Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-19
TELLS HORRORS
OF PRISON LIFE
COLONEL GRIFFITH ]. GRIFFITH
PLEADS FOR FELONS
WAGES HUMANITARIAN CRUSADE
THROUGHOUT COUNTRY
Has Returned to California After
Travelling More Than Ten Thou
sand Miles Investigating
and Collecting Data

Since The Herald published during
the past eighteen months several col
ums of articles on prison reform by
Colonel Griffith hundreds of other
newspapers and magazines throughout
the United States have quoted his phil
osophy to a large extent. A San Fran
cisco daily published whole page or
II, while the st. Louis Globe-Democrat
half page, and the Bangor (Maine)
Daily Commercial devoted nearly two
columns. As a sample OF what is saiu
in other states farthest away from its
origin, the following is taken from the
Commercial:
1.-THE Californian who occupies the
largest place in the public eye of his
state just now is Colonel Griffith j.
Griffith of Los Angeles, millionaire
philanthropist, criminal, convict ,and
reformer, considered one of Los An
geles' greatest benefactors, who is
using his experience as an inmate or
the state penitentiary to illustrate the
crying need for prison reform all over
the United States.
Colonel Griffith was accused of at
tempting to kill his wife. He was tried
for the assault, and though he claimed
the shooting was an accident, he was
convicted and sentenced to term In
San Quentin prison. While in prison
he learned the lesson which he is now
trying to teach to his felloWmen-tnat
reformatories should take the place OF
prisons, because punishment as such
has no place in the Christians plan or
regeneration Most men who are not
hardened criminals will go to any
lengths to hide the fact that they have
ever worn prison stripes, and as rule
shun the localities where their crime
and its punishment are known. Col
onel Griffith, on the contrary. went
straight home to Los Angeles when he
was liberated and at once took up the
work of creating a public sentiment
for prison reform by telling what he
had actually seen and suffered while
convict. A whole volume of am
tolds' and They say would not have
accomplished what one single i know
and L saw and L felt has done. ana
the state is aroused as 1T has never
been before over tales of prison abuses.
Visited American Prisons
"since he began his work he has trav-
eled more than 10000 miles and visited
prisons in all parts of the American
continent. collecting data from which
to work in the crusade he has started
! in California, and in every single IN
stance where prison conditions were to
| be studied he has gone, not as re-
| former or a philanthropist, but as "a
former convict, anxious to see the
methods employed in other institutions.
And now he has returned to California
and opened his campaign for prison re-
form in his own state and already has
a backing of some of the strongest
men in the state, financially, politically,
educationally and religiously. He does
not expect to personally carry the work
beyond the borders of his own state,
but he feels that If a change in prison
conditions is brought about in Cali
fornia, the benefits of such a change
will be so apparent that other states
will adopt similar methods of dealing
with criminals, and "a general and
widespread reform will. result.
"Col. Grifith's scheme for prison re-
form has three basic principles-cur-
tailment OF the power of the warden
of the prison, enlargement of the pow
ers of the board of prison control and
establishment of such a board where it
does not already exist, and the enact
ment of the indeterminate sentence and
parole law. The last he considers the
secret of the entire matter.
1.-The underlying principle of the in
determinate sentence PLAN said he,
is that the individual offender and not
the crime shall finally determine the
character and extent of punishment adj
ministered.
1.-The principles involved in the in
determinate sentence and the parole
system are one and the same and are