Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-20
POINT DEFECTS
IN PENAL SYSTEM
MODERN METHOD CONFIRMS
CRIMINALS, SAY EXPERTS
PROBATION AND lNpETERMINATE
PLANS BETTER
PenoIogists Tell City Club That So
ciety and State Should Reform
individuals Before Crimes
Are Committed

Two distinguished penologists ad-
dressed the City club yesterday, point
ing out in startling words the duty OF
society to itself in seeing that Grim
inals were reformed rather than hard
ened by the punishment inflicted.
Judge Curtis D. Wilbur of the juven-
lie court showed how liberty is COM
plex problem, especially in handling
the man who has forfeited his liberty.
Samuel J. BarroWs. head Of the in
ternational prison reformers, spoke on
recent developments, and as he is
| former congressman from Massachu-
setts, a former minister and a former
editor, his experience In penology has
made him an authority
Judge Wilbur said in part:
1.-THE indifference of the people on
the subject of the actual treatment of
those in prison is startling.
Appeal for jail Relief
"For nearly ten years our chief of
police in this city appealed angrily to
the council for relief against the un-
speakably bad conditions of the city
Jail, and no relief was had.
During the past year the building
of the stockade has relieved the stu
alton, not exactly in the way ant1ci-
pated, but by soaring away some OF
our floating population.
For nearly twenty years the ward
ems of our ~Anitentiary have been ap-
pealing through the various commit
tees of the legislature for appropria-
tions to enlarge the buildings to re-
ceive the number of prisoners winch
the Judges are compelled by law to
send there, and while from time to
time changes have been made, and an
additional prison has been established
at Folsom, the accommodations never
have been equal to the requirements,
and today a thousand prisoners are
confined in Folsom in the space ade-
prisoners are confined in San Quentin
in cells intended to accommodate about
$50.
Making Criminals
"Now, it is evident to any one who
gives the subject the slightest atten-
ton that the crowdipg of prisoners is
not a mere matter of discomfort to
them, but means that each prisoner
must come in intimate contact with
some other individual. who may be no
worse, but is at least inoculated with
some other form of meanness, so that
the schooling there received is for the
worse instead of for the better.
Happily at Folsom the prisoners
are engaged in building a new wing to
the prison which will accommodate
about 800 more prisoners. In other
will be built adequate to accommodate
the numbers which are now in Folsom,
and probably inadequate to accommo-
date those who win be confined at that
time.
"In San Quentin, also, a new build
ing is to be erected, and q plan has
been devised for the entire rebuilding
of that prison.
"These buildings represent the mod
ern awakening to the needs of the situ-
alton, and represents the answer to the
cry which has been going up for twenty
years, and indicate that we have at
last awakened to the fact that some
thing must be DONE
Who Are the Guilty?
"It is evident that depriving a man of
liberty for a short time does not solve
the question, so far as he is concerned.
If he is turned out at the end of the
term and becomes an enemy of
society, he will commit a score OF
crimes where he has committed one be-
fore, bv reason of his increased knowl-
edge of being able to escape the pen
atty for his crimes
THE only true solution, therefore,
of the question Is to seek the reforma-
ton of the individual, and it may be
well to say now that this Is impossible
in some cases, and yet the thing that
has impressed me in my contact with
children and men is the fact that so
many are capable of being redeemed.
TN order that we may soften our
hearts little toward criminals, let us
inquire who are criminals. Perhaps 1t
Is not correct to say that If the recent
decision of our superior court is law
every member of every fashionable
club in this city is a criminal. If any
of you, on your way to this club, spits
on the sidewalk you are a criminal.
Jesus Christ and all the apostles
were criminals, and most of them were
teaching contained in the whole Bible