The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-21

| adequate. Under the law the prisoners
| who are sentenced to the workhouse
| cannot be confined for a longer period
! than three months, thus doing away
with the possibility of teaching them a
| great deal in the lines Of industrial or
educational advancement or imparting
to them any very lasting effects of re-
| formatory training. While confined at
the workhouse, however, every possible
good influence is brought to bear upon
them. During the week the women
are employed two days In the laundry,
and when not thus engaged, are at
work under the direction of the matron
in making the prison clothes which are
used in the institution. Every Sunday
witnesses religious service which all
the inmates of the workhouse may at
tend. In order that those of different
creeds may enjoy the services of their
own faith ministers of different church
es conduct the exercises alternately,
and the results are highly satisfactory.
We seldom have the least difficulty in
managing the female prisoners and no
matter what are their characters out
side, while in our charge their conduct
is all that could be expected from peo-
pie in their walks of life"
Judge Orr, of the police court in
speaking Of the disposition of certain
classes Of prisoners which frequently
come before him, said that he was
strongly of the opinion that a separate
institution should be maintained for
boys and young women. ut very Of
ten happens" said he, that prisoners
are brought to the municipal court
for their first offense, which might
have been of minor Importance, yet de-
mands some punishment at the hands
Of the law. The person may be young
man, not naturally of a criminal ma
ture, who by some false step has been
led aStray and who desires to mend
his ways. In such cases 1t does not
seem right that the youth should be
consigned to the companionship Of
those old in crime and whose influence
might be the cause Of the continue
ton of offenses. In the case Of young
women. I believe the need of a separate
institution is even greater A woman
in the first stages Of her downfall is al
ways susceptible to good influences, and
in many instances truly repents her
slip from the path of rectitude, and will
reform if given an opportunity. In my
opinion the proper solution of this
problem is the maintenance of a city
reformatory, where prisoners Of this
class might be given an opportunity to
escape the contamination which must
come from an association with GRIM
inals whose long continued violation Of
law has placed them beyond redemp-
ton. Whether this could be done with
out legislative enactment I am not pre-
pared to state, but even If it necessi-
tates a special law I believe the step
should be taken"
Judge Twohy, who shares with Judge
Orr the dispensation of justice from the
municipal bench, was also of the opin-
lon that some arrangement should be
made for the class of prisoners who
were formerly sent to the House Of the
Good Shepherd. MANY times" said
he, 1--WE are confronted with cases where
circumstances appear which would in
cline toward merciful Judgment, es-
pecially when a person comes before
the court for the first time. Often
these cases are young men or young
women who sincerely regret their fall
and only desire a chance to make
amends for their breach Of the law.
In such instances it does not seem
right that they should be classed with
those hardened in sin and made to
spend the time of their sentence In the
company of irreclaimable offenders.
Under the present system, however up
on conviction there is no alternative
but to pass a workhouse sentence.
which, in cases such as these to which
L have referred, often works more harm
than good in that when a person has
once been the associate of depravity
and immortality 1t is a difficult task to
shake off their influences"
Another consideration which inclines
me toward separate institution is the
fact that children will not be received
at the workhouse. By this I mean
babies whose mothers have been con-
v1cted OF a crime and received g. work.
house sentence. At the House of Good
ShoDhRr0S q uyi&
babe was given sentence she was al
lowed to take her child to the institu-
ton and there be with it and care for
1t until the expiration of her sentence.
1t is the exception rather than the rule
that such cases come before the court.
but women with children have been
convicted In the past, and If it should
again occur at the present time it
would be necessary to separate the
mother and her child If an institution
were established to which the less
hardened female prisoners could be
sent this contingency would be done
away with, and in my belief, MANY con-
v1cted persons lead to see the error of
their ways before beyond redemption.
In regard to the refusal of the work
mouse authorities to accept children
with parents who have been convicted
Superintendent Fitzgerald states that
his reasons for so doing are not be-
cause the children could not be cared
for so much as that, at some future time
the parent or guardian of a child con-
fined without commitment papers
would be able to hold the civ liable
for damages In court of law.
Secretary Hart, Of the state board of
corrections and charities, is one of the
Warmest advocates of the new correc-
tcnal institution, having, in fact. adj
vocated it even before the decision Of
the court in the Farmer case. There
are perhaps half a dozen institutions
In the state where women are confined
under the charge of matrons. the most
important being the state prison. and
the warehouses; at st. Paul. Minne
apolis and Duluth. In none of these
does the matron ordinarily have more
than half a dozen in her charge at anv
one time, and the whole number of fe.
male prisoners in the state could he
| cared for easily by one matron at q
central institution If such existed.
Aids. Lindahl, Bell and Donahower
the committee appointed to ascertain
what persons, If any, are now detained
In the House of the Good Shepherd NV
virtue of commitments by the munich
pal court, did not take any action YES
! terday as was expected Chairman
Lindahl secured from the clerk of the
municipal court a list Of all the women
committed to this institution since Jan.