Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-25
IRON WITHIN
| PRISON WALLS
~ .b oLifer" Gives Views on
Practical Aid to
Prisoners.
NJ. sHoCKLEY IN PRINT
roymatlon of Societies Would
uc,o Men Having Paid socie'S's
nebt to Lead Better Lives

r.hrpa,.y number Of the Prison
,yangel. published at Columbus, o' IN
~ ,nterest Of Christian work In pri-
Wv oon+ains an article furnished by
~, ,r,p,orson shockley, life prisoner
IT, tbe Utah state prison, on "practicai
-. prisoners" The subject relates
"a, "a well timed and effective as
4 ,..anc, and encouragement to men
inst released from confinement oS
',.,,toh thew may be started in the way
4 ,, ,,,ine. and led into good citi-
o,sLin and TO honest and industrlous
4 zels"'g ma, there is need of this prac-
nv o,,oorraeement. cannot be gain
va ", WARDEN Pratt has called the at
,io,, az nrominent citizens to II, and
a., raadv 10 urge 1t at any and all times.
man certainly does need encour-
y lament 10 walk straight after leaving
4 ,,sison Bnt nothing has been done up
Y 20 date, although Mrs. darlington
A pootb when in Salt Lake, also urged
The inauguration Of this much needed
rnovement at this point. Mr.. Shockley's
article follows
I'm line November issue of your paper
ftbe Prison EvangeD you asked for ex-
prssions of opinion as to the most
practicnl way to aid prisoners. That
sounds good. as this is truly practical
age; and until way has been opened
nv which the public may learn some
fling of the Views and ideas of those
I'm prison. the progress of betteriug
conditions all around viii be slow.
rThe opinion as here expressed il
not formed through hearsay or casual
observation, but Is due to actual expert
ence as an inmate of penal institution
where the writer has come in daily
contact with all classes of pris-
oners; and through continued effort
IN the way of close observation and
private conversations from time To
time, feels enabled to speak n word
as to the inner workings of the minds
Of those behind prison walls concern
ing the question submitted by the
Prison Evangel.
PREVENTION OF CRIME.
The indeterminate sentence law.
wherever 1t is in force, is proving n
success. and statistics show that the
same may be said of the parole sys-
TEN, But above all things considered
BY the American Prison association,
the one small clause. the assistance
Of outgoing prisoners is by far tho
most important as prevention OF
crime, which at the present time
seems to be perennial question
like Banquo's ghost 1t will not down.
When a man leaves prison he goes
out considerably handicapped, to say
the least, though his intentions may
be the very best. Even though the
prison administration do all they pos
sibly can in the way of fitting him
out with suit of clothes, and often
in specially needy cases make an APP
peal to the state board of control for
an increase of gate money!
speak Of course in regard to the
management of this institution-stin
the law places certain limitations that
they can't go beyond, and the fact re-
mains that the outgoing prisoner is
by no means as well prepared TO start
his struggle for existence as he would
be, were a little different arrange
ments made. AS rule he has no
friends. and il would be mere folly
10 spend his few dollars on railroad
fare TO get out of the country; for
in his half bewildered condition, due
10 the sudden change, he is about as
well off one place as another. 1t
seems that only those who have met
with such an experience can realize
that peculiar feeling of uncertainty Of
himself might say half fear of ev-
eryhing in general--possessed by n
majority of those discharged from
Prison, OF course all are not subject
to this, to the same extent. but with
least 10 regain, In any measure, their