The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-02-10
A Code of
Kindness
Toward Criminals as Practiced in
the Great German Empire
With Undoubted Success.

SOm0 weeks ago Cue MlTTOT puUIiSIcU
a review of Crimes and Criminals, a
humanitarian publica-
ton of the Prison Reform League of
Los Angeles, California. The volume
is attracting much attention for the ex-
posnres it makes of the treatment of
criminals i'm jails and penite ntiaries.
It's book that wars directly against the
idea OF any punishment at all, an ex-
tIeme view, though powerfully present.
ed, but even those who are not pre-
pared to go as far as the authors will
find in its pages enough of terrors and
horrors to convince them that in many |
respects our system of punishment is
more fendish than the off ences
against which the punishments are
directed. The authors of this book
are convinced that punishment is not
q deterrent of crime.
Those who think the movement rep
resented by this book is mere Yankee
fad and Wild West one at that may
be interested to know some of the ex-
periments being made in tie minimi-
zatiun of punishment in Germany,
where there is supposed autocracy.
I condense the observations of q new
ly approved system as reported in
recent cablegrams from Berlin. A
commission for the reform of the
criminal code, after four years OF
labor, has made its report. The
members of the commission were
expert criminoiogists. Imprisonme Mt
without dishonor, fines payable in in
i stalments and the the rehabilitation of
offenders are the leading features of
the new scheme. Judges are given a
very wide discretion in the infiction
of punishment. In special cases they
are allowed to reduce the minimum
legal punishment and even in some
cases to inflict no punishment at all.
Similarly, in more than usually serious
cases the legal forms of punishment
may be exceeded. The custom of i'm
prisonment in fOrtresses is to be super.
| seeded by new form of "imprisonment
/. without any dishonor." Murder is
, now punishable by death, but hereafter
, where there are extenuating circum
, stances the offender may get off with
8 not less than ten years. penal servitude
. Murder out of jealousy and Other
4 forms of homicide which do not spring
from Infamous motives are also to b'
s punished by penal seryitnde. The sys
Q tenn of fines for slight offences is radi
q cally changed. The courts are allowed
8 to give three months term for pay
ment in instalments, the last of whicl
r must be paid within year Of convic
l. ton, or to allow the fine to be worke'
q off by free labor. In all cases tn
# courts are to take into account tn
l. financial position of the accused.
s: Az result of this reform it is ez
70 pected that imprisonment in default o
l. payment of fine will be practically don
d away with. Offenders sent to priso
II "without loss of honor" are allowed t
u wear their own clothes and in som
It cases to have their own food sent i
p from the outside.
ss The age from which persons may b
Dr. held criminslly responsible is raised t
IN IA. For crimes committed under tt
in influence of drink the offender
to punished separately for being drum
u as wellas for the offenceitself. Thel
nr are many new provisions in regard
in exclusion from drinking saloons ar
u compulsory detention in sanitariun
or for the cure Of fintemperance. Victim
d. of criminal offences are to be allow'
i'll to establish their claim under the civ
ollaw during the course of the crimin
nd proceedings. Provision is also MAJ
rn for the rehabilitation of persons wi
We have expiated offences for which th
of were convicted by leading law abb
ing life for stated number Of years,