The Washington bee., 1907-05-18
SCHOOL FOR CONVICTS
MICHIGAN STATE PRISON HAS
"SELECT" INSTITUTION.
Many Ignorant and Iliterate Law
Breakers Receive Ed-cation
There ard They Become
Useii Citizens.

maintained at the Michigan state priS-
on. Its membership is composed of
prisoners. and in this school grown
men are to be seen pOring over the
lessons assigned to children of six or
seven years in the public schools.
For the last biennial period there
was an average of 67S inmates of the
Jackson prison; Of these 24O attended
the school held regularly four nights
in each week in a room in the extreme
east wing.
One of the first things which hap
pens to the man who has the misfor-
tune to find himself in prison is an
examination as to his educational quail
fcatiOns. He is asked TO affiX his
name TO a ca-l which oi~es the au-
thOrities the r-ght To open "a read
his mail. Uncle Sam ) lC,,ers are not
to be monkeEed with, even by prison
officials. bat the man in prison may
not receive u'ogened letters. If he
refuses TO auow shem to be opened
before he receives them, he just
doesn't receive them. They are re
turned to he sender.
But this test proves whether the
prisoner can write, and a good many
Of the fresh fish"-under which eu-
DhOniOus title fellow prisoners are
known by their older fellows-are il
iterate, ten per cent of all those ex-
amined can neither read nor write
If they are deficient in education, af-
ter an examination by Supt. HolIen-
rake, they are assigned to a class,
according to their capabilities.
There are eight grades in the prison
school, which correspond, as to the
things taught. quite closely to the
same grades in the public schools. Il
iiterates start with the beginners
grade; then they graduate to the sec
Ond grade, and tackle the studies
which trouble children of seven or
eight years in the red school houses"
scattered all over the state, and so
on to the eighth grade, after which
they are exempt from compulsory at
tendance.
Men over As years of age are not
compelled to attend the school, but
no others escape, if they are educa-
tiOnally deficient 1t is a remarkable
sight to see a bold burglar or house
breaker whose early education, except
in rascality, has been neglected, poT-
ing over a childish primer.
But they are very eager and quick
to learn" said a prison official AS
soon as they master a few words they
begin pOring over newspapers. They
seem to prefer the stories of current
events, the things that people are
talking about outside. There was an
lrishnan who could not read a word
when he came here: he was interest
ed in baseball, ard in a month he
was studying the scores with great
delight"
The school teachers are officials and
the better educated inmates and the
prisoners in the lower grades are as
teachable as children. When they ad-
vance to the grades in which geog-
raphy is taught, some of them, it is
found, have been ali over the world,
and know at first hand the places de
scribed in the text hooks.
With many prisoners, instruction
which will lead tc better things when
the day of liberty comes does not
stop with the prison school. The
spark of ambition is kindled in many
minds, and they take advanced
courses. If they car afford it, they
take the courses OF the correspond
ence schools. They are allowed com
pensatiOn for overtime work on the
contracts. and with ne little money
so secured, they try 10 fit themselves
fer something better.
Just now three prisoners are taking
courses in mechanical engineering,
others are taking courses in bookkeep-
ing, electrical engineering, etc. One
wOuld-be electrical engineer has ad-
yanced so far that he is employed in
wiring the prison. One man is study
ing architecture; many are hard at
work on literature, with the facilities
afforded by the rather limited prison
library and magazines. Many friends
of the prisoners send old magazines,
which are bound in the prison bindery
and read and reread.
'The great majority of the prison
ers are very anxious to learn some
thing useful, and to earn something
to help them along the way of knowl-
edge and to give them a little start
when they get out" said the official.
While discipline under Warden
Armstrong is more rigid. every educa-
tionaf theory and means of self-help
in vogue duriug Ei.ceat's adm inistra-
ton is retained. TIE first care of the
Jackson prison management is the
reformation O. prisoners, to enable
them to live r-aG abe Ives wLel they
gain their HhaTtv And he rRciaIs
declare thev G~e sf-ceeT- T--g--not in
every case. bUr s"--ci~n,l 20 encour-
age the belief go, --e E@thgds pur-
sued are teaG.G- q sen Ia t.-e of
criminalitv