The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-12-29
Difficulties In The Way of Prison Reform

merely reconstruction OF prison build
ings, nor replacement of the officers,
nor the enactment of new laws. We
use the word "prison" in the largest
sense, as embracing the whole of our
penal machinery, prisons, officials, Leg
islatures, Governors, boards, cells and
workshops. The purpose of the prison
is not to punish, but to promote the
safety and welfare of the community.
This safety and welfare can be sub
served in the most economical and eff
fective manner by the reformation of
the imprisoned. Humanity, patriotism,
economy, speak with one voice. Prison
reform consists in removing from the
prisons everything which conflicts with
this design and in making the whole
prison system an instrument for the
permanent reformation of the criminal.
But here, as in every good thing. we
find ourselves confronted by obstacles.
First among these is Indifference or
what / might call negative selfishness.
We are disposed to say, This is no
matter of ours. These men are moth
ing to u.s." We do not realize that they
belong to great and increasing crimi-
nal class, who menace our homes and
our lives, and who may easily menace
our civilization and existence. We do
not realize that in mere money they in
volve an annual charge of $4OOO0OO OO
sum worse than wasted, and which
turned into other channels would mean
wages and bread for million homes.
Another obstacle to prison reform lies
in positive selfishness. We want to
make all we can out of the criminal.
We want as prime object to make
prisons self-suppOrting. Self-SuppOrt
should never be an object at the eX-
pense of justice and humanity and the
best interests of the community | do
not need to recall to your mind the hid
eOus pictures of the convict camps
which were brought before this body in
former year. The 100000 which one
of our States receives annually from
contractors is dearly purchased when it
involves the maintenance of the con-
Wet camp and the degradation of the
prisoner We want to make all we can
out OF the prison for our party, and so
we put men into positions in them be-
cause they can carry their ward, their
town. their county, while good men
are turned out and kept out to make
room for the workers and the ''bOys."
The spOils system is Infamous every
where, but when it takes possession of
those departments which concern the
public health humanity and morals
when it dictates who shall be quaran-
tine officer. who shall hold office in the
State insane asylum. who shall be SUI
perintendents and Wardens in the peni-
tentiaries and reformatOries-then the
SpOils system is stained with blood and
is an enemy to the human race. An
other obstacle to prison reform lies in
Self-righteOuSneSS. AS we think of the
men who are behind the bars we gather
our garments about us and thank God
that we are not as other men are or even
as these prisoners. Under the impress
sion of their Sinfulness and our superior
righteousness we feel that we are di-
vinely called to the work of furnishing
them. We forget that guilt is the prod
uct of two factors, of conduct and Of
knowledge. We forget to consider
WudI we ullSuU nave Dool IL our uoSCoIlC
and circumstances had been as theirs.
We forget what infinite merit perhaps
their struggles, though Intellectual, may
have in the eye of the. All Goodness.
There is strange disposition to con-
done the crimes which are gigantic,
provided they are successful. We pun
ish the man who steals loaf; we hail
the man who, by mOnOpolies and cor
ners. in wheat. makes the loaf smaller
and cOarser in a hundred thousand
homes. If a man steals bar of iron
we railroad him through to the peniten-
tiary. If he steals an entire railroad we
place him in the category of "fnanclers."
hope that the labOrs of this society
will result in the reformation of some
of the present occupants Of burglars
and pickpOckets' cells, so that room
may be made for the greater criminals
who steal whole principalities of land,
whole railroad systems, whole States,
and who move in the first society and
on Sunday morning sit in the broad
aisle. Many of these obstacles might
have summed up in the one word con-
servatism, by which we mean COM
pound of ignorance, timidity, cenceit
and selfishness, and it is very curious
that conservatism always exercises it.