The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-30
PRISON REFORM IN ALABAMA
BY A PR IsONER

The international prison congress has met in Washington in solemn conclave; it's foreign members have been wined and dned, several of our larger prisons have been inspected; many scientific papers have been read, and in other words, much hot air has been dissipated and now that it's all over the man in the cell, the object that was under the microscope, wonders what the re- suit will be to him; that is if the miscrocosm under the lense may be permitted to wonder and to talk back. But. honestly. we all know that good must come from such movements. The spirit of the times and of our present day civilization is changing in regard to our prison system. Now the ques- ton is, how does Alabama stand on 1his question and what is being done in this state toward prison reform in the light of the broader and more hu- mane viewpoint of the present day
 As seen from the inside of the prison walls this question is a very vital one to the 2600 men wearing the stripes III this state. Moreover the people out side are awakening to the fact that it is very vital question to them also. Do your penitentiaries reform or are they simply schools of crime as has been charged?
 Permit me to say that they are still long way from being up-to- date and modern but also that the prison sys- tenn of Alabama has greatly improved under the present administration and will compare favorably with the sim liar systems in our neighboring states. It is not what that of Georgia was before the recent exposure nor Is 1t yet all that it should be The leasing of the convicts to the contractors has been abolished and while their labor is still sold to the highest bidder, the state retains control of the men and the contractor only has the convict s labor under the Jurisdiction of state officials.
 The convict department turns in to the state treasury large sum annually. Thus sum is chiefly derived from the labor of the convicts at the four coal mines This mining camp, Flat Top, has been in operation the longest and is con- sidered by the inspectors and visitors to be the model camp of the state. The men confined here are more healthy and contented than elsewhere The monthly pay roll for the 300 convicts here aver ages over S1000 and the consensus of opin- ion throughout the state and other prIs- ons is that Flat Top is the best prison of all and much to be preferred to any or the other coal mines, farms or saw-mills
 
 public opinion which seems to be that the convicts would prefer to be at work on the public roads and that the mines are dreaded by them
 In all the papers that were read at the late Congress at Washington, no mention was made in them of the system of reformation in service an over the United States and in Alabama in partic- ular That is reformation by religious frN Christianity All prisons have chaplain. but so far as the writer is aware, not one of them testified to the world at that convention what measure of suc- cess his work was meeting with. Ala bama stands well to the front In this re- spect Under the guidance of the Rev S. R. Emerson the senior chaplain of the etate great and lasting good has been accomplished. Through his efforts res ident chaplain has been appointed for each prison and services are held every Sunday without fail and also the chap lains by personal contact and visiting the men in their cells have shown each Individual man that the state and so- ciety is interested in his moral reforma- ton The idea is that If man can be taught to think right he is more than apt to live right At this institution, the Rev. J. IT. Hamilton of Birmingham is chaplain ana IL WOulu De Il ItNeldtioH lo the reader to know the regard in which the prisoners hold him. To know this noble-hearted man is to love him and there can be no doubt but what his in fluence and precepts have accomplished great and lasting good among his charges. We hope the next administra- tion will retain these chaplains for us. It will be a step in advance when all the prison officials are exempt from poi- tical removal for surely the prisons should be out of politics.
 more modern parole law should be adopted because a parole should be con dltional upon the prisoners reformation as attested to by the wardens and of- ficials in control. and 1t should not be obtainable by favor or pull. An inde- terminate sentence law should be enact ed and first offenders should be separa- rated from the repeaters. A more modern reformatory should be built and the age of admission should be advanced from 16 years, as at present, to 9 years for first offenders. And lastly and chiefly