The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
NOVEL REFORMS URGED.
A Plea FROM WOMEN FOR THE
TAGGING or CHILDREN.

Suggestion Made by n Committee OF Friends
for the Benent of Children who Get
Lost Dealing with Women who Are
Arrcnted-Pa-t Work OF the Committee.
A few years ago there wns not n police matron
In u station house in New York. To-day there
nro thirty matrons. This much-noeded reform
is largely due to the efforts of the Prison Re-
form Committee of the New York Monthly
Meeting of Friends. The committee IL a sub
division OF tho Friends Yearly Meeting. The
latter takes in the eastern part OF New York
state and northern New Jersey, while the
Monthly Meeting Is a local organization, ana =
confined to this city and Brooklyn. The Prison
Reform Committeois composed OF forty women,
who devote themselves exclusively to visiting
station houses where there are police matrons.
They have done this ever since the first police
matron, Mrs. lie Bourveau, received her ap-
pointmcnt, five yenrs ago, and have done much
In n quiet. transformations way. Mrs. Anna M.
jackson is the Chairman OF this committees.
When asked what its members are trying TO
accomplish, she said:
ITO begin ut the beginning, this Prison Re-
form Committee has been active for more than
five or six years. Our first work was to get
police matrons appointed. Many other societies
In the city were working with the same object
in view. and we feel that we did our share in
bringing about the desired result. Finally, By
the combined effort of ali interested. n law was
passed at Albany which said that police matrons
might be appointed. No action was taken. So
we went to work again and tho law soon be-
came mandatory. At first the matrons wore
only tolerated In the station houses. 1t was o
rare thing for a police officer to give one a word
or even a look of approval. To-day police
matrons receive every courtesy. and the officers
cooperate with them in their work.
THE Prison Reform meets on tho
first Wednesday in each month during the
winter Mt the Friends schoolnouse, 226 East
Sixteenth street. The reports OF the work re-,
ceived at the last meeting were most satisfaos
tory. But we had three faults to find: SO adele
CATION WINS appointed to 20 before the Police
Commissioners and ask them to better the con-
dition Of affairs regarding these points. Right
here Iii say that the present Board Of Commits
sioners has shown our Prison Reform Com
mlttee every consideration and has listened
carefully to any suggestions that we have made.
We had to go before them a few days after they
went into office. and they realized then that We
knew more about the police stations in the city
than they did. This was natural, as we have
been doing this work for q number OF years and
their duties were perfectly new to them.
First OF all we wish to bring about a reform
in the cases of children who are picked up in
the streets and taken to u station house. We
requested that In cases whore children are found
more than once astray. detectives should make
an Investigation to see If it is not the parents or
guardians who are negligent. We've been
greatly troubled about the number of children
who are found astray and taken TO the Eldridge
street station house. sometimes there are as
many as 200 in II month. For n long time we've
tried to put u stop to this. because we realize
very well what n demoralizing thing IL
is for n child to be taken to n station
house time and again; About a year ago
we advocated that all children should be tagged
with their names and addresses. SO that when
AN officer came across one he could take or send
Ns- lI.,,tl. ava. .FA q . ~ n . hnnan
The Police Commissioners said ttha If the chill
dren were tagged they should be sent home, but
this suggestion has not been acted upon,s so we ara
going to appeal to the Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty TO Children TO help us in this
10 work, or for pleasure either. | suppose. send
their children deliberately into the streets.
knowing that they Will be arrested and taken
to a station house.
Another thing that we want is n rule that .
woman who is arrested shall be taken at once
to the nearest police station where there is Q
matron. and not to the station house to which
The Commissioners have promised to consider
this matter. Many people think that there
should be a matron IN every station house; TN.
but no woman should be carried to n station
house where there isn't a mHtro3;
THIS would also like, II possible,
that fallen women who are arrested on the
street or in a raid should be sent TO the work.
house instead of being dismissed without a fine.
Ter is out Of the jurisdiction of the Police Com
p'tfs'o: MaEistrSfes IT to help u.s. s. II fallen wo-
man is arrested in tho street. she is taken to the
station hOmse; probably some one balls her out,
and tho next morning she is taken to the
police court and dismissed with u light
We believe that these women should
be sent to the Island with n cumulative SEM
tence. Then the one who had been sentenced
for five days would think before she ran the
risk OF Il sentence for ten days, and the one who
went for ten would consider wei! before she
made herself liable to lie sentenced for
twenty. We do this for the good of the. e poor
creatures themselves as well as for the public
good. Experience has taught us that they are
generally not their own mistress.S, but slaves
to some one else. Only lately "A very sad case
came under our observation. \ young girl was
arrested and ii turned out that she was sent out
by her father to lead an immoral life SO that no
could have the money which WAS the price of
her soul. He said himself that he knew she
would he arrested. hut he hoped 10 be able to
pay her fines aud not miss ii from the money
had been sent 10 the wOr&hpn>c il would
have taught that father and other parents and
persons guilty OF such dealings n lesson. They
don't mind paving the fines when these women
are arrested. for the women are dismissed at
once and their income does not cease. 1t would
be a different matter altogether If the women
were imprisoned.
"Oae of our greatest improvements is tho
securing OF more iatrol wagons. Our commit
tee and other societies had talked patrol wagon
aGd talked patrol wagon to the old Police
Commissioners, mt they paid no attention To
us. The new ones did, however. aud "c have
nothing to complain al along thu, line. Our
committee work. along in "A very quiet way,
hut we are never Idle, and we hope to 90 on
dong NOR" and more good IN our prison reform
work every year.