The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-10-15
THE PRISON ASSOCIATION.

During the first week in October. the American
Prison. association held its annual sessions i'll
Washington. The many questions pertaining to
the discipline of prisons and reformatories
discussed by members of the association, and the
results of the experience of men engaged in prison
work were given and exchanged. President Taft
addressed the association and cautioned the mem
bers against making the prisons so comfortable
and prison life enjoyable as to furnish motive
for violating the law. He also warned against
sociating mere offenders against the law with har-
dened criminals. He also said that in his visits to
some of the federal prisons, he had thought they
stronger in theory than practice.
Dealing with men with criminal instincts is just
a little different from dealing with men of sound
morality and intelligence The gentleman thug
who by manipulating set of books is able to steal
is really different species of criminal from the
gentleman who pokes gun under the nose OF his
victims and takes his pocket change and watch.
Placed together in prison. they would have little III
common between them. One would hardly contain
mate the other, provided both were of mature
years. But petty offenders boys or youths,
whose course in life has hardly been mapped out,
if thrown among men of mature years and deep
from the communicating influence. These state
ments may seem trite, yet with the general know-
edge of them the fact remains that the prisons and
reformoratories of America have not all been sep
arated and in some instances all classes and con-
ditions of men are thrown together. And the imi-
tative faculties of the younger men absorb much
that is not good from their older associates
Proper employment for men in prison is an
other subject which came before the association
for discussion. 1t pointed out that in many
countries of the world, notable England. New South
Wales, Prussia, Austria, France and Belgium, ag-
rcultural prisons have been established, and the
prisoners are given outdoor work in taking care of
the farms, and incidentally making living for
themselves and providing for the maintenance of
the prisons.
Just how far prison labor may be carried is an
open question. Two of the largest broom factories
in America are in Observation-Disclosures at Lincoln,
Neb. and Jackson Mich. How far these factories
interfere with the industry of broom making, or
how much competition is afforded by the labor of
the prisoners with the labor of free broom makers it
is impossible to say Yet there must be at least
some competition of prisoners and freemen, and
America is averse to encouraging such condition.
The suggestion that the agricultural prisons be
adapted to American needs was made, and was ap-
proved by the association. In such work with
selected prisoners much good could be accom-
pshed, not only for the state but for the prison
ers themselves. When a man sees the product of
his labor increasing in value before his very eyes,
there is source of inspiration and an incentive
to better things. But this along with every other
method of giving employment to prisoners is sub
ject to the objection of bringing the labor of Grim
inal prisoners in competition with the labor of
freemen. But this method of employing prisoners
seem to be about as little subject to this objection
as could be devised.
A GRAVE DIFFICULTY.