The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-29
ion as to the probable working of the new
law cannot but be deemed worthy of special

ion as to the probable working of the new
law cannot but be deemed worthy Of special
respect.
A visit to the County Jail resulted in a
storm of valuable criticism regarding the
Chief Jailer Fitzgerald. when asked his
opinion on the probable effects OF the law.
said: II think it will prove great induce
ment to men 20 90 to stealing II they can get
the chance.
Il also think 1t will be great opening
for the Prison Directors to let out friends,
or the friends of influential friends.
at is placing a great deal of power In
their hands, and while | don't say they will
abuse it, outside influence is very strong.
'Of course if their power were carefully
exercised | don't think l would have great
deal to find fault with"
E. P. Peterson, who has been connected
in responsible position for three years
with the County Jail, said: ~ think the
law very poor one. From what know of
prisoners, and especially of the thieves,
you can't keep them out of Jail. / don't
think anything could reform those con-
victs across the bay.
'The provision that no prisoner can be
paroled who has been previously convicted
will be no protection. There is no one so
cute as a prisoner, and under aliases he
will be able to be released three or four
times. 1t is wonderful how suave and
slick the toughest of them can be at the
S"S' Nv ~ u lNOilh6 OAhNoA INV OONoih-
ing release.
"The convicts of San Quentin are all
looking forward to being released, and
Nathaniel Green. who is one of them do
ing time for embeZZlement, told me they
would have been very much disappointed
had the bill failed to become law.
LAS to the law working well in Ohio the
conditions are very different IN California.
We have totally different class OF men to
deal with. In Ohio there are no opium
al 81, l..
composed of opium smokers and CALIFORNIA;
prisons are full of them. Fully one-half of
the San Quentin convcts are opium fends.
Opium deadens or destroys the moral sense.
and what have you got left for reforming
agencies TO work upon?
"a great deal of this reform talk is mis-
leading. Prisoners don't REFORM as a rule.
There is United States prisoner, out on
parole from some other State, now in San
Quentin.
whats to prevent man getting away
out of the State when on parole.
From the rules limited at as likely to be
adopted each paroled prisoner will have to
report every month. That is, he has thirty
days TO travel in, and he could get to Eng-
land and farther in thirty days
ITS bad enough to keep track of those
not on parole without having to keep track
of these new hall-priSOners. And it's hard
enough 10 get one of them safe In prison,
where he can't do much harm, with ut
having 10 let MN 90 just 10 catch again.
Not to mention that the Goodwin act
gives the convict who wants to do right
every announcement. After four years he
can earn five months every year, or reduce
his sentence nearly 80 per cent And q
prisoner doesn't lose his credits very easily
either under the present system. If he
tries to escape, commits an assault or any
think like thai, of course he loses them {;
but not on the slightest provocatiOu. Even
II he is caught with opium he only loses a
few credits for few months.
mo; up here in the jail as well as down
in the Police Department the new law is
disapprOved. The detectives as well as the
iail-keepers think it a mistake.
''Of course. it might answer very we'll in
the case of a crime committed by young
man In the heat of passion, supposing that
IL was his first nffense and he had always
previously borne a good character.
81 might answer also well enough In the
case of an assault with deadly weapon.
Such cases are often the result of an unpre-
meditated impulse, which may be sufficiently
punished by the publicity and disgrace Of
trial.
but what guarantee has the public tha.
1t would be only this class OF prisoners
which the board will parole?
Taken altogether, the results OF the new
law seem thought to depend very much on
the way In which ii is carried out by the
Prison Directors. They have the power
and can use it cOnservatively or corruptly.