The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-21

Wnr,ler ana mrs. Tyler-Russinn, Eng
Iisb and American Systems.
Quite a number were present at the
Alliance meeting at the Brooks house
Monday evening. Mrs. Mary Warder
read very profitable and interesting
paper on the Penal Code of Russia. "
going as far back as .sS, when, as the
writer states, there was no code at
ALL " In connection with this she
suggests that life was quite as safe
then MS now. and much more simple.
In 9SS, Vladimir adopted the Chris
tiau religion and became the first
Christian emperor, and his son became
the first legislator in l03l, and gave to
Russia a code called Russian Law.
In 1919 Il society known as the En-
perial society was established to watch
over the administrations of prisons.
The paper gave many interesting
points in regard to the different modes
of punishment for divers oifenses and
also of the ways of caring for Grim
inals. The conflicting evidence relat-
ing to Siberian prisons was also noted,
somc writer's describing them as hot
beds of vice and cruelty" while Dr.
Lansdel. d reputable eye witness. says
that as compared with the English
prisons the Siberian are not so badly
off, the labor is lighter, the prisoner
has more privileges friends may sec
him oftcncr and he passes his time
neither in a cell nor in unbroken
silence. Mrs Warder closed her paper
by saying, "All nations, even our OVID.
have some dark pages in their prison
annals. Until we can forget the ac'
count of the prisons in Connecticut,
barely century ago and the result OF
the present investigation into the con
Wet camps in Georgia We will throw
no stones at the Russian Bear. But
we have an ideal--personal liberty.
freedom of conscience, and government
in the interest of the. poor and de |
fenccless. Our laws are framed, not !
so much to punish criminals as to pro-
tect the innocent We do pray for |
mercy and that Same prayer doth teach |
us all to render deeds of mercy
Mrs. J. Nj. Tyler followed with Il
paper relating to the care Of criminals
in our own country the increase of
criminals 7and the different causes of
the increase. giving many interesting
facts relating to hercdity in criminal
cases. Other facts were brought out
in regard to different classes of crimi.
mails, what is done and what should be
done in cases where crimes are com
mitted by different classes. One of
the most interesting points related TO
children and Mrs. Tyler comes straight
to the bottom of things when she says;
Our last hope is in succoring the
children and every child saving society
which secures homes and good care
for the waits and strays OF the street
does more to diminish crime than all {
the prisons in the land. Great Britain
supports over 400 rcfurmatorics and
Industrial schools through which have ,
been passed in 20 years over $50, 600 7
and youths. and within ten a
years they have been able to close 80 !
out of 113 prisons. Our own state has !
an industrial school at Ncrgenues.
Last year there were about 100 chill I
dren there. their otfenses varying from
attempt to kill. They are taught q
carpentry and farm work. a
The aim is to make the children self t
governing and self supporting. The o
agree with Gen. Walker fl
that 1.-The boy that breaks is the same II
BOY. i'll taught and ill trained, as the .
BOY who makes: and the boy who fl
breaks most is the same boy. who. if n
MS energies were properly directed, Il
would make most. - The paper also Ii
useful information in regard 81
o what is called the indeterminate Il
sentence which provides that when a s,
convict is sentenced to the state d
Prison, unless for life or as an habit D
Ia offender the court shall not fix the =,
xact length of the imprisonment. "
nut shall establish a maximum and "A O
minimum term. The maximum term II
hall not be longer than the longest OF
erm fixed by law for the offense and ST
he minimum shall not be less than two hi
nd one-half years. \ any time after "
he expiration of the minimum term, the OF
OF prisons, with the APP ar
roval of the governor and council, tn
nay issue to the prisoner permit to or
G at liberty, upon such terms and kr
rs they may think best, but uu
he fails to meet the conditions Ur tn
Dmmit fresh offenses, they may re-
oke the permit and remand him to IN
rison at any time previous to the eX- of
iration of the maximum term for st
hich he was sentenced One of the be
lnditions upon which release Is d
ranted is that each prisoner shall re pr
ort once n month to the secretary of plr
le board as to his house, employment, lG
c. This system is being tried in Mas ma
lchusetts with excellent effect After
le papers and little discussion re- tn
ting to them Miss Jeanette Howe bi
'ad extracts from an article on the tn
lmira reformatory. This institution, ms
yled ''crime hospital llkcns crime Fo
a disease and maintains that the ~
ltient suffering from it should be III
apt under treatment until GONZALES thu
mt, and the indeterminatc sentence up
laid down as a basis. The Reform ca,
DRY prescription consists of trinity pei
three Ms-mental moral and gre
annual training and the success of arc
eir application has been such that chi
the end of decade the reformatory dot
IS established itself as something ant
nl,n thnn an nynnrimnnt Il