The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-12
DELVED IN DUNGEONS
Penal Commissioners Com
plete Their Inspection of
Neighboring Refor-
mat0ries.
MAJOR pANGBoRNs INTERESTING TALK
Recommendations to the Coming
Legislature-How the lndeter-
inmate Sentence System
Works.

The Commissioners appointed by Gov
ernor Werts to select a site and pro-
vide for the erection of a Reformatory:
Major 2. K. Pangborn, the Rev. DR.. Mad
dock, Francis B. Lee. DIR. c. T. Lewis
and ex-senator P. P. Baker, were also
empowered to make an inspection of other
reformatories and report to; the Legis-
lature. All of their work. beyond the
drafting of the report. is done. The Re-
formatory site is at Railway, and the
building is being erected, and the Com
missoners returned yesterday from their
last tour of inspection.
The inspecting part of their duties was
rendered imperative by the fact that
even if the Railway Reforrnatory was
ready there is no law ON the statute
book which would authorize any Judge
to commit a prisoner to that institution
Therefore, upon the report OF the COM
missioners. as to the system to be adopt
ed and the class of prisoners to be sent
to Railway bill will be sent to the
Legislature and passed at an early oate.
and ascertaining what is to be commend
ed in one and condemned in another,
has fallen on the shoulders or Major
Pangborn, DR.. Maddox and Mr.. r. B;
Lee all of whom were eminently htted
for the work. Men of persplcaclty ana
judgment, no good point would escape
their observation.
In very short time they have visited
reforma tories in Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Ohio and lastly New York, and all that
was worth seeing in these homes for
erring humanity has been very minute
ly inspected by these sharp-eyed Com
missioners. On Monday the Commission
ers wound up their tour with visit to
Elmira Reformatory, in New York State,
and a News reporter called this morn
ing called on Major Pangborn to ascer-
tain the result of the tour.
floor of the Weldon Building. 1t con-
tains desk, two chairs and q sofa, and
the ex-Editor Of the Journal was just
and read his mail when the reporter en-
tered With his never-failing courtesy
he put aside his mail. took two puffs at
his pipe and then enteIrained aa , ms ,S plslIor
bors Of the Commission. The Major. as
a speaker, has a national reputation;
but his conversation is even more de,
lightful. He is a versatile talker. and
every subject he touches he .lluminates.
I'VE got back from Elmira,' he began,
'1ast night, after thorough examina-
The Elmira Reformatory is by far. the
largest and Oldest place of that kind we
have seen, and it is the best organizaeadd aad
in the United States. There are 1900
prisoners there; they are not called con-
victs, although they are felons. ranging
in ages from 16 to 30. Seven-tenths are
tionalities, and the greater part comes
from New York City
'.There, are the Mayor SAID, thirty
sch schools in that place and every prisoner
can be taught some trade. They all work
in the shops. and from our observation
The State is very liberal in its appro-
priations: they get all the money they
want 80 AZ
visits to neighboring reformatories, what
do you propose to suggest in your report
to the Legislature?" the Major was
I'VE will urge the adoption Of the in
determinate sentence SYSTEM, You know
we do not go outside OF Iae Wr az
rected to that branch of penal reform,
please explain what you mean by the
indeterminate sentence system, the
News reporter asked.
When a man." answered the Major,
sis committed by a Judge to the Reforma-
we have visited, he is not sentenced for
any definite time; He is merely c0m. ON
ed to the STATE eoW %bea6er he hs w
stay there a day or a lifetime. The sen.
tence is only known to the Court am. AND
impresses on the prisoner the advisable
ity of behaving himself. It gives him
to understand by good conduct he can
aIn Massachusetts the maximum term
for retaining q prisoner in the Keiofma-
tory is Ave years, because do9gbtless; garaaEa
and Other serious offences IS not nrsan sent
but in Pennsybanba va bsd lln9s " 3b fnd
tory for any term named for such Of
tense under the common law.
glary or nanslaughter, he may be sem
the thass Major Illustrated, well, tina, term
may be served out in the Reformatory;
but in the latter place the prisoner has
a chance to work himself out by good
behavior in a much quicker time than
State prison, with the usual deduction for
The mode Of treating the prisoners in
inmate sentence SYSTEM prevails, and
which system will be recommended to
the legislature for adoption at Railway,
a prisoner enters the Reformatory he is
at once shown the rules of the institu-
ton and put into. an intermediary class.
From that stage he can go either up or
down according to his marks or reports.
If he obeys the rules. proves a good and
well hehaved Win Is an and
will raise him to the upper eligible
Glass; with such privileges that he can
a his IN fIa m ane class ana enoy be
freedom of the library, but let him be
disobedient, careless in his. habits and
keepera kays af he IS pdegraded DC class Where W m
he is shorn of all privileges, must eat
his meals in his cell, cannot use. the
library and will remain there until the
maximum limit of his sentence be
reached. When in that class, he of course
may retrieve himsei. and ultimately
reach high grade; but it all depends
on his own conduct and efforts to be
straight. Summed up the prisoner know
ing that the term of his. sentence de-
he. be incorrigible, try to get out as
he has learned trade which will be
useful to him thereafter.
This is the basis of the system which
we will urge on the Legislature and as
you see everything else in the arrange
ment of the constitution springs from
that said the Mayor.
The Commissioners have only conSid- |
cred the Reformato1y question as the
Mayor said, but 1t Is learned from an
be continued by the coming Legislature,
for the express object Of looking into
the State prison management and for
the higher purpose of suggesting changes
and reforms in the existing penal laws
So short has been the time since the |
appointment of the Commissioners, and
SO wide the field for them to look over,
it, is wonder that so much has been |
Es---r- The. report will be very full and
viii contain most valuable as well |
as interesting matter for the legislators
Reformatory win be completed at no |
very distant date. the Legislature will |
have to pass the bill drafted by the |
Commissioners among their first acts.
1t is said that GoverTor-elect Grfggs |
Is in favor of making this Commission |