The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-23


the nhrmities OF the weak and not to
please ourselves. Romans XIV, 1.
When thoughtful man reads that there
are 100000 men and women in prison in the
United States, If that is all he knows about
the crime question he is very likely to be
appalled, by the fact, and, being appalled,,
is very likely to do nothing.
The great majority read the same state
ment and are not even appalled, by it. The
average man" is Indifferent or only inter-
ested through curiosity. He sees a. youth
arrested and asks questions to the
future of the citizen whose whole life is to
be affected. for veal or woe, by the de-
cisions of the succeeding week.
He sees the policeman's hand laid upon
the offender. No, the hand is not the po-
liceman's: it is the hand of the state. Does
the average man. ask what is to happen
next? Perhaps he goes to the court to see.
and learns that the arrested man has been
sent to prison. Does he ask what prison
and why he was sent to one rather than TO
another? Does he know that there are
differences in prisons and how the fate of
the culprit may be (will be- affected by the
choice which the judge makes? He learns
that the sentence is one year. Does he ask
why that length of time instead Of six
months or two years? And if he asks does
he get an intelligent answer? He follows
him to the prison, perhaps, if his curiosity
has been sufficiently aroused, sees him
safely housed where he cannot get away
and turns away satisfied. The state has
administered Justice to a wrong doer.
There are men and women who think
more deeply, more earnestly. The prison
reformer sees the state lay its strong hand
the policeman's hand, on this youth, and a
torrent of questions overwhelms him. How
came the young man to be where he is? Is
his crime the outcome Of criminal purposes
or is it an accident? Is he wicked, or only
weak? Did he stumble or did he lie down
or was he pushed down? Others are busy
finding out what the arrested man did. The
witnesses testify on this point. The court
ecrutinizes every detail of evidence. Judi
cial hairs are carefully split in the endeavOr
The prison reformer is more concerned with
knowing what he is, than in finding out
what he did, for he knows that sometimes
a good man will do a very evil deed, and that
sometimes a very bad mans deed is far
less evil than he is
DECISION MUST BE MADE.
He finds other people interested in the
question, What does he OBSERVER Will he
get his deserts. He doesn't know how any
body can tell what he deserves for the
measure of his responsibility depends upon
ancestry. environment, education, the stress
of his temptation and his real purpose in
his crime. One man may deserve ten
times as much punishment as another, for
the same offense, for one may have had all
the opportunities which can be given to a
man in this splendid country, good blood.
a good home a good mother, a good edu-
cation. etc. The other came into the world
with handicap of bad Blood was left
home and friendleSS. to grow, unmOthered,
the streets. in bad surroundings without
alton, without restraint, until finally he
did the natural thing-commtted crime.
Ruf a decision must he made in regard
to the future of the youth upon whom the
state has laid its hand. 1t has arrested
(Stopped) him. If must start him again, for
human beings must keep moving. The
state must select new path for him; must
turn him about and point out the direction
of hia future movements. Our reformer is
interested in the decision. The state is
strong; it can do what it pleases with him.
Presumably it is wise, 1t will do the best
Perhaps it will put him on probation. in
the custody Of a probation officer, giving
without the stigma of prison life upon him
and see what use he will make of 1t. for
the question what is best for him and for
this community is more important just now
than the question what he deserves.
1t may be that the state-the other two
and half millions of Massachusetts people
&C this one-will decide to send him to a
prison. Our prison reformer asks which
one? Everything depends upon the answer
He may be sent to one in which he Will be
thrown in with the vilest and most de-
graded men in the world. men old in years;
old in crime. delighting in depravity, with
men whose very presence is contamination
one-half of whom have served previous SEN
fences, and a large percentage scores OF
them: into an institution where the only up
lifting influence is brief chapel service on
Sunday offset and counteraoted by the evil
influences of habitual offenders.
THE REFORNIER'S IDEA.
The youth may have been warned, when
a child. against evil companions, may have
fallen because he was too weak to say no
TO them and now he is to be thrown into
this very danger compelled to associate
with evil companions for months-perhaps
for years Indeed it is most probable that
he will be. for only about one in twenty
eight of those sent to Massachusetts prisons
gets any other chance than this
Our prison reformer asks how long the
Imprisonment is to be- He, too. hears that
II is to be one year. He, too, asks, why?
If he is sent away for punishment. how does
the state know how much suffering will at
tend this year of Imprisonment? Do all
men suffer alike from this cause But he
at large, il is said. There can be no criti-
cism of that if he is sent to some pa e
free people. But if this is the reason for
imprisonment, surely the prison ought to be
adapted to improve him. Before we lock
him out of the world we should find what
kind of a place we are locking him into.
Once more he asks, Why a year? We
know why a college fixes a certain term
of study; why medical school insists upon
q definite period of attendance. 1t has been
ascertained that at the end of that time the
average student will be fit to take his place
in life But has it been ascertained from
long experience in a large number of cases
that year in such q prison will make
this unit man fit to be at liberty? No.
Nobody pretenGS to know. The chances
are against such a result. But is he TO
be discharged at the end of the year if
he Is as unfit to be at large as he was when
he was excluded from the community? Yes.
even if he is known to be worse. Why?
Nobody can answer, except that that has
been the way for centuries, and We are a
very conservative people.
The prison reformer thinks that bad
man should be sent to place in which he
Is likely to become better: that the state
should manage every prison with distinct
purpose to make every unfit man fit for
society, and that he should not be released
until he becomes fit
The other observer saw the youth go into
the prison; saw the door close upon him
and Went away, thinking that that was the
END. The prison reformer comes around
at the end of the year TO see the result. He
stands again at the prison door and sees IN
open for the emerging youth A wear a go
he was locked out of the world Now he is
locked out OF the prison. No matter how
much he needs a meal or q shelter the
state will only furnish it condition that