The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-08-04

kinds of criminals, and the pententiary is
the one treatment. In what state we
should consider ourselves if the medical
profession had only one remedy for all dis
eases. What would we think if all diseased
people were hudded together in the same
great room to infect and discourage and ir-
ritate and craze each other! How truly has
Victor Hugo said: mot the churches, but
the prisons, indicate the stage of civilization
to which people have arrived"
We need more prisons, both of kind and
of degree. Each prison should have separ-
ate departments, as you have in the aca
deny, and the higher grades, with increas
ing privileges. should be used as rewards
for those who, by progress and develop
ment, are able to graduate from the lower
forms. Every prison for sentenced crimi
mails ought to be a school, intellectual,
moral and industrial. All prisoners should
be put to the study of books so many hours
day. All should work at useful labor SO
many hours day. Every long term pris
oner should become thoroughly educated
and should learn trade while in prison.
He should be compelled to learn and prac-
tce good manners. cleanliness and perfect
justice in all his work and dealings. When
he leaves the prison the incarcerated crimi
nal should not become liberated wretch.
but should be just as much of a man as it is
possible to make him. He should come
forth with the ability to make an honest
living. with knowledge and mental culture
that will fit him for honorable positions,
with the habits of gentleman. If that
work is accomplished in him he will never
again become a tramp or criminal. The
only complete protection that society can
ever have is the reformation of criminals.
NO JUSTICE IN THE COURTS.
This is what l mean by justice to the
criminal--his reformation, or his perpetual
confinement if he will not be reformed. We
cannot balance actions with time and call
that justice. That is our stupid avoidance
of justice. The criminal acts committed
are only one phase of the evidence by which
a court of real justice would learn the actual
guilt of the prisoner and the degree of dan
ger arising from his liberty. His personal
hlstOry-mental moral. sOcial-are other
phases of the evidence which jury must
know in order to pass wise sentence.
When we have the right kind of prisons.
and various methods of treatment for vari
Gus grades of criminals, then let us have
all the evidence in the caSe and let us have
juries that are selected for their intelli
gence and their responsible standing in so
ciety, and then we can begin to administer
justice.
1t is due the criminal that he be reformed.
Give him whatever is required to reform
him-the dark cell. fogging. solitary con
fnement for year at time, eighteen
hours hard labor day; or give him encOur
agement. teaching. kindness, fellowship,
the privilege of many whims, the OppOrtu
nifty of exercising his gifts in this or that
directiOn-be severe or be lenient with him,
as his reformation requires; and if he cannot
or will not become a man, keep him in
prison until he dies.
THE COST OF CRIME.
The economic question is great bugbear
to some people The taxpayer does not
wish large outlay for the benefit of crimi
mails. What do you suppose it costs to keep
our criminals? Less than sixty dollars a
year each. heard it estimated that the
trial and execution of Kemmler cost the
State of New York over ten thousand dol
lars. Next to the saloons. the courts are
our most expensive luxury. Taxpayers
should avoid trials. The only way to avoid
trials is to reform criminals.
Our laws should be so modified that juries
and judges can take all the elements of
crime. all phases of the criminals career.
social, intellectual and moral, into cOnsid-
GRAFTON. 1t is impossible to render just
verdict in ignorance of the mental condi-
tion of the prisoner. 1t is just as impossi-
BILE to render Just verdict in ignorance of
his moral condition. 1t is the most dis
graceful confession of carelessness and in.
difference in all our modern civilization that
we have not tried to do right in such cases.
DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING REFORM.
You may say that it would take too much
time. too much study. too much of careful
and conscientious application, for jury to
learn these character facts concerning the
prisoner. 1t is so much easier just to find
out the result of prisoners act, and kill
him! 1t would be such bother to make
an honest and intelligent investigation of