Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-06
TELLS OF HORROR
OF PRISON SYSTEM
CALIFORNIA LAGs FAR BEHIND OTHER STATES IN
PENITENTIARY METHODS
Quentin School for Criminals and Hundreds of Young Men
Who Might Have Been Valued Members of Society Are
Ruined for Lack of Real Reformatory
BY col. GnIrF1rH ). eRIFFITH

BY COL. GRIFFITH j. GRIFFITH
r F the 26OO prisoners confined within the
walls of San Quentin and Folsom had
Il lived in the early days of our country
and had committed the same crimes,
thew in all probability would not have
been imprisoned. Instead of that, some
would have been burnt at the stake, some
hanged and some would have had their
ears cut off; others would have been
branded with red hot iron and the rest
would have been consigned to the whip
ming post and the stocks, which then
adorned nearly every city and town. The
fundamental idea then prevailing Of all
such punishment was the inf1iction OF
physical pain as a supposed deterrent TO
future crimes. Later laws were passed
grading crimes and for such kinds not
made punishable with death, prescribed
certain, definite period of Imprisonment.
The building Of prisons did not at once
do away with the use Of various forms OF
torture as punitive measures, as is sug-
gested as late as 1885, when the legisla-
ture of New York said Chapter 1882. Sec
ton Sd: THE punishment commonly
known othe shower bath, crucifix and
yoke and buck are hereby abolished in all
the state prisons and penitentiaries or the
state" A gradual evolution In the course
of years, has however, taken place ana
the word punishment has almost en-
tirely been left out of the vocabulary OF
all modern reformatory officials.
Abandon Corporal Punishment
The board of managers of the New
York state reformatory at Elmlra say.
there has not been case or nogglns
for nearly seven years, nor putting IN
irons nearly four years, and for the
past nearly two years there has been no
form of corporal punishment whatever.
The board briefly explains the SITUATION
in these words: ut has simply gone
quietly out of use no apparent necessity
for it having arisen" Comparing the oid
with modern methods, the said board IN
its last report uses this language: I'VE
believe that the product of the present
system is superior to the product of the
old, in about the same proportion that a
horse trained by Rarey is better than one
broken by a cowboy.
At this reformatory newcomer enters
the second grade, from which by good
records he may advance to the first, ana
by bad records fall back to the third.
There are during the year nearly 5000 in
mates treated, whose ages range from 10
to 30 Several trades are taught and IN
both trade and school work great care is
taken not to give the prisoner tasks be-
yond his physical and mental capacity,
and equal care to make such tasks SO as
to call forth the best work that is IN MIN.
When a prisoner Is said to violate any
Of the rules he is entitled to a full and
\ fair trial by the board Of managers, VINO
saw in their report that neither time nor
trouble is spared to make these 1nVestl-
cations thorough and impartial. Inc ac-
cused has as nearly an absolute square
deal as tho wisdom Of the officials IN
volved enables them to bring about.
California Is Tagging
Reformation is unquestionably the best
nrotection and society's greatest SAFE
guard against crime. Right here an IN.
determinate sentence law in its oroadest
sense should be considered. Inc lnue-
terminate sentence plan embodies as one
Of it's basic principles that the individuai
offender, and not the crime, shall finally
determine the length of confinement OF
detention that is necessary to reform MIN.
The principles involved In the indetermin-
ate sentence and the parole system are
logically one and the same and are IN
seperable Probation or parole, cannot
scientifically be applied to the convicted
person except through the indeterminate
sentence California is far behind other
states in modern methods, and the law
makers during the next session OF the
legislature should remedy some OF tnese
defects.
How can any Judge. though he be
brief space of time usually allotted by
a trial court determine accurately and
iustIv the time it would take to reform
fhe prisoner? Is 1t possible under
these unfavorable environments with
such limited opportunity to study,
weigh and analyze the prisoners char-
acter. measure his stature mentaliy,
physically and morally and pronounce
lust sentence? Can it be done (except
q, rare instances) without working a
great Injustice? Then why send him
"a nrison for a fixed term? 1t may
take but a short time to cure him or IL
might take a slifetime; how Is that
fudge to know? Society demands that
he he cured or permanently secured; {;
hut punishment, as such, has no place
in the Christians plan of regeneration.
Crime Would Decrease
The indeterminate sentence provides
for commitment to prison the same as
an insane person who is sent TO tne
hospital for the insane until cured.
This has been done in other states and
can be done here with comparative JUS
tice to all. Provided the prison is pre-
pared for 1t and properly managed and
its interests controlled by a competent
aupervising board, before whom each
prisoner shall appear personally from
time to time as occasion warrants, TO
he heard in his own behalf.
IF San Quentin were turned into a
modern reformatory, with the indeter-
inmate sentence and better parole
system in careful operation in our
wilson's. crime would decrease, society
would be better protected and the ex-
pense of running the criminal branch
az our state government very greatly
reduced. Humanitarian taxpayers
should take lively interest In this
matter for their own pecuniary benefit,
rs we'll as for the uplifting and bet
terment of humanity.
If is we'll toy remember that cruelty
never prevented crime, for all histories
conclusively show that during the dark
ages when cruelty was at It's very
height in its various forms OF torture,
then crime was most rampant every
where. Let us hope that Qike the old
ox-cart and hand rake of hfty years
ago. which have been succeeded by the
un-to-date harvester) the new prison
methods wills take the place OF the
relics of barbarism and savagepy OF
the early human race. Bear in mind
that vindictive punishment has from
the time of Moses invariably brutalized
,nrisoners instead of humanizing them