Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-29


The American Prison association, com
posed of the leading prison authorities and
criminologists Of the United states and
Canada, begins its fortieth annual congress
in Washington today. 1t will have the
honor Of entertaining the foreign delegates
Of the International Prison association,
which will hold its congress in the same
city next week. These foreign delegates
have been enjoying one of the most impor-
tant tours ever participated in by prison
authorities and penologists. Starting from
! New York. on a special ALL Pullman train,
they have visited the important penal insti-
tutions between that city and Chicago, re-
turning to Washington by way Of Indian
apolis and Louisville. They found much to
commend in the advanced methods of deal
ing with the criminal as characterized by
the work at Elmira, Sing Sing, Auburn,
Mansfield and indianapolis.
The activities of these two congresses
represent only a portion of the work being
done for the betterment OF the condition
OF the prison population of the United
! States. A society has been formed for the
scientific study Of criminals; another has
been organized for the purpose of bringing
| about reforms in the enactment and en-
| forcement OF criminal law; while still an
! other aims to establish the principle of in
determinate sentences and the parole sys-
TEN.
The work Of the American Prison asso-
citation has served to produce In the United
States as excellent corps of prison keep
ers as is to be found in any country. Ere
quent interchange of ideas, and the custom
of visiting the various institutions. has
made available for all. the lesson taught by
experience at each institution. The first
president of the American association was
Rutherford B. Hayes, afterwards president
of the United States. He was governor OF
Ohio at the time of the organization in
1870.
In some states farms have been estab-
lshed in conjunction with the peniten-
tiares and reformatories. The right tc
work upon these plantations is made de-
pendent upon the prison records OF the
men This has served to give nearly every
prison inmate an incentive to good be-
havior and has resulted favorably with re-
gard to the health of those who have beer
allotted the privilege of life in the oper
air. At the same time it has given then
a training of great benefit when they are
given their liberty. 1t is often difficult tC
obtain work after term I'm prison anc
farm life offers about the best solution OF
this difficulty. In some states the men arr
put out on road work. In one western
state they have no armed guards over then
and there are fewer escapes than in othe
camps where such guards are maintained
1t is said by those in charge of these mel
that they could not take more pride IL
their work IL they expected to reap for
tune from IT,
In Minnesota the inmates OF the peni
Tertiary are engaged in making binde
Irvine. The output OF the prison factory Il
sold to the farmers at cents a pound les
than the prices charged by the binder twin
trust Yet i'm spite of this remarkable re
duction the net earnings of the factor!
amounts to $1S969 per year from each mai
engaged. 1t is now the plan of the Min
nesota authorities TO build a big agricul
tural implement factory where machiner,
will be made for the farmers of the state
As Minnesota is able TO finance all il
state institutions without levying a sngl
penny of state taxes, it will be seen tina
the farmers of that state well may b
q pleased with their Irvine factory and i'm
4 plement shops. 1t is estimated that whe
: the implement shops are in full blast tn
!, prison population of the state penaentiiar
7 VIII be bringing IN net income Vi eSVVVu
= a year to the state.
= More agitation has been waged about tn
question of paroling prisoners than abou
:, any other problem confronting the penolO
:. gists of the country in recent years Eek
perience has demonstrated that the iii
prisoner. with every ray of hope stricke
- from his life, becomes little more tina
+, gloomy, remorse-strioken brute yieldin
. the most reluctant obedience to prise
: rules Most crlminoogists believe that
:, there were a system of parole for thes
. '1ife" men, which would introduce som
= hope into their existence, they would be
: come the mainstay of discipline in pent
= institutions That this conclusion is wei
:, founded seems to- be demonstrated In tn
case of the men serving life sentences
- the San Quentin penltentiary, California
A number of years ago they petitioned tn
governor of California to parole one ma
Of their number each year, the parole goin
to the prisoner having the best record u