St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-09-17

SoASCtouSnSSS Inat ne Is ana must De
master of himself; that whatever dis
ciplinary measures are inflicted are
self-imposed; that in proportion as he
succeeds in gaining good grade
standing, he contributes to a condition
of elf-government and makes him.
self better man. This knowledge
stimulates him in his efforts to over
come his weakness, and In the cult
walton of habits OF industry, good or
der and manly conduct Under it's
stimulus the whole atmosphere of the
prison IS raised to a higher plane
Cheerful obedience to all rules ana reg
ulations is given in a spirit OF good
Will. The prisoner must recognize
and cannot but feel (unless wholly
bad), that the interests of the admins
tration are his own best interests; that
in proportion as it succeeds, he also
must succeed.
REFORM AND PROTECTION.
"As the object of Imprisonment and
prison government is for the protec-
ton Of society and for the reformation
OF the prisoners, it is plain that the
state does not discharge it's obligations
until one or both of these objects
have been clearly accomplished. If the
prisoner cannot be reformed he should
remain in prison indefinitely. The gen.
eral use Of the grading and parole
system In our prisons, together with
its concomitant, the indeterminate SEN
tence, seems to me to open up the way
for the accomplishment of both of
these results. The lines along which
the parole system operates are in har-
mony with, and a necessary part of,
the tndeterminate sentence The best
prison managers of the country. as
we'll as other students of penology,
have 1ndorsed the indeterminate SEN
tence. 1t seems to me that their har-
monious cooperation will soon bring
about in all of our prisons such a un-
form system of prison government as
will embrace not only the grading and
parole system in a high degree of
efficiency, but also it's cap-sheaf, the
indeterminate sentence, together with
such a perfect system of Identification
as will enable the management to
quickly apprehend and return to prison
those who will not abstain from lives
of crime. All students of penology
agree that person convicted of crime
should be committed to prison as the
insane person to an asylum, to re-
main there until cured, or until it shall
appear reasonably safe to test his pur-
pose and ability to lead an honest life,
and that when the prisoner has given
such evidence of his purpose to lead
an honest and self-supporting life, he
is entitled to trial. How can he be
schooled for citizenship In prison with
out the grading system? How tried
when he has apparently given all nee
essary proof of his ability to live hon.
estly, without the parole system? and
finally, how can substantial benefits
be derived in the way of protection to
society and the reformation of the
criminal without the indeterminate
sentence?
Men convicted of crimes who pos
sess criminal instincts, and follow
lives Of crime from choice, dislike moth
ing so much as the grading and parole
system, the indeterminate sentence,
and the Bertillion system of
measurement for the Identification of
criminals. In all of these systems he
almost intuitively discovers great dan
ger to his liberty. Once prove to this
class of our criminal population that
the grading and parole system, the in
determinate sentence and the Bertillion
stay as a part of a uniform system of
prison government, to be admin
istered by trained and efficient
prison officers, and you will have re-
duced the prison population by one
half in comparatively short time.
All who have observed the criminal
and his ways know that speedy appre-
hension and punishment for crimes
committed are to the criminal the most
powerful deterrents.
AN IMPERFECT SYSTEM.
"Under our imperfect system, as
whole lacking in unifority and method
ical management, the criminal sees
many loopholes for possible escape. He
commits crime with impunity, consol-
ing himself with the thought that If
apprehended he will manage somehow
to escape punishment; that If impris-
oned, 1t will be but a short time at
most, because, as he believes, he will
soon work his way to liberty by the
various methods so well known to the
criminal. His easy experience in de-
feating the ends of justice adds zest
to his appetite for new adventures, and
he goes forth with renewed zeal to
again try his luck, determined on pro-
fitting by past experience to the extent
only of avoiding future meshes along
the same road. The hazardous eX-
citement attending this kind of a life
has it's charms for the adventurous
criminal, so long as there are so many
chances to escape. Cut off these
chances and he will be among the first
to discover the changed conditions.
Demonstrate that the criminal will be
vigorously and intelligently dealt with
by uniform system of prison govern
ment, such as I have outlined, and by
one master stroke you will have in
fiuenced one-half of our criminal popu-
lation to abandon lives of crime. Re-
duce his chances of escape and you
Will lessen in a corresponding degree
his desire for following life of crime.
Convince the criminally inclined that
| they cannot escape the consequences of
violated laws, or that their chances are
reduced to a minimum, and you will
have struck telling blow at the very
roots of crime.
"Since medical science has discovered
| and demonstrated the germ theory of
| disease, a growing feeling exists that
| all disorders to which flesh is heir are
more or less contagious. This 1 be-
1 lIGN0 " UC C4udlly II uS VI u
Turn one shrewd, cunning criminal
loose in a community, and he will SOW
| seeds of crime wherever he can find
susceptible ground. The damage he is
capable of doing is incalculable. Sud-
| denly we hear of some criminal act in
! our midst, perpetuated by one we have
| known for years. We are shocked and
| grieved, and cannot fathom its mean
| ing. But a careful investigation into
the details of his life will show that,
| while there has been a gradual moral
| degeneracy going on for some time, the
seeds of that disorder were sown some
years before and the crime is but the
| budding of the seeds sown on fruitful
| ground. Do away with this death-de-
| stroying, seed-planting leper, and few
er criminals will be made.
HABITUAL CRIMINALS.
'"The system of prison government
have outlined is admirably adapted
| for the treatment of the habitual