The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
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Prisons and Prisoners.
Written for THE CALL
BY DIR. ALLEN GRIFFITHS.

Crime and criminals are present prob
lens of prime importance. The proper
tionate increase of crime is far in excess OF
the increase of population. The causes
are numerous, complicated and not alto
gether apparent; the methods of reforms
not always clearly indicated. Still. the
evil is in painful evidence. and efficient re-
form imperative. Recognize the former
and the latter exists as necessity; public
and private welfare demands it.
State prisons are considered the appro-
| pirate goals of criminals. When public
culprit is lodged therein the self satisfied
citizen congratulates himself upon duty
done, and permits his mind to be occu-
pied with other things. The short
sighted parent has chastised the child,
shut him in closet, and is now at liberty
to follow his bent without further inter-
ruption.
Should the child remain quiet he may be
forgotten. but upon release, or, if in
ventive, he liberates himself and resumes
disturbance, the enraged parent inficts
greater punishment by a longer term OF
confinement. He may even blot out the
exasperating existence by bullet, hemp or
electricity, still deeper drugged with the
delusion that reform" has been worked
upon this particular creature, at least.
While admitting of variations this is the
general action and attitude which relates
the lawserving to the law breaking class.
Until changed present conditions cannot
improve, "reform" will remain a byword,
and we'll meaning but uniformed humani-
tarians waste time and energy in fruitless
attempts to achieve the impossible.
No attempt is herein made to more than
hint at the causes of crime which, while
superlatively important, do not come
within the scope of this article.
Three phases of reform as regards con-
victed criminals appeal to thinkers, viz. /:
(a) AS to the manner of the appoint
ment of prison officials, their tenure of Of
fee and responsibility
(b) AS to influences upon inmates;
tc) AS to the relation of citizens to ex-
convicts.
(d) The management of penitentiaries
should in 10 way be connected with poll
tics. Principal positions in State prisons
are frequently obtained solely by reason of
the political preference of this or that
HlCu ID III pOWCl hO LuC tiIuC. AL
official so chosen may be entirely inexpe-
rienced and incompetent; or, if qualified,
end because tenure does not depend upon
qualification but upon whether his "pull''
Is strong or weak during the changing
phantasmagoria of party politics, his po-
sition is insecure.
The incumbent realizes his situation and
that continuation in Office depends not
upon qualification and fidelity. but upon
the success of his party or political sup
porters remaining in power. He is
crushed betwixt neither millstones. We
will assume that he desires to discharge
his duty to his wards and that he is capa-
bic of doing so; but, on the other hand, in
order to maintain his position he is COM
PEELED to keep up with the procession of
his party by contributions of both money
and service, for to his party he is indebted
for office, without the favor of which he
cannot retain it, and to which he is ac-
countable. He is thus incapacitated for
right service to the institution. His SUBJ
ordinates take their cue for action from his
own, and the result is that peniten tiaries,
instead of being principal factors for
reformation of criminals, really exist as
handy hooks upon which to hang political
prizes for party service.
This state of affairs is deplorable, as it