Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
WORKHOUSE

~ a WORkHOCSE.-There is large
class of offenders whose crimes are not
of that magnitude to demand SEN
tence in the penitentiary. and yet who
are not proper subjects for reformatory
treatment. They may be too old: they
may have offended too often, or they
may be OF such character that IL
would be useless to send them to re-
formatOry, and moreover to send them
there might be to undo the work which is
there being done upon hopeful cases.
AT the same time they may not have
deserved long term sentence. or for
other reasons it may not be best that
they should be sent to penitentiary
either state federal. Among this class
will be found many who have committed
assaults, many Migrants, drunkards. de-
serters of their families, abusers of their
wives and the like.
Usually these are men to whom hard
work is the most dreaded form of pun
ishment. They should be put to hard
labor at long hours.
Even among these some cases may be
found that will deserve attention under a
parole system, but most of them will need
to be kept to, Or near to, the end of their
terms. For such men these work
in the open air. upon the farm or in con-
struction of buildings or in redeeming
waste places is admirably fitted.
Large Tract of Undeveloped Land.
For the workhouse then, as for the re-
formatory, we recommend the purchase
of large tract of undeveloped farm
land, which may be either within the Dis
trict or in one of the adjoining states, as
may be found most advisable-a farm OF
not less than a thousand acres. to which the
institution now known as the workhouse
should be removed. Land adapted to
the purpose may doubtless be obtained at
a very low price per acre.
'In other states we have seen prisoners
of this class successfully employed in such
labor as we have just mentioned. and
we have been deeply impressed by the
sound judgment and clear foresight of
those who have thus planned and exc
cuted.
The farm at Bridgewater. Mass, is one
instance. The farm Of 1000 acres near
Cleveland. Ohio, is another.
How Prisoners Should Be Treated.
THAT such men are not lit subjects for
reformatory does not mean that they
are not to be treated with any reference
to improvement or that they are not TO
be released the sooner by reason of ex-
emplary behavior. Still less does it
mean that they have forfeited their
right to be treated as men and TO re-
ceive every encouragement of which they
does it mean that they should be un-
necessarily degraded by marks or badges
Of shame compelled to look upon
themselves a. beyond hope. They should
not be put in stripes.
ION the contrary We believe in slim
ulating them to self-respect in all prac-
teal ways and especially by setting apart
a substantial portion of their earnings to
be paid to their families or for want
thereof to be paid to them on their re-
lease: and We believe that their sentences
should be somewhat elastic and respon
sive to their behavior and Indications of a
change in disposition. For such of them
as are illiterate we would have some in
and For such appear capable
of mastering useful trade implying some
skill in handicraft we would have en-
ployment adapted 10 that end.
From estimates submitted by the COM
pany which installed the cells at the
present workhouse we find that those
cells could be taken out. transported to
new workhouse and there installed at a
cost of about $4,000. A large part Of
the labor could be done by the prisoners