The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-03-24
"A chaplain's Views of imprisonment.

"A Chaplain's Views OF imprisonment
Rev. T.. w. F. Barnes, chaplain O
the state prison at Charlestown
Mass, recently delivered an address
on the prison question before the Chi
kawbut Club of Boston, in which he
said:
The first thing that struck me in go
ing to the state prison for the first
time was the great dissimilarity of the
sentence imposed for offenses of like
nature and of the same general cir.
cumstances. Another thing was the
impression made upon the prisoners
themselves by this sort of blind jus
tice. The cases where the wrong man
is arrested and sent to prison for an
others crime are, unfortunately, not
so rare as seems to be believed. II
one case alone that I know, therewas
at least 80 prisoners in theins titutior
that not only knew that a crime haC
not been committed by a certain per:
son who was serving time for it, but
also knew how and when the crime
was committed and who was tC
blame for it. Such a matter and the
dissimilarity in sentences do not con
spire to impress the prisoners with q
sense of the justice of the law or to en-
tighten them as to the object contem
plated in sending them to prison. II
is a conumdrum to them; and they
have come to regard the process as
favorable only to those who have g
"pull."
Is it right that the men whom we
return to the world, and many O.
whom will turn at once to life O.
1awlessness, should be laid open to
this conviction? [ would propose
that when we elect an attorney gen
eral or an attorney we should elect q
person equally as capable and wei
informed to represent the otherwise
unrepresented persons who may be
criminals, but who should be given q
chance to proveiit. The cases of peo
pie who wrongfully go to Jail because
time and liberty are not given them tc
prove their innocence, and because
they have no friends to do it for them
are wofully numerous. Such cases as
these weaken the comprehension O
the intent and the instruction of the
law in the minds of the prisoners
Why, gentlemen, with no disrespect
to you, | say there is not one of Us
here that under the present existing
methods of Jurisprudence may not b.
arrestedand committed to prison with
in a week That much for the frs
part of the subject After a person
gets into prison it is a different thing
The whole idea at present of the pena
institutions seems to be radically
wrong. A man is not sent to jail tt
be punished. He is confined so thai
he may not indulge his illegal bent
and in the meantime he should b,
trained to behave himself when he i:
released. IF he is useless to himsel
and the world, he should be reformed
and put into shape so that when he i
thrust forth, he may be able to sup
port himself and be honest. Industr,
very nearly means honesty
In short, he must be convinced tina
he must be the best sort of a maj
that he can be. New depths of char
acter must be revealed in him and h,
must be taught moral and intellectual
beauties and refnements that he nev
er even dreamed of before. At pres
ent it is hard work trying to ex
pound the Golden Rule The men hea
but they can hardly be censured TO
their inability to believe. lean imag
inc them casting up all the facts anc
trying to strike a balance. Their
ought to be a way so that a convic