Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-10
URGES BETTER
PRISON LAWS
COL. GRIFFITH SPEAKS TO
STANFORD STUDENTS
GRAPHICALLY DEPICTS LIFE IN
SAN QUENTIN
Pleads Strongly for introduction OF
IndetermInate Sentences and
Mercy for Those Who Have
Fallen Into Crime

Colonel Griffith J. Griffith delivered
at Stanford university last Thursday
an address of singular interest, whether
considered as a powerful plea for
prison reform or as an intensely NOV
ing chapter from the book of actual
life, Colonel Griffith having recorded
faithfully his own experiences in the
institution that is the main target Of
his criticism.
The address was listened to with rapt
attention by an audience of fifteen hum
dred students, and was interrupted re-
peatedly by expressions of approval:
DR.. David Starr Jordan, president or
the university, introduced the speaker
and Professors Motley, Howard, Wing,
Hall. Macy, Clark, Young and other
members of the faculty were present.
The address in full is as follows;
The greatest problem of human IN
terest from the dawn of history is one
of relations. Our relations to the per-
feet ethical spirit and our relations 70
each other are the chief questions with
which men have concerned themselves
through all the ages. Modern educa-
ton aims to solve this problem.
In this short lecture l will endeavor
to treat some features of this great
problem bearing on organized society S
attitude toward the offender. the fact
that | have read thousands of pages
of matter written by many authors,
and thus looked into the very depth
of human knowledge on this subject,
together with my personal experience
and observation, are my reasons for
saying that l could talk for many days
on crimes, punishment and reform
without exhausting my resources.
Within the last two years l have
Travelled over $1,000 miles in the United
States and Mexico and visited many
prisons, from Oregon to New York, the
most notable Of which, in the City of
Mexico, contained 5000 men and 700
women prisoners. For comparison al
low me to state that both San QUEEN
tin and Folsom prisons have but thirty
female prisoners, thanks to and God
bless American motherhood.
From personal experience, observa-
ton and knowledge / am forced to the
conclusion that the discipline of the
average prison hardens, degrades and
is a perpetual exhibition of cruel, arbi-
trary power. / wish l could make it
SO convincingly clear that the civilized
world could fully realize that pris-
oner can never be reformed by being
wronged. Did vengeance ever make
any man or woman better?
Treatment that puts an impossible
gulf between the prisoner and society
will never make a convict better. Men
in prison, much like those out Of prison,
can be made better and they can be
made worse, according to their treat
ment, environments and opportunities.
Man is not a commodity. He is not
a compound of mathematical quanti-
ties or chemical gases. He has heart
and a brain, and between these spring
a thousand needs and emotions. He
has the instinct of love. He is con-
quered by justice and any plan for the
measurement of man which leaves out
justice will and must be a failure.
Crippled or Murdered
In many of the penitentiaries there
are instruments of torture, and now
and then a convict is crippled for life
or murdered. Inspections and investi-
cations go for naught because the tes-
ttmony of a convict is unbelieved. He
Z is generally prevented by fear from
telling his wrongs, for if he speaks he
is not believed-he is regarded as less
than a human being and so the i'm
prisoned suffer and remain without
remedy. Every noble or manly feeling,
every effort toward real reformation
is trampled under foot, so that when
the convict's time is out there is little
left on which to build. He has been
cruelty Inundated to the last degree,
and his spirit has been so long bent
or crippled by authority and fear that
even the desire to stand erect has faded
from his mind. The keepers know that
they are safe, because no matter what
they do the convict when released. will
not tell the story Of his wrongs, for
If he desires to conceal his shame he
must also hide their guilt. Thus it is
plain that, no matter what happens in
the average prison, there is no redress
for the convict.
Before proceeding further with gener-
alities l wish to read a few paragraphs
from the oldest Code of Laws in the
World" These laws were written in
the Babylonian language on a stone
monument of black diorite and found
about five years ago among ruins
which had been buried for thousands
of years.
Some historians claim that this code
OF laws was in existence fully a. thou
sand years before Moses was born:
and DR.. H. Winkler says: at is the
most important Babylonic record which
has thus far been brought to light"
This code was translated into English
by Prof. G. H. w. Jones, NJ. A, Queens
college, Cambridge
Witchcraft is the first crime on the
list and is described as follows:
If man weave a spell and put a
pan upon man, he that WoVe the
spell shall be put to DEATH
For perjury and subornation of wit
nesses-death."
For burglary committed in a tenn
pie or palace-death."
For fence or receiver of stolen
goods-death.'
"A judge who shall render an I'M
just decision-he shall pay twelvefold
and forever lose his seat"
ArsOn-burn to DEATH"
'Adultery-culprits shall suffer a
gentle death by drowning"
If man has stolen an OK. sheen or
ass, a pig or ship, he shall pay thirtv-
fold. If he is a poor man, he shall
render tenfold. If a thief has naught
to pay he shall be put to DEATH mo
chance for the poor man in those
days.)
If the owner of lost property has
not brought witnesses knowing his lost
property, he has lied, has stirred I'D
strife and shall be put to DEATH
If man has stolen the son of a
freeman, he shall be put to death"
IF a man has harbored a fugitive
and has not produced him on demand
of the commandant, the owner Of the
house shall be put to DEATH
III a man conceals a slave in his
house and afterward the slave has
been seized in his house, that man
shall be put to death"
If man has broken into house,
one shall kill him before the breach
and bury him in it."
IF man has carried on brigandage