The Sunday globe., 1901-05-05

nished tale OF lie IN modern pehlteulI"IS' To
-EDITOR)
"Once a criminal, always criminal,
is one Of the pernicious axioms trans
mitted to us by iorbcars wlo inflicted the
death penalty on culprits guilty OF steal.
ing to the value OF sheep. Rightly
catalogued in the calendar OF crime as
petit larcency," the penalty for which
varies from fne to short Jail sentence,
THEFT under S35 is now regarded as a mis-
demeanor and not felony. As late as
1907 the death penalty was inflicted on
thieves guilty of stealing property to the
value of twenty.one shillings, in the
British Isles. The advancement OF the
human race, for which the nineteenth
century is so Justly celebrated, is nowhere
more marked than in our present day
treatment and management OF the crlml'
nal And thatwe are only in the primary
stage Of solving the question OF his reior-
nation. penologists aud criminol' gists
practically agree; the small difference in
opinion between them being due to the
practical experiences of the prison officer
and the theoretical deductions OF the
scientists or criminologisls. For crimi-
nology, it must be remarked, has been
elevated in recent years to one OF the
sciences, and not the least important one
at that. as may be inferred from the re-
mort of the committee appointed by the
National Prison Congress at its annual
meeting last year.
The committee composed of T. K.
Brockway, r.. W. McClaughry and q.
r. Henderson, three veteran criminolo'
gists, formulated report on the practi'
cability of establishing scientific labora-
tories in our penal and relormatory insti'
tu,ions for the study OF the physical,
and social facts of criminal nature ana
life The committee but slightly touched
on the necessity for such laboratories, as
that was conceded, and devoted very
properly the bC dy Of their report to SOW,
inc the financial and other problems OF
the proposed establishments These
Laboratories are to be furnished with all
tbe latest and most delicate scientific in
struments, for measurements Of sensation
and other manifestations Of mind through
the body. The prison professor OF criml-
nal authropolgy will be required to record
the mental, emotional, and voluntary lie
activities, the tastes, ideas, knowledge
motives, etc, of the prisoners. Inc
nsvcbical. the sociological and the phy-
steal history and developments OF the
criminal, hereditary taiDts, if any, MS
domestic. industrial, legal, political and
religious environments and any and every
thing. in fact, which has Influenced MS
character and conduct. These must De
recorded for not only the enlightenment
Of the students of criminal anatomy, phy-
siology, anthropology, psychology ana
sociology, but for the better understand
ing and special information of legislators,
courts. authorities on criminal law ana
nrocedure. and especially as a useful
guide in the discipline Of the prisoner by
the prison management And all TINS,
nth the end in view of the dimuniuon OF
crime and the reformation'o the criminal
some one has said 'to be an effective
nrison reformer one has to be prisoner
himself" From the celebrated John
Howard, of England, the father OF prison
reform in the last century, to Z. r. Brock
wav. DIR. Wines assistant Director oi
the Census) Gen. BHnkrehoff of Mans
6e1d Ohio. Thomas Wright, of Manches-
Ter Eng. and humorous other prominent
nrison reformers in this and other coun
tries whose names are universally known,
and whose effectiveness as practical phil
antrophists along the lines Of crminology
must be conceded, not one Of them sui.
fered days imprisonment. But it is,
nevertheless, fact, that the evolution
in penology to the present humane man
agemsnt of the majority OF our penal in
stitutions, is due primarily to men who
suffered, Imprisonment ands wore the
stripes OF convicls.
Previous-to the civil war; the men in
carcerated in our penitentiaries, were al
most without exception, the Outcasts of
society from their birth, and were essen
italy per Sc of the criminal class by
heredity and environment. There was a
large per cent. Of the foreign element in
our prison populations, while the native
and To the manor born was almost eX-
clusively from the dreggs OF society.
Prisons and prisoners attracted little il
anv attention, from either the press, the
pulpit or the ranks Of the philantrophisls.
Indeed, the'hrst Prison Congress held in
Ills couutry, assembled in Cincinnati in
Oct. .,.l Dr. Wines, Mr.. Brockway,
au. H0l j B. .Sanbon, afterwards
Prison eelaa| Inspector of M1ssachu-
-.... J.lted - subcommittee to
.1"... s,n or plan of prison re-
iu.- D. worthy Of note in this con.
nection that The fret Interua onal Prison
Congress assembled in London, Eng in
1872 or two years later. The lntorna.
tional Congress holds quinquennial ses
sions and it has met since It's organization
in London, Stockholm, Rome 81. Peters.
burg, Paris and in Brussels in August
last.
DR.. Wines and other veteran prison
reformers realize the different character
Of the prison populations Of To- day TO
what they were thirty years ago, when
the first efforts were made to curb the
bru'alizing tendencies Of the discipline
then enforced. Giving due credit 10 the
doctor and his conierers for the improve.
ment in prison management, the amelio a-
ton Of the prisoners condition and the
substitution of the humane for the repres.
eiun eu.Lnua lhn lunI ia nnunrih nlnaa OF.