The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-09

inals, however, commit wo.thirds of
the crimes of this country and cost us
4Q0,0O0,000 per year-our total annual
tribute paid to criminals of all classes
being $600,000,000, according to Henry
M. Boles, the American penalogist.
'IndeterIninate Sentence
The most potent factor in the making
of Jean Valjeans today is the 'inde eter.
inmate SENTENCE inve..ycd by q. R.
Brockway when director of the Detroit
house of correction. The theory upon
which the system is based is that each
convict should be sent TO a scientific re-
formatory until pronounced ft TO be re-
stored to social freedom. IL he is
found to be incurable or incorrigible
he is 70 he transferred to a peniten-
tiary; rat here he may still achieve lib.
Grafton by satisfying the court of his
cure. His hope of liberty is never cut
off, Despair and imprisonment for life
result solely from his own incorrigibili.
ty. Like a lunatic, he is committed
'until cured.' This system has no.
whore been adopted in its entirety.
Where so far adopted in the United
States a maximum term of confinement
is imposed by the court, Say it is ten
years. The convict is discharged in two
if Hcured. - But if he is still ncorrigi-
BILE at the end of the full decade. he
must then be dumped again upon so.
ciety. Several of our States, notably
New York, Massachusetts and Illinois,
permit it in its limited form. as do Eng.
land, India, France and Japan. It has
not made wider progress simply because
popular opinion still demands of the
criminal retribution instead Of reforma-
ton.
Jean Valjeans by Thousands
Under this system Jean Valieans are
b,rt ba ,i
the New York State reformatory for
men, at Elmira. established under Mr..
Brockway s guidance after he was
called from Detroit to take charge Of
that institution, To give you some idea
as to the raw material turned into this
Jean Vatican factory-the greatest
kind in the world-here are some stats
tics concerning $4,000 matriculates.
Oue-half had been in some kind of penal
institution before, and the other half
were first offenders Over sixty per
cent were practically illiteratc and one
third had been dull pupils or truants.
Their average age was 81 years.
First Step in Jean Vatican Making.
Upon arrival at the Elmira reforma-
tory the initiate is given q bath and
a haircut, is measured by the Bertillon
system and given the military uniform
Of private in the medium Of the
grades into which all pupils are classi-
fed Thus he begins at the middle and
can move either up or down from the
start. After being locked III cell a
day or two for reflection, he is taken
before the superintendent, who subjects
him to an exhautIve mental moral and
physical examination, including inquiry
into his character, that Of his parents,
his own home life, his habits, and as.
sociations physician makes a thor
nf ,bl-SI md
recommendation as to hls hours of
work and rest, supervisas his course In
physical culture, and prescribes treat.
ment for his every bodily ailment.
thorough educational examination is
then given, and his sense of right and
wrong, shame, susceptibility to praise
or blame, religious beliefs, etc, are
noted by clever tests based upon Grim
iual psychology Before being assigned
to a class he receives a plain eXplana~
tiop of the reasons for his confinement
and the conditions under which he can
reduce the maximum time limit of his
term. He is told that all clothing, food,
instruction and doctoring, which he will
receive after his first uniform and his
first meal, will be charged against his
account and must be paid for in credits
received for his work; that dement's for
bad conduct and poor work Will be
| charged against his account in lines;
| that the credits will be given Tor good
demeanor, military drill, quantity. and
quality of work in the industrial de de-
psrtment, and progress in morality. The
novitiate at Elmira is thus, placed IN
tbe responsible position of a wage
Garner. with a distinct identity rather
than of slave with a mere number,
The more credits he receives above deb
i,s the more money he will have when
the eargerly looked-for parole is granted
to pay his expense to his place of en-
ployment.
Prison Key in His Own Hands.
From the start he finds the prison
kew in his own hands, and he is COM