Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-05
CONNECTS AND WORK
Report D y Judge Baldwin at
 Prison Congress.
ATTITUDE TOWARD CRIMINALS.
" Less Rights Today Than at oShn' Says ProfessOr--objec- aons to the Forced Work of
 Prisoners In Open Air.

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Sept. 5.-At a sesslon or the International Prison congress, Judge Simeon E. Baldwin of Connecticut, professor of constitution al and international law at Yale uni versity, presented report on the ques- ton, By What Principles and In What Manner May Convicts Be Given Work ln the Fields or Other Public Work In the Open Air?"
 h opening his report Judge Bald wln asked whether society had not pushed refinement too far in it's mo- tons of the duty of society toward the individual and whether the rights or the individual were not inferior to those or the community. He. held that he who offended against the laws should be treated as the interests of society demand and that those charged with the administration of the laws should take such steps toward the cul- pable as would make good citizen of him. In the beginning of law, he said reparatlon by the criminal was judged to be more important than punishment and chastisement was inflicted only when the offender was unable to make reparation. Society, he held, had no less rights today than at it's origin and even had more, for the world has come to recognize that 1t is necessary in the public interest to regard a crime first of all as wrong against the commun- ity at large, however severely it may affect one of the community in par ticular.
 The objections to the forced labor of convicts in the open air Judge Bald win stated to be as follows:
 First.-It exposes the criminal to public humiliation
 Second.-It degrades him in causing him to fall into vile company.
 Third.-It exposes him to the abuse and tyranny of those who direct his work.
 Fourth.-It facilitates escapes.
 Fifth.-It makes an unjust competi- tion with the labor of free citizens.
 Taking up these objections in order. Judge Baldwin declared that the crimi- naps conviction, being notorious fact, had already caused him to lose public esteem and, besides, it was easy to pre- vent new occasions of shame to the convict.
 Without great expense the fields in which the prisoners are employed might be surrounded by walls to pro- tect them from the public gaze.
 Pointing out the fact that most con- victs come from class of persons un- fitted for any trade or occupation ex- cept the most unskilled labor, Profess or Baldwin suggested that the govern ment should buy up vast tracts of poor, idle or wild land and send it's cenvicts there to work with shovel and pickax, draining and irrigating Though great expense would be en- tailed in buying such land, he main tained that the state would be able to sell it at an ultimate profit.
 Citing the example of North Caro- lima, where 95 per cent of the con- demned are by natural occupation ru- ral laborers and where this plan is in successful financial operation, the pro- lessor concluded nevertheless that the new scheme is somewhat more expen- sive than the ordinary one of putting the convicts at road labor and other public employment where they are con stantly before the public eye.
 Where the latter kind of work is found unavoidable, Professor Baldwin suggested that the better class of crim- inals be allowed to wear mask. This privilege he would make dependent on the recommendation of chaplain or other competent authority and also on the prisoners continued good behavior.
 In considering the question of es- capes facilitated by open air work, criminals were divided into two the long term and life con- victs, men who had lost their right to citizenship in one class, and short term prisoners who still might be- come good men in the other. For the first class Professor Baldwin advo- cated the ball and chain and road work very near the prison cells. where the convicts could return each night But for the other class. whom be as- serted had less temptation to escape, be declared that the ball and chain were harmful both mentally and phys ically and that q prison suit and a place of work far removed from rail way or water transportation should be sufficient safeguards against escape.
 Replying to the implication that out door convict labor makes unjust com petition with free labor, Professor Baldwin stated that indoor work. the only alternative of outdoor labor. was open to precisely the same objection. Then he maintained that the open air occupations competed less against free labor than indoor work. first because Indoor products, being those of handl- craft, had A local market-that is. q limited market, where their disposal was a hardship 10 free labor-whereas the outdoor rural labor had the world as it's market. Moreover, he asserted that nearly all products of the outdoor work of convicts. living in the colonies would never be thrown on Ihe market. hnt De consumed by the