The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-02
II NEXT STEP IN PRISON REFORM.

ment will be a political daisy"
II NEXT STEP IN PRISON REFORM.
The Legislature Of 1897 passed an act abol-
ishing contract labor in the State prisons.
establishing the public account system. d.
recting the disposition and use of articles
manufactured in the prison, providing Tor
the elimination Of machinery and for the
instruction Of c~onvicts in hand labor. The
act was at once a concession 10 the reason
able protests of free labor and an attempt
TO better the condition Of convicts and in
crease their chances Of reform and future
usefulness. 1t was in harmony with the
tendency Of modern legislation 10 make the
punishment of convicts reformatory rather
than vindictive and in some degree TO pre-
vent future crimes as we'll as 10 punish
those Of the past. The discharge from
prison Of a convict who is unreformed, un-
repentant. revengeful and without any
means of support is a misfortune to himself
as we'll as to society. The old and longtime
prevalent theory Of prison punishment was
purely punitive and vindictive; the modern
theory includes the idea of reforming or at
least lettering the convict and Of mingling
some philanthropy with punishment.
a natural and almost inevitable out
growth of the old practice was the contract
prison labor system. which gave rise to
many abuses and was a just cause of
ofrense to free labor. The law of 1897 abol-
ishes contract prison labor in the prisons
of Indiana and authorizes the managers to
establish as soon as practicable the public
account sysem and ito institute i'm said
prisons an Industrial and labor system by
which the convicts shall be employed at
such trades and vocations as will be re-
quired to supply said institutions. as nearly
as possible, with all necessary articles of
prison consumption, or as will in the judy
ment of the directors be expedient and
wise" The law provides that if more ar
ticles of any kind are produced than are
needed TO supply the prison where they are
made the surplus shall be sold to other
state institutions at the market price. 1t
also provides for the appointment of a
skilled superintendent of labor and for the
assignment of %convicts TO such branches of
work as they may be deemed specially
fitted for. 1t was declared TO be the intent
and purport of the act that all work done
by inmates of any of the State penal or re-
formatory institutions shall. as far as prac-
ticable, be hand work." and it was made
the duty of prison managers ito institute
such Instructions of an educational and
technical character as in their judgment is
to the best interests of the inmates" The
law did not affect existing contracts, but
no new ones were to be made. The enforce
ment of this law in its true spirit will con-
vert our prisons into manual labor train
ing schools and will not only give every
young convict a chance to learn some use
full trade, but will almost make it cOmpul-
sorry to do so. The effect cannot but be
beneficial, and, while it will not tighten the
weight of punishment for past crimes. it
will increase the probabilities of convicts
leading honest lives after their discharge.
The law of 1897 made no provision for the
purchase of tools, apparatus or materials or
the payment of teachers. and the next Leg
~islature will be asked to make an appro-
p~riation for this purpose. Superintendent
Hert, of the Indiana Reformatory, says the
managers Of that institution will bring the
matter to the attention of the next Legis-
lature. He adds:
The intent OF the management has been
all along to establish trade schools. With
this I'm view the law was enacted to abolish
the plan of leasing convict labor. Prison
products have always been a source of cen
trOversy when in competition with free Ia
Dor. How TO employ convicts has caused
endless discussion, but the trade school idea
is the solution. Every man sentenced to
the ~Reformatory should be better equipped
to go out and renew life's struggle, and
this may alone be accomplished in giving
him an education in an industrial way. Sta
tistics show that one-third OF the criminals
can neither read nor write when we receive
them. A surprisingly small number have a
trade. We propose to appeal TO the better
nature of these men by arming them with a
method TO make reputable citizens and at
the same time disarm them of all desire to
commit crimes. We will parole them after
they are prepared TO follow a trade, and yet
have them under our custody until they
prove their fitness to be at large. Eventual
" we will finally discharge them. If they
prove unworthy we will keep them In con-
hnement until they shall have served the
maximum of their sentence. The trades to
be taught are tinsmithing, bricklaying,
stonecutting, b~lacksmithing. carpentering,
cabinetmaking, painting. printing. plaster
ing and weaving cloth to make clothes for
the inmates.
1t is evident that Superintendent Hert is
in full sympathy with the objects and in
tent of the law. The conversion of a prison
into a trade school in which young Grim
inals and first-time convicts, most of whom
have drifted into crime through idleness,
shall be taught some trade. trained i'm
steady working habits and qualified TO be-
come useful citizens is a great advance on
the old idea of vindictive prison punish
ment. The law of 1897 could not put the
new system in full operation because sew
eral contracts then and still i'm force will
not expire until the beginning of 1906. but no
new contracts are being made and the next
Legislature will have to provide for giving
full effect TO the new law. The grating Of
the trade school idea ON the prison system
will be an important step in prison reform.
4 POOP PARAMOUNT ISSUE.