Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-14
CHICAGO JuRlST TELLS ioWANS
PRISONS ARE RELIC OF
DARK ACES.
ApvocArEs PROBATION
METHODS EXTENSION
Judge cisiand Declares Prison has
Failed and Has Built Up Large Pro-
fs..ionaI Criminal cIass-crime q
Social Rather Than Legal Problem
Teach Men Law 10 Their Friend.
pec,al to r1mes-Republican.

Des Moines, Nov. 14.-Further and
more complete application OF the sus-
pended sentence or probation method
Of dealing with those who are guilty
OF offenses against law will be made,
in Iowa and elsewhere. II the advice is
followed Of Judge Mckenzie Cleland.
Of Chicago. who Is attending the Iowa
christian citizenship conference here.
Judge Cleiand has given great atten-
ton to prison reform and has made a
special study Of new methods to be
applied in connection with enforce
ment of penal statutes.
1.-THE prison Is the tragedy Of mod
ern society, the connecting link be-
tween. civilization and savagery," he
says. Invented in the early history of
the race. 1t was only for the detention
of political prisoners awaiting trial.
Were there no prisons now in existence
1t Is Uncomfortable that enlightened So
ciety would adopt such an unnatural
and unscient1hc system for the treat
ment Of its defective members; and yet
we have assigned to 1t the most i'm
portant and difficult task in organized
society, the prevention Of crime and
the rehabilitation Of the criminal. The
prison Is expected and required to take
the hereditary criminal, the physical.
mental and moral defective, the edu-
Gated delinquent. the ignorant and I'M
learned, the unfortunate whose only
offense is his inability to pay a fine.
and with the crudest OF equipment.
consisting for the most part Of sun
less and unventilated cells. striped
suits and perchance few ill-assorted
books, and to hand these unfortunates
back in a few weeks or a few years
to society freed from their hereditary
taints, the Influences Of their neglected
childhood, the enslavfng power of pas
sion and appetite, the misfortune OF
poverty-healthy, useful. citizens. in
love with their country and its laws.
The essence of quackery consists in
the idea that what Is good for one is
good for all. and here we find it in
Its highest development. What in all
the range OF human credulity can
approach the belief that by shutting a
vicious reprobate and first offender
IN the same cell. one Will be punished
and the other reformed. or that by
isolating men from the outside world
they will be thereby fitted for the out
side world?
Profession Of Criminal Class.
1.-THE prison has failed. It has built
up a professional criminal class. 1t
has increased disease and poverty. 1t
has not reduced crime. It Furnishes
the innocent as we'll as the guilty. The
greatest wrong committed today is the
Imprisonment Of the bread winner and
the sale by the state of his labor to
prison contractors, or Its confiscation
by the state itself. while the family
Is left to suffer. This crime against
innocent womanhood and childhood Is
as disgraceful as 1t is unnecessary.
"a principle as old as christian civil
fzation, but never embodied In statu-
tory law until thirty-fve years ago. is
now In operation in two thirds of our
states and many foreign nations,
namely, probation OF the suspended
sentence. This principle requires the
court to recognize that every crime
presents not 50 much legal as so
cial problem. and that more may be
found wrong with the criminal than
the specific crime indicates-or less.
It corrects the fundamental error that
the court deals with crime and not
with human beings, and considers the
welfare OF the home and the family.
II teaches the offender that the law
IS not his enemy to destroy him. but
his friend to help him If he Will but
obey It."
The probation idea is now part OF
the iowa law and every court may
exercise discretion IN the matter OF
sending offenders to prison or giving
them q chance to show their reliability
before commitment.