Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-18
TO BENEFIT ERR|NG
Aim of the International Pris-
on Congress.
WOULD PROTECT SOCIETY
Delegates Will Inspect Our Penal
Institutions.
MEETING HERE WILL FOLLOW
More Than a Hundred Famous
Criminologists and Prison Experts
From Many Countries Expected.

More than a hundred Of the worlds
most famous criminologists and prison
experts. gathered from nearly fifty coun-
tries, will board special train in Jer-
sey City tonight and start on a 1000
mile swing around the eastern and mid
die western states to examine this coun-
try's penal institutions.
This unusual gathering of students of
crime and Of methods of treating Grim
inals Is preliminary to the eighth meet
ing OF the International Prison Congress.
which Will meet in this city October ,
and remain in session until October s.
Delegates are expected to begin to ar
rive in Washington within the coming
week.
In the meantime. Uncle Sam. whose
guests the delegates to the congress are,
Is taking the distinguished visitors to see
his prisons. The United States has taken
lead in prison reforms. and many OF
the methods adopted here have Zen
copied in foreign countries. Among the
institutions which will be visited are the
Elmira Reformatory. Auburn. N. Y; the
Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield, the
Indiana Reformatory at Jenersonviiie
and those at Chicago and at Indianapolis.
Crime costs the people Of the United
States in the neighborhood Of a billion
dollars a year. directly and indirectly.
1t takes q heavy toll of lives. and leaves
scores of degenerateS in its trail. There
are about 100000 prisoners in American
prisons today. About a third of these are
discharged each year, and their places
are taken by new c-iminals-or old crimi-
mails paying the penalty OF new crimes.
So serious is the problem of crime that
the COVE rnment has willingly appropri-
ated $4,000 for the entertainment of the
we'll known criminologists who are COM
ing here to consider the adoption of meth
DDS by which the number of crimes and
criminals may be reduced. President Taft
will address the openeing session of the
convention, which will be held in the
new National! Museum. The congress was
invited to come to this country by Theo-
President. Although the United States
government played prominent part in
the orga nization Of the international prison
congress. and meetings have been held
congress was firmly organized. this is the
first meeting that has been held In this
country. 1t has met in Paris, Berne.
Brussels. st. Petersburg, Budapest and
other foreign capitals.
Prominent Delegates.
The president of the coming interna-
tional prison congress is Prof. Charles r.
Henderson of the University of Chicago
$hIuohe tbC oCIS6dtcS WHO viii tiC
congress are his excellency the priyy
councillor, DIR. Joseph Baernreither of
Austria; Adolph Prins, general inspector
OF prisons, Belgium; DR.. .Armando Claros,
private secretary to the president OF the
Argentine Republic and director of the
national penitentfary; Sir Evelyn Rug
sles-Br1se, president Of the English prison
commission: Walter George Scott, presi-
dent OF the prison commission for Scot
land: Capt Arthur st. John, honorary
Secretahs of the English Penal Reform
League: Hsu Chen. Hsu Shin Wing. Chin
Shao Cheng and Ii Fang. official dele
gates coming from China: DR.. Francisco
de P. Boarda, minister of Colombia: NJ.
Schrameck, director of the French prison
system: DR.. Rosenfeld, secretary of the
International Criminalistic Association.
Germany: Alexander SkouSes, ex-minister
Of foreign affairs, Athens. Greece: Senior
Herrarte. minister CT Guatemala: Frof.
Simon van der IA, professor Of penal law
of the University of Groningen. Holland:
NJ. H. G. Dresselhuys. director general OF
the central prison administration, Hol-
land: Jules Rickl de Belize, chief OF the
prison system tf Hungary: Takashi San
agi. secretary of the prison hure III.
Japan; Emilio RabaSa, president Of the
prison board. Mexico: Frederic o. \.
Woxen. chief of prisons. Norway; Etienne
I<hrouleff chief of the prison administra-
ton, Russia: DIR. Nicholas Lebedeff. head
physician Of the prison OF MOSCOW; We
tor AlmQuist, chief OF the general prison
administration, Sweden; DIR. Gui laume.
secretary of the International Prison
Congress, Berne: Otto KeIlernals. d.
rector Of the Witzwyl labor COLONY,
Switzerland: Senior DR.. Don Fernando
Cadalso, inspector general of prisons.
Madrid. Spain: Saadeddin Bey, judiciary
inspector, Turkey.
Questions to Be Discussed.
Tho nrincfoal questions to be discussed
by the congress are:
Is the death penalty longer advisable
for capital crimes? s
Is the indeterminate sentence feasible?
What shall be the procedure regarding
penal sentences pronounced by courts OF
foreign lands when the prisoner is again
in his own country?
Is crime a more serious one when a
group commits it than when single
person commits it?
What are the essential principles of a
modern reformatory system?