Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-15
Conference Of Charities and Correc-
ton Favors New Methods.
TEE PLAN FOR DEALING WITH CRIME
Aid Of Census Bureau in Securing
Information Wanted.
INDETERMINATE SENTENCE

| The general session of the national con-
ference of charities and correction was
| held in the main hall of Columbian Univer-
! sity this morning. The days proceedings
was opened with a business meeting, at
| which the conference adopted a resolution
authorizing the president to appoint a COM
| mittee of five to confer with Director Mer-
| ram of the census bureau, and to act with
| him in an attempt to secure legislation per-
hitting him to gather and compile for the
| conference statistics of crime not now
available. This action was taken after DR..
F. II. Wines of the census bureau and q
member of the conference had stated that
Mr.. Merriam was willing to cooperate to
secure the end contemplated in the resolu
ton. 1t was Also after a discussion of a
resolution providing for the creation in this
city by the government of a permanent
bureau of charities and correction, to
gather and disseminate necessary infOrma-
ton. The latter resolution was laid on the
table and the proposition to have the work
needed done through the census bureau
adopted as more practical one.
president Glenn will appoint the commit
tee provided for in the resolution at an
early day
The report of the committee on reports
from states was then presented by the
CHAIRMAN, Mr.. Hastings II. Hart. 1t re-
viewed briefly the work that has been done
IN the various states of the Union in char
table and reformatory work.
Treatment of the Criminal.
At 10 o'clock the report of the committee
on the treatment of the criminal was read
by DR.. F. H. Wines, in the absence of Mr.
Charlton T. Lewis, the chairman of the
committee who rendered the report. The
committee declared in favor of the indie
terminate sentence, imprisonment dur
ing period necessary for such reforma-
he JiN -nn
on parole or during good behavior.
In this generation the report stated
a complete revolution IS rapidly taking
place III the method of dealing with crimi-
mails. The instances In which men are de-
TERED from crime by the apprehension of
legal punishment are but few. Such pen
aities may have some deterrent effect upon
those who already have strong influence for
good IN their social position and associa-
tons, but not to any important extent
upon habitual criminals.
In the light Of social science our penal
codes are without consistency juStifica-
ton. They have never been founded upon
a reasoned system of thought but have
grown up as the result of circumstances
and accidents. In most of the penal codes
Of the civilized world imprisonment is now
either exclusively almost entirely sub
stituted for physical suffering. In recent
years attempts have been made to grad
uate more accurately the degrees of Grim
inality involved in particular offenses to
define them with greater care and to pro-
portion the penalties to them with more
relation TO current conceptions of justice
But every such effort is in it's nature con-
demned to failure. The particular act
which is defined offense which Is
proved to jury, and made the basis Of d
verdict of guilty and of the sentence of the
court, can in no case furnish measure of
the desert of him who commits it. The
grossest inequalities in the terms of i'm
pr1sonment assigned to particular offenses
are found in the comparative legislation
NO LOGS
great in the judicial administration of each
state where a discretion is intrusted to
the judge. No classification of effenses
can constitute Il classification of offenders,
and the effect of a period of Imprisonment
upon the mind and character of a prisoner
can in no case be foreseen, nor can it be
assumed that the effect, whatever it be, is
proportionate to the length of the imprs-
onment.
Alleged Schools of Criminality.
practically, the vast majority of
prisons are but schools of criminality.
Nearly the whole of the criminal class,
recognized as enemies of society, are the
graduates of these schools. Imprisonment
in itself has good effect upon the pris-
oners character; it furnishes no stimulus
to good conduct or check upon evil motives;
but it is unnatural life, and the vast
ma jority of those who are condemned to II
degenerate under it's influence. If it be
assumed that the effect of prison life is
good upon the character, then imprson-
ment should be applied just SO long as IT
will continue to be beneficial. There are
many men whose characters and habits are
such that it Is better for society at large
to keep them in confinement. There can
be no justification whatever for imprson-
ing man unless his confinement is neces-
sary to the rights Of others. The duration
| of the confinement must be determined by
this necessity. Every sentence to imprison-
ment should be ended only by the attain
ment of fitness for freedom. This is the
| principle of the indeterminate sentence, So
called, which is already recognized to a
limited extent in the legislation of several
countries and of several states of the
Union, but which has as yet but narrow
and partial application. The principle OF
probation for convicted Offenders is grad
ually forcing it's way into recognition. OF
the vast majority Of those who are detected
in violations of law and brought before the
courts to answer for them, it is not a
danger to society for them to be at large.
In every such case it is a wrong to the
offender to send him to jail. A far better
course Is to extend the paternal and pro-
tecting care of the state over such cases
through the agency Of responsible and
trained officers In this spirit the we'll
known probation law of Massa chusetts has