Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-07
vERMONT's CRIME PROBLEMS.

II
We have poor white" problem on our
hands right here In Vermont d condition
that is breeding ignorance. depravity,
vice and crime for Us night and day But
some Of our good friends DO not stop to
realize that this is a home missionary
problem in its first aspect, and not mere
~ "a question of treating these miserable
people before the courts and in the pris-
ous. They are approaching the problem
from the wrong end. They win do well
to read. among other things on this sub
jcct. an article in the August number Of
the Atlantic Monthly by Morrison I.
Swift, on "iEumunizing the Prisons" MT.
Swift takes the remarkable work accom-
pushed by Sheriff Frank II. Tracy OF
Washington county. VT. as his text and
example and discusses the tremendous
sociological problems presented to Tracy
and at least partially solved ny him. with
most interesting detail and comment
Among other things he says:
How far society should press It's ac-
'iVities to prove It's freedom from motives
OF revenge toward the criminal and its
will to raise him to the highest level OF
manhood does not fail within the scope
OF this paper. Sheriff Tracy believes that
each prison should have an officer ex-
cmpted from all the ordinary duties of
Il sheriff, to devote his whole time 10 de-
veloping personal relations with the men,
To studying them Individually, to learning
what forces have shaped their iives, and
10 thinking out ways to couuteract the
tendencies that have been produced in
each to offend against society. Such
work would be extremely a,duous, and
would require q man OF high intellectual
grade and character. Nevertheless the
saving To the people would be great The
deeper cau.ses Of crime would be uuearth-
ed and published in reports to the com
munity, supplying the first essentials tor
the prevention Of crime. 1t might be
found, for example, that the chief root
of crime IL irregular or insufficient EN-
,ioyIueut, when the first duty Of the
State, in order to empty the prisons
would be to organize demand for labor
SO that no one would be idle Nothing
should be easier to do II society realized
it's Importance. The wealth created 10y
the labor Of the men would support them
Il nd pay all the costs of organilating the
work they might DO"
y Work along the same bEtau gene IA
lines. or at least having the same idea
rs an objective. is also being done tnI
Vermont In another ii@ld 10y Sup' r'ntend
cnt ]. y. Barss Of the state industrial
! school at NerscuneE and most crafty
Ing results have been ACCOMPLISHED there
| in the past few years.
| The trouble Is, however. that the Stats
~ a whole LIS rot aroused t. the nc'"9
| sity fer co-orGinatinE these bolatct
! movements for reform and progress h
| the treatment OF moral detectives GnC
! criminals, and Vermont has not awaken
ed to the necessity for entering upon I
well thought-out and carefully organize
| and guided general movement along the
| came lines that shall not only "hurnantzc'
the county ja!ls, State prison. house q
| correction and Industrial school but tina
Il scientific study OF the causes OF Grim,
! and the most practical means OF rcmov
| Ing them where out and out cure is pos
! syhle and Of at least improving condi
| tons where II is not
| That is Vcrmont's problem in crimi
! ology to-day, not to invont new punish
! .nents for violators Of law. but TO edu
cate people 10 create new conditions o
lifc and living that will tend to mnimi2
| crime, and to that extent and in tina
proportion do away with the neccsslt
for any punishment at ALL