within and is a growth from
| his own efforts, it has the best evidence of
permanence.
| The difference between the discharged
and paroled convict becomes more ap-
parent on the day of final discharge The
discharged convict comes out of prison
under the present system with one suit of
clothes, So in money, a bad character, no
friends, no employment, no place to 90
if he fails to find work. His S. are soon
spent, ana hunger compels him again to
crime.
The paroled prisoner who has been
some time at liberty, when his term has
expired has established new and favora-
BILE relations with the world, he has re-
deemed lost reputation, has saved some
money, has employment, is again a mem
Der OF society with an ambition to show
| the world that he was innocent, or chat
he can be trusted as an honest man. The
positions OF the two men are far different
and their paths diverge. Necessity leads
one TO crime. n new ambition leads the
other to an honest life and useful mem
| bership in society.
This theory is borne out by the facts
gathered from experience, for this is not
a new and untried theory. It has been
| tried in New York, and even the dry fig
ures are eloquent with argument. By o
report OF one Of the penal institutions of
that State it is shown that out of $40 pa
rolled prisoners only 80 We're returned for
| the violation of rules or the commission
OF crime. This is less than six per cent.
and is d showing many times better than
| can be made i'll the case of regularly dis
charged prisoners. Ii 81 per cent. of the
prisoners can be reformed and made
good members of society by this method
of treatment, surely it merits the ac-
tive support OF every man interested in
the prosperity of the State, and in the
welfare of his fellow-man.
Under the present system large per-
centage OF discharged prisoners are re-
turned to prison taking many new re-
crults to the criminal ranks with them
| Under the parole system so few find
their way bacs. that the supply stream to
the. prison has been elsewhere, and will
1 be here, so diminished as to make great
inroad on the number OF convicts.
| But there is an economic side to the
! question.
| Under the present system we are paw
ing Sl3 per month to keep incarcerated
each prisoner in our State prisons. 1t
| amounts to more than S25, 600 per month.
| II one-fourth OF the prisoners were pa
roied under the provisions of this bill
there would be a double saving. There
would be direct saving of SI3 per
month for each prisoner so paroled, and
| this would amount to an annual saving of
over $4,000 dollars. Moreover, if the
| prisoners remaining were inspired by
the hope of ultimate release they would
| be much easier managed, less guards and
| officers would be required and the gem
hope, too, OF release, and the desire to
win it by good conduct and industry,
would cause more work to be done per
| capita and the proceeds or profits materi-
ally increased. Thus, there results from
the parole bill an increase in per capita
income, decrease of per capita expense,
and very material decrease of the num-
penSe.
This measure which, at once. by req