The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-09-22

or resting up for further operations in
their line We also have a workhouse
for another class OF offenders. Then we
have our penitentiary prisoners who are
sent. TO West Virginia for their keeping.
/ am informed that we have about SO
convicts at Moundsvilie whfch Is prac-
tically half as many as West Virginia
has OF her own.
Sent 70 Another State.
In the first place I have never under
stood why we send our penitentiary
prisoners TO another State for keeping,
unless Il IS for the reason that we have
not enough Of them TO warrant a peni-
tertiary Of our own. This may be true.
but know OF no good reason why we
should not build a Jail and a peniten-
tiary az one, and IN this building con
fine both classes of our criminals.
In M Judgment the present location
Of our Jail could not meet such re-
quirements in a practical way. II should.
with other buildings of like nature. be
removed. IL is damaging 70 that section
Of the city, which Is annually improving
as a residential part OF the city. The
ground II occupies could no doubt be
sold for enough 10 purchase a more de-
sirable and much larger tract for such
purposes. With this sold we could Sc
cure ample ground just inside the Dis
trict limits and near the railroad. and
upon this erect a building. suitable for
both classes OF criminals. upon a plan
by which additions may be made from
time to time as necessities may demand.
so that at all times TO come there would
- Ii 81 azl-
and thereby remove the possible neces-
sity of placing a first offender with
hardened criminal
Object Reformation.
Reformation. not vengeance, is the
object that should be sought IN dealing
with every kind Of criminal, according
TO Mr.. Harper's ideas. With a jail
crowded 10 twice it's capacity. making
It impossible to discriminate between
prisoners, hardened criminals or first
offenders, convicted or accused, with a
system OF law under which judges are
prevented from ameliOrating conditions
Mr.. Harper sees a very difficult problem
TO solve. but says:
with our hardened class OF criminals
all provided for within our own domain.
we would then be given an opportunity
to deal in e. practical way with the
first offender in CRIME. with reforma-
ton in view under what is known TN
many Of the States as the tndetermi-
nate sentence. am informed that this
has worked admirably In those States
where II has been put to practical
test.
Parole Prisoners.
State have the power under their crimi-
nal code TO parole the prisoner where
the crime is a ffst cfrense. and the
previous character Of the prisoner has
been good.
Young men with al indeterminate sen
tenoe feature attached, with The power
or parole resting in a board Of man
ayers.
-Ohio has a similar institution So
has Indiana, New York Massachusetts,,
and no doubt others. but from these
States I have direct information as to
the satisfactory working of the in
stitutions.
I'm each or these the sentences are
for the first offender only and thu age
ranges from sixteen to thirty years
Some Of these States have several re-
formatories. all. of course. conducted
upon the same general rule.
Under the old system OF criminology
the criminals were sent to prison 70 as
sociate with old, or hardened. offenders
for a fixed or definite term and be re-
leased at the end of that period. posi-
bly, no better, from a moral standpoint.
and frequently worse than when they
went In. l am sorl5- TO say that this is
still true of the District of Columbia
Under the refOrmatOry system they
have their minds and bodies trained with
the object always in view of rcfOrlna-
ton, and when released they are sup
nosed TO be morally cured. As a patient
from a hospital IS supposed to be physi-
caliy cured when released flOm that
Institution.
As L, the ipdeterminate sentence.
the fear which has been in the minds