The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-09
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY .. 1906,
He that lives upon hope will die
fasting. Ben rrank''n'
The Tail System.

Mr.. George b. Davis, superintendent OF
Public Charities and one of the most
intelligent and humane officials in the
United States. in his annual report for
1876, makes an interesting statement and
valuable Recommendation He says
that n burden on Richmond morally and
financially is the large number OF
drunken husbands. who in neglecting
their families not only make their wives
worse than widows and bring singing
poverty upon them and their helpless
children, but are either in the city hos
pital or the police court or especially
during winter fill our city iails
The recommendation is that the city
purchase farm and make these men
work out their sentences. rather than
keep them in jail at the public expense.
According to scientific penology, this
principle should be adopted in dealing
with all criminals. The rule is that
prisoners In Confinement shall be made
10 reduce the cost of their maintenance
to the greatest possible extent, by their
Profitable employment. The scheme of
prison labor, which the science of peno-
cgy proposes, is a profitable production
of materials for public institutions TN
hampered by restrictions in penitentiaries
and prisons; strictly educational work OF
reformatories and general public work
without Imprisonment for short term
convicts
These fundamentals are stated in a
book, on the Science of Penology, by
Henry Il. Bots. member of the Board
of Public Charities of the State of Penn
sylvania
The reforming of conyicts" says Mr..
Bots. is well-nigh impossible, unless
they are employed at productive labor.
The law is not executed by enforced
lleness. Its deterrent effect upon the
ndoient and ,depraved at liberty is de-
stroycd; its punishment is transformed,
in the estimation of those whom it is
intended 10 restrain into reward; its
execution perverted from the correction
10 the corruption of its victims by the
mischiefs of idleness; and the whole of
objects OF society, in its criminal codes
defeated, if its prisoners are not COM
dtably.
In our public discussions of late, we
have referred more than once to jails
as schools for crime, and we have had
something to say on the subject of COM
rulsory attendance upon schools for the
education of children The remarks OF
Mr. Bots in this connection, therefore,
have a peculiar interest for the Times
Dispatch.
Statistics show says he, that about
- per cent. of the prisoners of society
AZ any one time are held by it in iails
In comfNete iaieness over 81 percent
of tht 251Oi prisoners committed to the
Jails and houses of correction in the
State of Massachusetts. during a single
year. had been previously committed
from one TO over fifty times. If the
same ratio prevails throughout the
country, and we assume n present prison
population of 10000, the jail population
averages 1900. Or these. 1880 would
be recommtments and 1880 first com
mltments at any one date. Assuming
ar average term of 60 days. there would
10 an annual average of six times the
lrst commitment. or $1,000 different per-
sons committed during the year, in adj
tiuon to the 1890 rounders making a
total of Sl.gS0 different prisoners held in
laii during the year which is Silt per
cent. of the total number of prisoners
in confinement at any one time This is
an approximately accurate estimate of
compulsory attendance which our pres-
ent vicious penal laws enforce in these
schools of crime and hotbeds of corrup.
ton; $3.50 persons, with criminal dis.
ur ~ 1all, H.,
ment and associated with 1880 conflrm
cd corrupt and expert criminals, ant
then, after being allowed to fermen
with them in idleness for sixty day.
are turned loose to wreak their ravage
or society,"
These comments apply 10 the Jail sys
tenn in Virginia. as well as in Pennsyl
yania. In the Richmond Jail, in TIL
Henrico Jail and in jails of all othe
cities and counties, especially the cit,
jaiIs. we are keeping at the public ex
pense a large number of Migrants me,
and of women, who have no moral sen
sibilities who have no sense of sham
or disgrace, who look upon II Jail, es
pecially in lad weather, as comfort
able resort, who find pleasure in sue
confinement and who sometimes actual
commit petty crimes for the purpose
he'ng sentenced. II Is manifest, Their
Fore, that in taxing ourselves to su
tain this system, we are lettering rath
than encouraging that class Of Grim
nails and by our free system we are pu
ting premium upon sorts OF pet
prosecutions and the tax payers pay Il
COST The system is ntither reformation
nor punitive, and in the interest
morals as well as of economy, we shou
abolish the system Of condemnng Grim
nais 10 a life Of ease ana idleness. al
substitute the work-house system.
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The Cooperative Principle.
+ Sx.pator Iyuazallfu rl,t.,.. t1,.