Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-03-20
SCHOOLS FOR CRIME.
Fault Found with Jail System Of
the United States.
Indiscriminate Mixing of Prisoners
Breeds a vicious Class-0ur County
JaiIs the Worst Institutions
in the World.


II is TO be hoped that the period
of determination upon which we
have entered will lead TO a true ap-
probation of other sociaI menaces
than that threatening from the an
archists' camp. If the suppression
of those who incite to violence
against government be a necessity
what shall be said Of measures TO
prevent the multiplication of the
brood of ordinary criminals who
threaten the life and property of the
common man throughout the land?
asks the Boston Transcript. Our toll
Grafton of anarchistic propaganda is
hardly more culpable than the gen.
eral indifference to conditions which
directly foster criminality in the or
binary sense of the word We are
reminded of this by the severe con
domination of our prison system by
the Howard association of England
in its latest utterances. After a
thorough examination OF reports
from majority of our states the ex.
perts of this association pronounce
our county iails "the worst institu
tions of the kind in the world" and
the conclusion is based upon studies
at first hand by men qualified for the
work.
The chief indictment which the
English experts find against our
county iails (and it should be re
membered that the Overwhelming
number Of prisoners are housed in
them) is the indiscriminate herding
of inmates of all ages and grades
and their enforced idleness, In 9th.
er words, the county jails supply the
very best conditions for the culti'
walton Of criminal instincts and the
graduation Of resourceful crooks
This is an oft told tale which coulc
easily be elaborated, yet the county
jail, in charge Of an appointee whose
chief qualification is OF a political ma.
ture, remains as monument to pub
lie indifference about a vital subject
There is small comfort in the refec.
ton that the county iails of this com.
monwealth are on a higher level
than some others, or that the worst
hotbeds of immortality and crime are
to be found in some benighted south
ern state. An abundance Of recent
evidence has been published showing
local shortcomings.
1t is not TO be wondered at that the
Howard association views with sus
picion our general methods Of treat
ing wrongdoers as tending to in.
crease rather than TO diminish crime
although il seems questionable how
attributable to the so-called sever,
although il seems questionable how
justice OF British punitive measures.i
At all events our critics are more
than justified in pointing TO the
need of prison reform in the United
States IL it be our aim to diminish
crime. This is said with full
knowledge Of the progress alread.
made. In reformatory work we have
set some notable examples, and in
the wider field OF penal reform we
have hit upon some discoveries of in.
estimable value. such as the indeter,
inmate sentence and the probation
system. Yet, as whole, our prison
system is bad.
Even Japan shames us. According |
20 Kiego Kiyoura, cx-minister Of jus. |
tice, Japan has realized some ideals
in prison administration which we
still hold merely as theories. 1t has
centralized its prison administration,
securing the advantages Of uniform.
ity and economy which Capitalization
affords. 1t has established a school
for the training Of higher prison Off.
Gals, with a programme in penol. |
ogy, prison hygiene, criminal psy
chology, statistics, anthropometry,
the maintenance Of ex-conyicts, meth. |
DDS of reformation and practical
drill in prison management. il has
an association with more than 10000
members for the purpose Of improv
ing persons, not to mention local
committees and societies for the aid /
of discharged convicts. Some OF the
things we most need little Japan has
already realized-foremost amonp /
them what corresponds to state con
tro' as opposed 20 county control
and higher training Of prison OH
cials whose tenure Of Office is di- /
yOrced from local politics