The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-15
Wednesday, April III. zoos.
AN IMPENDING PROBLEM.


AN IMPENDING PROBLEM.
The Morning Journal-Courier has al
ready called attention in it's editorial
and news columns to the enormous
docket presented to the criminal side
OF the superior court I'm this county
yesterday Editorially the docket was
discussed from the point of view of
the duty involved of the Judge, the
prosecuting officers and the Jury, who
have something higher and better to do
than to punish The most successful
administration Of the criminal law
which can be conceived Of is where the
prisons and jais are emptied Of their
contents and not reflled. Civilized So
ciety long ago concluded. and conclud-
ed wisely. that its first undertaking in
the care of the criminal and the vicious
is to reclaim. and rekindle If possible
the fires of respectable citizenship. We
look confidently to that disposition of
the cases now claiming the attention
Of the superior court
There is, however, another phase of
this phenomenal docket which should
not be lost sight of by those men who
aspire to sit In the halls of legislation
and make laws for the further protec-
ton and development Of society, At
the present moment the states prison
at Wethersfeld is within twenty or
twenty-five of accommodating its full
number, When that small number has
been received within the next few
weeks. the warden of the prison will be
obliged to notify the sheriffs of the
eight counties 20 bring no more con
victs to Wethersfield, and the sheriffs
in turn will be obliged to fill up the
jails. Then at once a problem will be
In the forming, which in its final solu-
ton will directly bear upon the prison
policy OF the state. II the prevailing
policy is to be persisted in, the general
assembly will have to appropriate a
considerable sum Of money for an adj
diton to the prison. If. on the other
hand, the prevailing policy is to be
more carefully Analysed and the exper-
fence of other States Is to be consider
ed then the project 70 establish q
State reformatory will take on form
those have thought ana predicted who
have watched the growth of the State
in population and the corresponding
growth in the criminal population,
there IS no way out of the situation
except by either adding to the prison as
1t Is or supplementing It's enforced use
fulness by erecting a reformatory for
the, Incarceration Of first offenders be-
tween sixteen and twenty-five years OF
age
The legislature of 1908 authorized tbs
governor to appoint n commission tC
inquire into state reformatorles War
den Garvin was It's chairman, and h,
and his associates made very thor.
ough investigation of the subject, tray
cling thousands Of miles to inspect re
formatores already in existelFo In diff
ferent States of the Union. The repor
made to the general assembly Of 1905
with its complete plan for one Wing o
the proposed building, was declared t
be by expert criminologists the mos
convincing discussion of the suhnct t
be found in print. Pressed for uoneS
the report was continued to the session
of 1907, and IN turn and for like rea
sons continued to the legislative scssio
of 1909 II, as seems inevitable. Tn
question of increased prison faclitic
is to confront the next general Assem-
bly, with all OF the force of a practice
need, it is Uncomfortable that a reform
atory should be ignored as probab
the better and wiser way to solve tn
problem The state of Connection
must If it's criminal population out
grows its prison facilities, as 1t has a
this moment virtually done, make u
its mind how best TO meet the sltua
ton So far as imprisonment Is concern
ed an addition to the Wetherstield inst
tuition will do the trick, but so far as
more mature and scientific scheme fc
the care of the criminal classes, bot
old and young, Is concerned reform
atory must receive more considerable
than has vet been paid It Once let II
proposed refornatory receive from cor
ditions the impetus which VIII be
consequence given It, and IT will
realized that In no other way can Co,