Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23
JgTlcE WKLdnT

must pass their time in idleness. The
jail should be used only as Il place of
trial. For this purpose it is large enough
and only needs modern plumbing and a
large common dining room to make it rea-
Sonably fit for the purpose.
At present. however, it contains be-
tween 800 and 6CO prisoners. although it
was built and arranged for only 300. The
consequence is that most of the cells con-
tain two prisoners and some of them
three These cells are only five feet by
eight feet. Lazy and shiftleSS men are
being sent to this jail day after day from
the Police Court some of them for periods
of eighteen months. They simply feed
and sleep and plan what they will do
when they get out, if they have enterprise
enough for that. The law does not per-
nit the Police Court to sentence a pris-
oner To more than a years confinement
in single case. but in some instances
there will be several cases against the
the aggregate sentences may be for much
more than year.
Il do not send prisoners to serve SEN
fences in Jail when L can possibly avoid
it. / send them either to the workhouse
or TO the penitentiary. l have broken this
rule in only two or three instances for
reasons that were special and seemed
sufficient.
The Present System.
Under the present system all who are
sentenced to more than a years impris-
onment must be confined in penitentiary
and the department of Justice determines
to what penitentiary the prisoner shall be
sent. They are now being sent to Mounds
Vile penitentiary. West Virginia. a state
penitentiary, and to Atlanta Ga. a fed
eral prison. l have no criticism to make
upon these institutions, but l think we
ought to have modern reformatory es-
pecially for the District Of Columbia
Some of those who come before the
court for sentence, especially first Offend
ers. might be reclaimed if they could be
sent to the right sort of an institution
where they could be employed in health
full and useful labor under proper in
huences. If we had such an institution
or a department of this sort in the larger
institution it would then be possible for
Congress TO leglSlate for the District upon
modern lines In respect to prison reform.
Il believe in the indeterminate sentence
for a large class of cases. and if we had
pass laws that would enable us to make
beginning in this field. | think we shall
eventually make very radical changes in
our treatment of prisoners. Some ought
never to be released at all and others
ought TO be released on parole But / do
not see how We can do much in this line
of work without an institution which is
directly connected with the court SO that
the court under the power to be given it by
Congress can make proper orders with
reference to the prisoners committed and
keep some sort of supervision over
them.
Justice Barnard's Views.
L am heartily in favor of a United
States prison in this District said JUS
I - Tlar I'd
would be humane and just to the people
of this community and it would at the
same time afford. to Congress an oppor-
tunity for the construction of d model
pc, itentIary on the best-known lines of
present prison re form.
Congress should provide a system of
government and so change the law with
reference TO sentences to make the
institution a model for the various states.
whose senators and representatives could
Sc and thoroughly test it as an object
lesson in the National capital.
THE building or buildings ought to
BE- sanitary in every respect and pro-
yided with suitable workshops and school
rot ms. where the prisoners could be in
sITucted in industrial education and
morals, and each one taught to do some
useful work. or to learn some trade by
which he could obtain a living on his
relo ase.
1ndeterminate Sentences.
The term of sentence, I think, should
be the indeterminate sentence. which has
that is. a sentence depending for it's length
on the conduct and character of the pris-
oner. and his ability and inclination to
earn an honest living. and to forsake
all criminal associations: a sentence which
mum term of the statute, but by which a
release could be determined upon earlier
by the board of managers and the super
intendent
ITO such an institution many prisoners
could be sent who now go to the Jail,
where they remain in idleness. and prob
ably come out worse than they enter.
Such prison might be made to inspire
self-respect and obedience to law, par
ticularly in the younger offenders.
AS the District is now situated chill
dren are often sent long distances from
their parents. and parents sent away from
their children, thus removing them from
all family kindness influence during
their terms of Imprisonment
Justice Wright's Opinion.
"Penitentiary'' is the legal term which
signifies the place for the Incarceration
by way of punishment of those convicted
of the graver and more serious crimes
known as felonies: warehouses are the
oretically places for the incarceration
by way of punishment of those convicted
of the less serious and minor offenses
called misdemeanors; jails are theoreti-
ca!ly the places where persons charged
with crime but whose guilt is not yet
ascertained and who are unable to give
bond are held in safety to insure their
presence for trial.
practically this distinction has UNI
fortunately been disregarded; for one