Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-31
STUDY OF PRISON LIFE
MISS LUCY C. BARTLETT TALKS OF
HER WORK.
Experts to Make Tour of Large Amer1-
can Cities-Returns to
Italy in June.

Miss Lucy C. Bartlett, an American wo-
MAN who has spent many years in England
aud Irbo has now transferred her field OF
action to Italy, is in Washington for the
nurpose of making a study of the prison
system and that of the Juvenile courts ana
the reformatories. She will remain IN the
city until Monday, when she will leave 1or
New York and later will inspect the sys-
TENS at Boston, Chicago and Denver nm
ishing up her work in America by the enu
of June. when she will return TO Italy ana
continue the prosecution of her work IN
that country.
Miss Bartlett is a woman of great Gull
ture and broad views and said to re-
porter for The Evening Star that. after
spending a long time in prison VISITATION
In England and the prosecution OF reforms
in that country, she had gone TO ltaly pc
cause of the climate, and that In that couh-
try she had found great heid Tor nel
work OF reform. Associated with her there
are two other American women, the Mar
chesa de Viii de Marco, who was MISS
Eta Durham of New York and the
Countess di Brazza Savorgnan' VINO was
Miss Slocum of New Orleans. The hus-
bands of both of these ladies OF the arls-
tocracy of Italy are influential members OF
the nobility and one member or the ltal-
ian senate. Through their cooperation
Miss Bartlett has been able to effect many
reforms in the management OF the juvenile
criminal classes of Italy and has succeeded
IN interesting the personal action OF the
king and queen.
THE Italians" she said last night, ARE
generally not philanthropic class, because
as a rule they are poor and money is the
first great need when reforms are sought
The probationary system which we are es-
tablishing in Italy is one which has been IN
operation In the state of Massachusetts for
twenty-four years and has been very sue
cessful in effecting reforms among the
ppnDlp who have hepu led to crime
and who would, under the old system of
the reformatory, be branded for life. Now
they are sent to their homes and are kept
under the supervision of a reform officer,
10 whom they are obliged to report at GER
tain designated times. If they transgress
any of the rules under which they are given
their practical liberty they amenabe
TO the courts, but the system has been very
effective in aiding the children to escape
from their road to graver crimes and put
them in the way of Improvement and bet
ter lives.
To Study Reform System.
I'm the cities which 1 am going to visit
in America the reform system is in opera
ton and l shall study it and undertake to
introduce the best principles into the work
In Italy. 1t may be interesting to note
that the reformatory system will be prac-
tically begun In that country by American
women. although the Italian government is
the boys who are released under the super
vision of an officer the latter to be paid
by private purse. 1t is this part that is
expensive and which must come from the
purses of private individuals. The reform
committee will undertake the work, and
wherever there are Americans who are in
terested in 1t, If they will write TO me in
care OF Brown Brothers. New York, 1 will
be only too glad to send them all the in
formation at my command
The probationary system VIII be dis
cussed at the international penitentiary
congress- to be held in Buda Pesth next
September and there 1 expect to read a
paper on the subject, explaining to the con-
gress what have learned during this trip
and during my work in England. The
Howard Association of London, with which
i was associated in prison reform. has made
great advances in prison reform and the
work is being still vigorously prosecuted.
In England 1 visited prisons for a long
time and made study of every one of i'm
portance. / shall do the same here, and
when / return TO Italy will try and intro
duce the best of the reform features into
the work there. MIR. Copp of the board of
guardians here has been extremely cour-
teous to me and has enabled me to secure
much information regarding the proba-
tionary system here that would otherwise
have been difficult, IL not impossible, of OBJ
taining. i find that the system Is working
splendidly here, which fact, together with
the success of the system in Massachusetts,
encourages me to hope that we may get it
into active and successful operation in
Italy,"