Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-10-25
SHOULD PAY
The CONWCTS
So Declares Father Fish in Re-
port to Governor Stokes
The States Duty.

Governor Stokes has received from
the Rev. Alloys NJ. Fish, moral in
structor at the State Prison, a report
upon behalf of the New Jersey dele
gates to the national prison congress,
which was recently held at Albany.
The report contains several recon-
mend&tfons, one of the interesting
features of which is a discussion of
the subject of convict labor in its re-
lation to free labor. The delegates
take the position that ~convicts
should be employed, and that from
the result of their earnings the State
should be repaid for it's expenditures
and that whenever possible the pris-
ner should derive at least some be-
nefit from his eXertions. The Rev.
Father Fish is one of the foremost
Psychologists in the United States,
and has attended many of these an
nual sessions of the prison congress.
The report follows in full:
s'The penal and correctional agen-
cies of Il State were well represent
ed at the deliberations of the con-
gress. We noted with pleasure
among our number prominent Off
Gals of the State prison, the State
4 AiotO = thO oIoiO liohtC " OOyoy
the State home for girls, heads of
county penitentiaries, criminal
courts, probation officers and police,
as well as leaders of the State Char
tiles Aid Association and earnest
workers in voluntary Jail and prison
effort.
1--WE were deeply impressed by the
large number of officials of penal in
situations of high and low degree
from thirty-siX of our States and ter
ritories and from five provinces of
Canada, all eager to learn from n
another and to give information to
one another. We feel that we have
been benefited, each of us in his or
her sphere, and that we have ac-
quired ideas that will be of advant-
age in the development and improve
men of penal management in its
various aspects in our own State.
THE apers and discussions on
many phases of penal work and sys-
TENS gave us opportunity of learn
ing much. Prison labor, the elements
of prison discipline, reformatory
methods in State prisons, r~eformatory
administration, soul winning in pri-
son and reformatory, the tuberculo-
sis problem, mental effectiveness
among prisoners, the delinquent girl,
the managing of the boy, the treat
ment of women prisoners, the prison
er OF parole, the reformation of jails,
the juvenile courts, and the organi-
cation and principle of probation
were some of the topics ably pre-
sented by men and women, not slaves
to : theory, but practical and wei
trained to the work discussed by
them.
Duty to Criminal.
I'VE have become acquainted will
the good points of system and meth
DDS in various States, and while W
are not friends to servile imitation
we earnestly hope a careful assimi
lation into our various institution
of the ideas at the prison congress
may take place. We respectfully Civ
utterance to our special impression
along the following lines:
"A-The State in its relation t.
the imprisoned has a threefold dut.
to perform: To punish the delin
quent, to protect society, to reform
the individual. In due proportion al
three must be emphasized in pena
and correctional discipline. Impris
onment with its accompanying de
privations of personal liberty and o
many comforts of life provides pun
ishment to the individual and TEN
porary protection to society. But i'm
prisonment alone, whether harsh o
mild, does not guarantee permanen
protection. This can be brough
about only through the reformation
of the individual. We assume, as
self-evident truth, that all delin
A quents cannot and will not, humanl!
speaking, be reformed but We are o
the firm conviction that the State i:
under obligation to place before i'm
prisoned delinquents sound incentives
and means toward reformation. Re
ligion, education, and industry are
the great incentives that we have
in mind. They form an integral par
of reformative effort and system, and
constitute the dominant note of dis
cipline in our reformatory and State
homes. They have been accepted
into our prison and we look to see
them developd to fullness there. They
should be, extended also to our peni-
tentiarieT warehouses; and jails, and
we hope(for strong initiative and per
sistent effort to this effect in ou1
minor institutions. 1t is good public
policy to neglect no opportunity OF
! developing or of r~einducing good
~.rcitizenship and solid character among
our delinquents and we recommend
the encouragement of activity, official
= and voluntary to the achievement OF
this end.
"B-Believing that the reasonable
demands of free labor can be har,
monized with the native right of the
State to require productive labor OF
its imDrisOned d~elinOuentS we urge
a specialized study of the problem OF
prison labor. 1t is false politica'
economy to maintain the imprisoned
in idleness or in u~nproductive eXer-
tions. II would be injustice TO utilize
the naturally cheaper work of prison
ers to the detriment of that of labor
and com mnrcn frnm which the mnini