The Plymouth tribune., 1902-03-20
REFORM IN PRISONS
Valuable Results of the Workings of
lndiana's Beneficent Penal
Laws.
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS
How the Indeterminate Sentence and
Parole Law Has Worked for the Bet
terment Of Those Who Come Under
Its Operations.

Its Operations.
A few years ago the system of
handling the criminal population of
this state was very crde, IL the CON
stitution of the state is to be con-
sidered. But little attention was
given the prisoners after their arrest
and sentence to prison by the court.
The object at that time seemed to
be TO throw the man into prison for
definite time and compel him to
work, earning money fer the state.
and the more he could earn the better
prisoner he was for the institution
and the management
Section 63 of the constitution
of the state of Indiana reads as fol-
lows: The penal code shall be
founded on principles OH reformation,
and not of vindictive justice" Or,
IL other words, the authorities of
our penal institutions should base
their management upon ideas looking
to the reformation and making, where
possible. better men of those that are
placed in their charge. With this in
view, the men who were interested
in this class of work began a few
years ago, to educate our legislators
On the subject of securing better
legislation looking to prison manage
ment
During the legislature of the win
ter of 1895 they were successful in
securing the appointment OF a COM
mittee by the General Assembly to
make investigation of the laws that
were on the statute books at that time
in the states of New York, Illinois and
Minnesota, as these states were then
working under the indeterminate sen
tence and parole law. This commit
tee entered earnestly into their work
and had the hearty cooperation of the
management of our penal institutions
at that time and before the meeting
of the legislature in January, 1897, had
of all the states that were successfully
operating the indeterminate sentence
and parole law system, and with this
information at hand, drafted the law
under which the penal institutions OF
our state are now working. This law
was approved by the legislature on
March 8, 1897.
In the passage o. these measures
the Indiana State Prison North be-
came the Indiana State Prison and
the Indiana State Prison South be-
came the Indiana ~Reformatory.
Before the passage of tniS law all
prisoners sentenced in counties north
OF a line running east and west
through the center of the state, which
line touched the southern border of
Marion county, were sentenced TO the
Michigan City prison. and all south
of this line were sentenced TO Jefer-
scnville. This was done without re-
gard to age, crime, or the number of
times the prisoner may have been in
prison. The result was that many a
young boy who had committed his
first offense was thrown into prison
and put into the same cell with an
old, experienced offender, and, after
serving his term of one or two years
with no attention being given to him
while in prison. he was discharged a
graduate in crime. The new law
seeks to remedy just such cases as
this by committing 10 the state prison
all men who are ever so years of age.
and those who have been sentenced
for life or treason and those who have
served in prison more than one term.
To the Infiana Reformatory are com
mitted all persons under 80 years of
age, except those who have life SEN
tence or found guilty Of treason. The
management of the state prison and
the reformatory, as soon as the laws
were passed. in 1897, set out at once
to adopt rules and provide for the
better government of the prisoners in
their charge. as contemplated by the
new law. In the enforcement and op-
Grafton of this new law, no man did
more to accomplish the results that
have made the operation of this law
Sd satisfactory. than the late Governor
Mount of Indiana.
MEANING of the Law
The first reform that was intro.
duced at these institutions was to
abolish the lash, and in its stead well
ventilated and warm cells were pro-
vided, where a prisoner is placed in
solitary confinement, on short diet, be-
ing compelled to stand at his cell door
during working hours. This punish
ment lasts until the prisoner is will
ing and the management is satisfied
that he will return to his work and
give no further trouble. The average
punishment of this kind is about As
hours. Again. the change of clothing
from the stripes to the cadet blue sor
the first-grade prisoner and a check
cred cloth of dark and gray check
: for the second grade. and the stripes
for the third grade. The lock-step has
also been abolished and instead pris-
oners are permitted to march in mill
tary order, two abreast. These three
reforms, the abolishment of the lash,
the striped clothing and the lock-step.
have done more to improve the con-
dition of the prisoner and make him
feel like a man than anything that