The news & observer., 1901-01-17

witnesses in being compelled tD attend
court term after term vainly seeking 4
trial. It is evident that sDeedicr trials
would be a great saving to or people.
much greater in fact than the Increased
costs OF the courts.
Moreover, the impossibility of obtain
| ing speedy trial tends to encourage
needless and oppressive litigation, as II
enables a defendant TO resist for years
| a just demand upon merely technical de-
Tense. In such cases there is always dan
| ger of the subject matter OF the action
being lost pending trial unless protected
| by costly receivershiDs and other ex-
penses, which materially impair its ulti-
mate value.
REFORM SCHOOL.
NY third and last recommendation is
that the Legislature establish a reform
school for The punishment of youthful
criminals. At present this class of Of
tenders must necessarily. if punished at
all, be sent TO the county Jail or States
Prison. 70 be there in the constant com
pany OF old and hardened criminals. sub
ject 10 all rhe degrading and brutalizing
influences of that companionship. And
when we consider the we'll }nown fact
that the first criminal offense is often
induced more by evd surroundings and
companions than bv innate Viciousness.
we must come to an appreciation of the
tremendous effect for evil when the sur
roundings and Colnpaninn,hip of the Pen
tentiary must have pom yJIthalIl natures
already weakened and depraved by crime
| do not desire to- be understood as
casting any reflection whatever upon the
management of our penal institutions, for
certain amount of harshness is there
necessary for the maintenance of the
proper discipline and evil companionship
for the inmates is unavoidable; nor do
advocate a reform school from motives of
mawkish sentimentality but purely be-
cause ] believe that confinement in re-
form school is the best method of dealing
with 2 certain class of offenders: best
for them ard best for the State.
AS / understand the subject, the State
has three objects in view when it Furnishes
a violation of it's criminal laws: First, to
deter others from the commission Of
crime; secondly, to protect society from
the criminal; and, thirdly, to reform the
criminal and prevent him from again
falling. A reform school answers the first
two objects FULLY as we'll as the Peni
tentiary, ard is far more efficacious in
bringing about the third.
II IS true lhat a reform school would
cost something; how much 10 not know.
But all government costs something, and
one of the large items is keeping men
and women in the jails and penitentiary
who have been sent there for their sec
ond, third or fourth offense: and from
this iterc l feel sure that a considerable
sum would be deducted by reform school.
1t might perhaps cost little more to
send : criminal to the reform school
once than to send him to the penitentiary
once but it would certainly not cost as
much to send him to the reform school
once as to send him to the penitentiary
two or three times. Nor is there any
reason why il should be very expensive.
New York's reform schol only cost the
State Sab per capita during the past
year, while IN number of States the
cost rer capita is less in the reform
school than in the penitentiary.
In investigating the subject, | have
written to the Attorney General of every
State in the United States asking ques
tions about the cost of their reform
schools, the qualifications for admission,
the results accomplished, ETC., and have
received replies from thirty eight States
OF these, thirty have reform schools, to-
wit: Alabama California, Colorado
Connecticut, Delaware. Florida, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts. Michigan. Minnesota, Mis-
souri,, Montana. Nebraska. New Jersey,
New York. Ohio. Oregon, Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah,
Vermont. Virginia, Washington, Wiscon-
sin; wk.'a Of the others North Dakota
sends her youthful criminals to the South
Dakota reform school. and wyoming
sends to the Colorado reform school. The
Governor elect of Arkansas (now Attor-
ney GeneraD, writes me that he will rec
ommend a reform school in his inaugural
address. And may add that in every
single instance the Attorney General, or
other officer to whom he referred my let
ter for reply, says that the reform school
in his State has been an unqualified sue
cess.
In our own State nearly all of the
churches have in their conventions, con-
ferences, or other official meetings, strong
ly urged the establishment of a reform
school; and various societies and orders
have 6one likewise.
In looking over the letters and pamph
let's sent me in response to my inquiries
referred to above. l find that various
rules and regulations are adopted in
regard to causes for which persons are
sent to the reform. schools. as well as
to the duration of the sentence and mode
of discharge. In some States commit
ments is only made upon conviction of
crime, while in others vicious and in
corrigible children NAV also be sent. The
maximum age of admission also varies.
In one State it is as low as fifteen years;
in one as high as twenty-five, with the
age in Others ranging between these two.
In scne eases the commitment is for
fixed period: i'll some it is for an inter-
mediate period not greater than the maxi
mum nor less than the minimum period of
punishment in the penitentiary for like
offenses, with power vested in a Board
of Control to release ut any tine between
these limits while in others all COM
mitments are made until the person COM
mited is twenty one years OF age, with
power IN the board to paiOl upon good
behavior and rec0mmlt if the conditions
of the oarol are broker.
T. several instances the carties in