Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-09-13
PRISONERS LIKE GUESTS.
Inmates of Vermont Institution Allow
al tn Go To Circus

A Jail where prisoners are encouraged
to go forth without guards and earn
money for themselves. and where they
are not only allowed to attend circuses
and other entertainments. but are also
occa sonally given tickets by the Sheriff.
is the unique institution of Montpelier
Vt. in which Sheriff Frank II. Tracy. Of
Washington County. is practicing his
theory of correction and encouragement.
instead of punishment"
The very latest example of Sheriff
on circus day in MONTPELIER. when he
gave circus tickets to II of the boys"
as he calls his guests. and told them 70
GO out and enjoy themselves. but to be
sure to be back in time for supper that
night. and. besides. the rest of the boys"
were away working and wanted to hear
all about the big show. These others
could have gone also. but they were busy
wanted the money.
This incident of the circus is only an
example of the spirit of the Washington
County Jail Also it is proof Of what
Sheriff Tracy has predicted ever since the
passing by the Vermont State Legisla
ture of the prison labor law. This law
permits the working OF prisoners outside
man makes over 81 day is his own
The dollar is abstracted to go to the
Prison Board as payment for the cloth
similar things furnished the men. The
men receive these as well as their food
and lodging free and so it Is that today
there are many prisoners at Montpelier
than a majority of them could save If
they were not in Jail. and their enthusi-
asm and added interest In hard work and
economy bears out Sheriff Tracy's belief
that reformation is obtained by this sys-
tenn rather than by keeping the men
locked up at indoor tasks without remu-
neration.
Sheriff Tracy refers to this as the
faith
S1en has been fully justified. During the
four years that the system has been In
force there have been about 1000 pris-
oners in the Jail counting the short-term
men who have been returned several
times for the same old offense of intoxi-
cation or disorderly conduct. And out of
the 1000 only two men have taken ad-
vantage of the lack of restraint by trying
to escape. Both of them were recaptured
and sent to the reformatory at Rutland
| for long terms. A test case was made of
one of these escapes. and the highest
were guilty of "breaking JAIL when out
working under the honor system, Just as
| much as they would have been if they
had sawed the bars of their cells to get
away
"Outside work. chance to make
money and to have little entertain
ment.' says Sheriff Tracy, "all combine
there is in a prisoner. I have always be-
lieved in reformation instead of punish
| ment wherever there was the slightest
J hope that a prisoner could respond to en-
/ couragement and kindly treatment.
have not been disappointed. and I think
that the boys have been benefited in more
ways than anybody outside their imme-
diate families can understand. When
they come here under sentence they are
shown clearly that they are to be treat
| ed like honorable men until they do some
| thing to prove that l have misunder-
stood them. In other words, instead of
| bpjpU frpatp6 npro1iahln ~
worthy, they are put on honor and ac-
cepted as being on the level.
IT Is most encouraging to see how
treatment. They know that all they earn
over dollar day is theirs. and that Is
| a great incentive. Then they are allow
| ed to go out of here in the morning to
| whatever job they may have. and they
! are free to take their dinner with them.
or come back at noon for 1t. They are
Just as free to work as any other men,
and the. one restriction placed upon
! them is that they return at night to have
their supper and be locked up. OF course.
| they know that they must not drink
while they are out. Many of them are
ing men who have heen sent here every
few months for the same old weakness
year after year. Now. with man who
has such an appetite for strong drink
| while he was on his way to and from
work would be too great. But only in
very few instances have any of them
broken their parole In this respect.
This system, too, has a tendency to
strengthen against the temptation and
makes them better able to resist it when
they have served their sentences There
was one case in particular that I rennem-
Der. A man who was a habitual drunk
ard came here finally under six months
sentence. He got work outside steadily
| and his wages were on the average OF
s225 day, so his share was $l.25. Out
of this he spent but little for tobacco and
such little luvuries and he banked the
rest. When his term was up he went out
and bought an entire new outfit Of
clothes. Then he came back to say
goodby. He had purchased ticket fol-
his home town in Connecticut and start.
ed away with few dollars in his pocket
He said it was the first time in 10 years
that he felt fit to go back and face his
family. His term here had kept him
away from liquor and had enabled him
to save money-something he had never
done before. He said he was going home
to start afresh and keep straight. I hea,
from him occasionally, and he is makins