The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-06
A DUTY TO YOUNG CRIMINALS.
JUDGE NORWOOD HAS ALWAYS
FAVORED A REFORMATORY

While Not Enthusiastic as to the
Good That Will be Done, Judge
Norwood Believes the County
should Not Omit an Effort to
Transform Incipient Criminals In
10 Useful Citizens-It is Public
Duty, Says the Judge of the City
COurt-Law Permitting Indeter-
inmate Sentences ImperativeIy
Needed to Make RefOrmatOry
Work Effective.
Judicial opinion in Chatham county
seems TO be unanimously in favor of
the establishment of a reformatory for
juvenile criminals. On this subject
Judge Barrow has already on two oc-
casions. expressed his opinion, and
yesterday Judge Thomas NJ. Norwood.
of the City Court, heartily Endorsed
the project.
II have always been in favor of such
an institution for this county" said
Judge Norwood, land when there was
a grand jury for the City Court l
never failed to make a recommended
ton on this subject a part of my
charge. Although l am not convinced
that any great good will be accom-
plished and although l believe that in
the vast majority of cases no good
will be done, / still think that to es-
tablish a reformatory and through it's
influence strive to rescue juvenile Grim
inals from lives of vice and Srime is
nj IF +,-ss. u.
lie, from which it should not shrink.
Some good, of course, will be done
by a reformatory properly admins
tered, in accordance with the man
dates OF wise and beneficent laws. Oc-
casionally a boy transgresses who is
not beyond the reach of reform and
who could be made into a useful citi-
zen by surrounding him with proper
influences. The public should not over
look the opportunity to save such boys
from the lives they would otherwise
lead, were they left to themselves or
sentenced to terms of confinement on
the chain-gang, where their associates
would be the hardened and depraved
wretches who make up the majority
of the misdemeanor convicts.
However" said Judge Norwood 81
don't believe that a reformatory could
be operated to any advantage or that
IL would exert any marked reforming
influence upon it's inmates under the
laws at present in force. 1t is not pos
sible to transform a young thief, hard
ened possibly by bad associations and
evil surroundings from his very birth
INTO the germ even of a good citizen
IN the space of twelve months Under
existing laws that is the longest term
Tor which judge is permitted to in
illicit sentence for a misdemeanor.
what is needed is the passage by
the Legislature of a law permitting the
INJUNCTION of indeterminate sentences in
reformatories for misdemeanors. If one
of the little devils who occasionally
make their appearance before me
should be sent to a reformatory for
year, the idea of reformation would
not enter his head during that entire
time. He would be thinking of the
time when his term would end and
planning new devilment to mark and
celebrate the regaining of his liberty.
ON the other hand, if the boy were
made to understand that he would be
kept in the reformatory until his
character and conduct showed very de-
cided indications of Improvement pol
icy would indicate AN effort at good
conduct. With good conduct developed
into a habit and in the continuous So
ciety of good men and women, there is
strong chance of his evil inclinations
being eradicated and of his eventually
becoming a decent and respectable
member of society. AS the law now is.
believe the establishment of a re-
formatory on any costly or extensive
scale would be a clear waste of the
peoples money"
The law providing for reformatories,
when in counties having a population
of 10000, they are called for by a vote
of the people, provides for the separa-
ton of the races and the sexes in such
institutions. 1t is provided also that
an effort shall be made to make such
institutions self-supporting as far as
practicable, though it is declared that
the products of the reformatories shall
not come into competition with those
of free labor.