The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-02-06
OUR COUNTY JAIL SYSTEM.
Counted by English Experts a.
schools for Crime and the
Worst in the World.

1t is to be hoped that the period
of self-examination upon which we
have entered will lead to a true ap-
probation of other social 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 gem
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-
demnation of our prison system by
the Howard association of England
in its latest utterances. After a
thorough examination of reports
from a majority of our states the ex-
perts of this association pronounce
our county jails 'the worst institu-
tons 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 jails land it should be re-
membered that the overwhelming
har Of -,
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 cult
vation of criminal instincts and the
graduation of resourceful crooks.
This is an oft told tale which could
easily be elaborated, yet the county
Jail, in charge of an appointee whose
chief qualification is of political ma
ture, remains as monument to pub
lie Indifference about vital subject.
There is small comfort in the refec-
ton that the county iails of this COM
monwealth are on 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 it seems questionable how
attributable to the so-called "severe
although it seems questionable how
justice of British punitive measures"
At all events our critics are more
than justified in pointing to the
need of prison reform in the United
States if it be our aim to diminish
crime. This is said with a full
knowledge of the progress already
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
to Kiego Kiyoura, ex-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 uniforms
ity and economy which centralizat ton |
1t has established a school |
for the training of higher prison Off
Gals, with programme in pencil
ogy, prison hygiene, criminal psy-
chology, statistics, anthropometry,
the maintenance of ex-convicts, meth
DDS of reformation and practical
drill in prison management. 1t 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 acknowledgements among
them what corresponds to state con-
troll as opposed to county control
and higher training of prison Off
Gals whose tenure of office is di-
vorced from local politics.