The Holly chieftain., 1909-01-15
The Biennial MESSAGE OF
~ GOVERNOR HENRY A. BuCHTEL

there are no prisons which are better
managed or bring betters results. The
average daily count for the present
term has been 661 rs compared with
6S1 for the former biennial period. The
present prison population is approx
mateiy 700 on account Of the large
number Of commitments during the
last few months There have been
twenty escapes during the two years.
all being TRUSTEES who were employed
outside.
1t is perfectly manifest that these
younger prisoners ought never to have
been sent to the penitentiary at all.
1t is for this reason that l am urging
you to amend the law governing trans
fers from one prison to another. When
boys are sent to the penitentiary for
their first offense, the warden, with
the approval OF the governor. ought to
have authority to send that boy to
Buena Vista where he ought to have
been sent by the court. Then when
some expert criminal who has been in
penitentiary several times is sent to
the Reformatory at Buena Vista, the
warden ought to have authority under
the approval OF the governor, to send
that expert criminal to the penitentiary
at Canon City.
When the large group of prisoners,
nearly one hundred, were sent to work
on the road at Trinidad, at first an
armed guard was put in charge of the
camp at night. After little time this
armed guard was taken off Since that
time no civilians have been employed
excepting the superintendent and the
over-seers In charge of the work The
guard at night is life termer, the only
life termer ever made trusty, who
guards the camp without gun and
gets better results than were at first
secured by guard with a gun. In
the whole history of prison discipline
nothing has ever occurred which is
more heartening than these extraor-
binary results which have been Sc
cured under Warden Cleghorn's direc-
tion in that big camp of prisoners
working on the Trinidad road The
warden explains that the guards were
needed to guard the camp from prowl-
ers at night on the outside, rather
than to prevent the prisoners from es
Gaping. 1t is hoped that you may do
some really creditable thing In making
1t possible to extend this work. Max
ing roads does not interfere with free
labor.
Another element which has contrib
uted to the improvement in discipline
in the State Penitentiary has been the
granting Of pardons to the right pris-
oners.. You can grant pardons with
out intelligence and create riot in
any prison. Then you can grant par
dons with intelligence and secure the
respect of the prisoners and arouse i'll
them desire to earn pardon by right
conduct. The warden reports thirty
pardons for the biennial period: One
Of them was granted by Governor Nc
Donald, five were granted by Governor
Harper and twenty-four were granted
by me. OF course you understand that
have been solicited to parden every
body In the penitentiary, in the Re-
formatory, in the Industrial schools
and in all the Colorado jails. Many of
you gentlemen have taken much of my
time to request pardons which have
refused. II had granted all the par
dons I was asked to grant. the list for
the biennial period would have been
not twenty-four but many hundreds. In
December l granted five additional
pardons, all Of them on the recommen-
dation of the Board of Pardons. To
morrow morning, on recommendation
of the Board of Pardons, shall par
don a colored man. So my total list
of pardons, for two years from the
State Penitentiary will aggregate
thirty. l am glad to have had the op-
portunity to grant each one of them.
The State Board Of Charities and
Corrections gives much time, with
large intelligence and sympathy, to the
consideration of all our state institu-
tions. Certain recommendations Of
that board are worthy of your hearty
approval, namely:
% That all TRUSTEES in and around
the penitentiary be allowed the same
reduction in time. on their sentences,
that is now granted to prisoners work
ing on the public highway.
(2) That prisoner who is released
on parole from the State Penitentiary
shall be given the same outfit of
clothes, transportation and money,
that is now given to a prisoner who
receives his final discharge.
(3) That adequate additions shall be
made to the appropriations for the
penitentiary and the reformatory to
make 1t possible to employ q scientific
method of identification.
(4) That law be enacted provid-
ing state institutions with power to
bring condemnation proceedings for
land needed by such institutions, and
especially where the land adjoins that
owned by the state.
(5) That the charter under which
the State Home for Dependent Chill
dren operates, be so amended as to al
low this home to receive MANNED or
crippled children.