The times., 1899-06-19
SCHOOLS OF CRIME.
The Wicsedncss of ConfininE Young
With Old Offenders.

To the Editor OF The Times;
Looking over a late issue of your paper
was glad to see attention called to sep
arating young prisoners from old offenders
while detained in stationhouses. Separa-
ton is of great Importance. not only in
stationhouses but in warehouses;. jails.
and penitentiaries, and too little attention
has been given to it. Until more is done
to prevent evil influences being brought
to bear upon the young. both in and out
of prison, and 10 bring good influences to
operate in their stead, We shall continue to
wonder why crime increases so rapidly.
The warden OF the Kentucky penitentiary
in his report for 1895 says: Our prison is
all enclosed, without any division, except
place for the females. The old men, the
hardened professional criminals. and the
boys and children are all turned loose to-
gether.
In the last nine years the population
OF our prison has just about doubled.
while the population Of the State has not
increased more than 20 per cent. Tnis
rapid increase tof criminals) in proportion
to the population should arrest attention
from every citizen of the Commonwealth
1t should not only attract attention-it
should cause apprehension and alarm
.
finding remedy TO check it, The
fact that nearly one-half of the number
sent here for the last year were mere chill
dren demonstrates the fact that there are
schools OF crime somewhere in the Com
mOnwealth."
Perhaps he had in mind the station
houses and jails, where many were being
fitted for his more advanced school OF
crime
One graduate from our own workhouse
told me that ne WIS arrested when a boy
for some slight offence and was thrown
IN company with an old. experienced Grim
mai, who taught him his nrst lessons in
pocket-pieking, and that after he went
out he at once began to practice it.
Most OF the iails all over our land are
little better than schools of crime They
are particularly so in our Southern States.
Ihere We md also the county chain gangs,
and young and old crowded together at
night. sometimes sleeping in ''sweat-box
dungeons, with little or no ventilation.
An Atlanta paper. in calling attention to
"Georsia's Child Convicts," speaking OF
one case, said: When the boy entered
the abode of crime and OF punishment he
became the companion of those unutterably
vie, was cast a babe among
criminals, and a few years
hence, when society may be startled BY
the commission Of some crime which will
shock and thrill the blood the question
viii be asked, Can such a thing be pcs-
sible in this land?'"
Georgia. like most other Southern States.
has no refOrmatOry for youthful offenders.
The principal keeper of the penitentiary
showed in his report of 1896 that there were
IA boys in the convict camps who were.
when convicted. sixteen years OF age and
younger. He declared their treatment TO
be 'barbarous and inhuman." At the Off
cial investigation in 1897 "a most revolt
ing state of moral depravity. not TO be
described in print. was shown to exist
in some OF the camps.
Between the years of 1878 and 1896 the
number OF penitentiary convicts increased
in that State from 404 to 1857. These do
not include the misdemeanant county pris
oners which were 1,S29. making a total of
41S6. l have spoken of the conditions in
Kentucky and Georgia, not because they
are worse in those States than elsewhere.
but as illustrations Of what is going on
all over the country | understand that
in Belgium the prisoners are confined In
separate cells and not permitted to COM
muicata with one another. They are en-
ployed at manual labor. supplied with
books and are visited from time to time
by the prison officials. chaplain, prison
schoolmaster and such outsiders as are
likely to bring good influences to lear
upon them. This is as it should he: for
If through neglect Of the parents and of the
State they have been left TO grow up under
evil influences before they enter prison,
surely the State ought to afterward DO
what she can toward making amends Tor
her own Shortcomings As it is we blame
the child for going with evil companions
and then compel him to do so. In other
words. We have compulsory education in
crime. To coniine these children who are
already sick from having breathed in moral
miasma where they can scarcely draw a
breath that is not laden with Il. is too
much like adding murder to abuse. Too
often the State shows righteous indignation
at wrongdoing and then proceeds to do
a greater wrong itself.
CLARISSA o. KELLER,