The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14
Why Advancing CiUilization in America Increases Crime;
 Some Methods Of Relief
FEAoN OF INFERIOR BIRMINGHAM

 1 fortune and the best years of his life en- during great hardships trying to cor rect the evils that then existed. F or cen f turies wrongs have been wrought upon helpless humanity through this vicious system. It is an anomaly in the law: 1t makes the sheriff his own judge in his own case, where he is the plaintiff and his helpless prisoner the defendant. Fly cry other judge is disqualified from sit ting in his own case, or in a case where he is pecuniarily interested, yet the sher- if keeps the jail in many of our states and keeps the prisoners in the jail. if he question of security offered on a ball bond. He is allowed in different states. from twenty-five to forty cents per day for feeding such prisoner. How much food he shall give and how much shall be hls daily profits of these matters he Is his own judge. If he feeds sparingly and clean the jails sparingly his profits in crease. Being the sole keeper and the sole provider for the jail, 1t Is to his in- terest 10 run the jail as cheaply as pos sible. The more cheaply, the more money in his pocket The temptation in this age, in the mighty rush for the almighty dollar, is too great for frail human na- ture. The opportunity is ever present and there is danger of making the sheriff, who may be at heart good man, sordid, inhuman. oppressive and callous of the welfare of even the innocent untried pris- | oner. Even among Chrlstss chosen de- ciples, Judas was found who betrayed his Master for a few shackies of silver. "Och mankind are unco weak
 And little to be trusted
 Where self the wavering balance shakes It is rarely right adjusted"
 Is it strange that every official (con- stable, justice of the peace, judge of court, sheriff and deputy, who is paid by fees the perquisities of his office, and paid only on the arrest and conviction of citizen, should strive to increase the number of arrests and convictions?
 That is but the natural response to the promptings of self-interest Every ar rest made and every conviction procured increase the amount of his fees; hence it is that our jails and prisons as managed In many of our states are filled with men, women and children. many of whom are innocent or charged with trivial offences, hunted down by interested officials whose motive Is private gain rather than the public good
 Dr. Shirley Bragg, once physician of conVicts and now president of the Board Of Convict Inspectors of Alabama says, in report to the governor Many con- vfcts are convicted on the most trivial charges, given a sentence of a few days, a cost bill extending to the very limit of the law. So universally has this prac- tlce become in some sections of the state that it would appear that these poor un- fortunates are convicted principally for their fees. The condition of many jails in Alabama beggars description. Pris- oners are hoarded in them like sheepp with no ventilation or sanitation, no bath ing facilities and no change of clothing talthough they may be confined for months) rocking with filth and covered with vermin, this with food of the rough est and poorest character, not only in Vites but produces disease. This is a mild , picture of existing conditions in many of the jails in the state" How long will right thinking law makers allow the fee system to stand when it invites such con- ditions, offers such opportunities and such temptation to coin dollars at the cost of such human depravity. Mny not sub stitute salaries for fe system to avert such horrible atrocities.
 Jails and Prisons.
 Are our states, through their laws and officials, doing the best possible thing for the improvement of society by uplift- ing of the criminals? It may be stated as a fact to which all assent that every man. woman and child arrested for vio- lation of the law should, if released be better citizen than when arrested. To
  pose and object of the criminal laws. In this all the text books on criminal law and the judges in enforcing the criminal law concur. Are we pursuing rational methods to this end?
 In every state in this republic, with rare exception the first offender charged with misdeamanor, if poor without we'll to-do friends is locked up in our jails and prisons, even before trial, with lhe most hardened and vicious criminals. 1 These are his daily educators. When put in prison though he may be a novice in crime, he comes out an expert. His soul is saturated with criminal thoughts and criminal explorations; he is educated in criminal methods, robbed of pride of char acter degraded and disgraced in his own eyes, and when released he returns to so- ciety to prey upon it's peace and its hap plness.
 From 20 to 40 per cent of those who are imprisoned in many of our jails are nno- cent-are finally acquitted. Who can es- innate the moral depravfty engendered, the outraged feelings aroused in the breast of an innocent man thus maltreat- ed, deprived wrongfully of his liberty, in- carcerated with the vest criminals? And yet I have seen an innocent country boy of IS years charged with a misdemeanor thus treated; kept In jail for months. then finally acquitted the victim of q vicious
 
 crime was his poverty. Many of our states are thus fostering a school for crime in compulsory education, by co1- fining in jails before trial those charged with misdemeanors, first offenders, with hardened criminals as their teachers. little girl of tender years, charged with a trivial offense, once came before me for trial. To repeated questions she re- piled that she had heard while in jail only vulgar words, and vile oath, had heard no kind voice, nor felt the touch of a sympathetic hand.
 It is surprising that by such thought less and inconsiderate methods we debase the citizen, rob him of all thoughts Of decent behavior, make him reckless criminal for life. When first offenders are convicted and sent to many of our state and county prisoners, we find the same reckless rule-the convicts are not classified by the nature of the crime con mitted with a view of helping their moral character for future citizenship, but class flied according to their physical ability to work and placed possibly side by side with yeritable tartars in iniquity.
 Tn England centuries ago. our Angle saxon ancestors took the convicted crinl- inal. and stretched him upon the ground, drove a long stake through his quivering bodv mailing it securely to the earth, then tying four horses, one to each arm and foot the wretch was thus quar- tered. and his severed limbs and bleeding body were placed along the public high ways as a warning to future offenders. This did not check crime nor help moral o.a sooiaI oonditions but invited suicide: