The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
Dealing with Grimm ais.


An article In the April number Of the
Fbrtniohtiv Review OF London lie pertinent
to the discussion Of prison management to
which the charges against Superintendent
BRooKwAy Of the Elmira Reformatory have
given rise.
The article asks the question: Are Our
Prisons Failure 2" and then proceeds to
answer 1t a1irmatively by presenting many
facts and statistics Of English criminality
to justify the conclusion. 1t appears, for
instance. that contrary to the popular sup
position. the cost Of keeping criminals and
the criminally inclined In check lis in
creasing with unprecedented rapidity" In
England. land was never such an enor-
nous burden as 1t IL to-day" The public
expense due to peuperism is nearly station
airy. but the annual burden on account OF
crime, almost as great, lis increasing
about twice as fast as the numbers Of the
population who have to support It,"
The statistics Of recommittals show that
prison punishment Is becoming less OF o de-
terrent from crime In England. The number
OF old offenders is now proportionately
larger than In any other Of the princi-
pal countries OF Europe. and 1t Ia increasing.
Tho prison population and the number of
committals to prison have shown tendency
to diminish. but proportlonately the num-
Der OF offences and of convictions has been
increasing. and this last Is. OF course. the
true measure Of the criminal condition Of a
community. II 1t were not for the circum-
stance that magistrates and Judges are
now shortening sentences to an enormous
extent, and at the same time substituting
other penalties for Imprisonment to an
equally great degree" says the Fbrtniohtly
writer. an expert on the subject. 1.-The
number OF committals to prison within the
last Eve years would be larger than
at any period since q record OF them
has been kept" Instead of apprehen-
sions for serious crime being relatively
more numerous than formerly. as has been
supposed. they are much less numerous.
Tho serious offender ran more risk OF be-
ing apprehended twenty years ago than he
does to-day" The greater concentration Of
population Is facilitating the escape OF
criminals from arrest. In the less popu-
lous counties Of England the arrests COM
prise n per cent OF the supposed perpe-
traitors OF indlctable offences. In London
the percentage Is only SO.
The increase In the relative number OF in
corrigible offenders, or those often commit
ted to prison. Is reasonably regarded by
this writer as the most alarming feature Of
the situation. Year after year." he says.
almost without O break. has tho ratio Of
incorrigibles mounted up. and within the
last five yeaSs the prisons OF England have
thrown a larger quantity Of this human
wreckage on the community than at any
previous period OF their history" u Is
among such desperate characters that the
anarchy OF the present day finds Its most
dangerous recruits. In 1891. one-half OF the
italian Anarchists committed to the Turin
prison were old offenders. The most violent
OF the French Anarchists have been old jail
birds. Their multiplication Is therefore now
more than 1t ever has been before. Anarchy
has Its natural breeding place and nursery
In q permanent and professional criminal
class. the wild beasts Of society.
This alarming symptom of the decreas-
ing deterrent effect OF prison punish
mont is attributed by this writer. In part.
to the change by which the old system Of
local prison administration In England was
centralized in the Home Offlcc; but also to
the ignorant sentimentality which. under
the guise OF philanthropy. has weakened
and perverted the methods Of penal dlsci-
pline. Charity and humanity are coddling
the criminal. and sacrificing the security Of
tho community. Instead Of softening the
severity Of punishment the prison needs to
be made moro than ever terror to evil
doors. at this time when society Is threat
ened By nnarchistlc savages. Society must
hold the rod over its outlaws with a hand
powerful to inflict the only penalties Of
which they have any terror. or course.
humanity must prevail. but severity must
not be relaxed. The incorrlgible criminal
cannot DO safely treated with the tender
ness OF a nursery.
Trees in the Adirondack Park.