The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-11-16
Our Special OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
EVILS OF THE COUNTY JAIL.
Reviewed by GEN. BRINKERHoFF of Ohio

In 1773, when John Howard be-
came High Sheriff of Bedfordshire,
England, and began his wonderful
career in the reformation of prisoners,
his interest was first aroused by
visit to the county Jail at Bedford.
This Jail, which was typical for all
English prisons of that day, was also
typical for all Americal jails, for with
English colonists came the English
Jail.
In these jails all prisoners, whether
old or young, innocent or guilty, con-
victed or unconvicted, were herded to-
gether in common hall.
In England these jails have long
since passed away, but in America, SO
far as the communicating association
of prisoners is concerned, our jails,
with some exceptions, remain un-
changed.
Evils not to be Exaggerated
The evils of our county jail system
can not we'll be exaggerated, and in
its condemnation all penologists are
in absolute agreement.
DIR. Wines, in his recent book upon
Punishment and Reformation
characterizes it as "foul blot upon
our American civilization" Others
have characterized our jails as ''crime
schools and as ''moral pest houses" !"
and in these statements all who have
given attention to the subject fully
concur.
The National Prison Association
for twenty five years, in its annual
conferences, has called attention to
this continuing evil, and has sought
to arouse a public sentiment for its
extirpation, but thus far hut little
has been accomplished.
The Lack of Determination.
In every Jail with a dozen inmates
there are usually two or three profess
sional thieves or burglars, whose
greatest pleasure is to entertain their
associates with roseate stories of sue
cessful crime, and if young men
under such influences do not become
permanently criminals it is not
through want of diligent instructors.
In short, every congregate Jail is,
in reality, compulsory school of
crime, with competent instructors
supported from the public funds.
Practically, in every county of
every State there is such a school,
with a total annual enrolment of
about 250,00O pupils, and an average
attendance of about 25,000.
OF those committed to county jails,
less than one tenth are convicted of
penitentiary offenses, and the remain
ing nine tenths are either discharged
as innocent or only convicted of
minor offenses; but during the period
of their detention they have been
compelled to associate with felons,
and if they are not fully instructed in
all the ways of crime, it is not from
lack of opportunity.
Schools of Crime.
Thousands of prisoners in our pen
itentaries date the commencement of
their criminal career to acquaint-
ances formed in the county Jail, and
thousands discharged as innocent
have paid hush money to such ac-
quaintances rather than have their
Jail record known to their employers.
Here then are the facts, and it GER
tainly does not require argument to
satisfy any one not insane that our
county Jail system is evil, and only
evil, and that it must be revolution
lied if we are to make any large pro-
gress in reducing the ever increasing
volume of crime.
Entire Separation Suggested.
For this evil there is but one COM
plete remedy, and that is, the entire
separation of all prisoners awaiting
trial, SO that no prisoner can make
the acquaintance of any other prison
er, and, even after conviction, where
prisoners are sentenced for felony or
for short terms, it is question
whether it would not be best to con-
tinue the system of separation, dur
ing the whole term of Imprisonment,
which is the rule almost universally
in the British islands, and upon the
Continent of Europe.
In Great Britain and Ireland this
system of separation was adopted
many years ago, and now in all the
British islands there is not single
Jail in which it is not enforced, and
the result has been that crime has
steadily decreased, which cannot be
said of any other country.
In Great Britain and Ireland long
term prisoners are kept in separation