The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-10-09
PRISONERS EARNINGS
TO THEIR DEPENDENTS

III HEN UtrtNUtNIS
The Support Of Dependent Families From
the Earnings Of Imprisoned Bread.
winners is a Subject Of Special Inter.
est. Judge VIM. H. De Lacy De.
Scribes the Washington, D. c., Plan.
Since one of the objects of pun
ishment IS the reformation of the
offender, it behooves the science of
penology to adapt the means of
punishment to this end.
Nothing is more effective for
this purpose than work, and as far
as possible this work should be so
contrived as to promote the effici-
ency of the prisoner to render SER
vice to the community upon his re-
turn to freedom. In the selection
of employment for prisoners, COM
plant is made on the part of free
labor of the unfair competition of
imprisoned labor, with its needs as
to shelter, food and clothing met at
the expense of the state. There is
justice in the protest of free labor
and the protest can well be needed,
since there are many avenues Of
service that could be rendered the
state by prisoners which are unoccu-
pied by free labor, either because
outside the pale Of private enter
prise or because not So necessary by
comparison with other governmental
work as to lead to the required out
lay by the government, as, for in
stance, the opening and building of
good roads, and the cleaning of the
sewers and the suburbs of our large
cities. In addition to these promi-
nent fields for the utilization of
prison labor, there are, of course,
the erection of prison buildings and
repairs, and the making of shoes
and other articles of clothing, and
the production of food supplies for
the shelter and nourishment of the
prisoners themselves.
This kind of labor has been to
some extent utilized in the employ
ment of prisoners IN the District of
Columbia who have violated the
non-support laws, and ffty-cents
per diem has been paid 10 the fami-
lies Of prisoners for each days work
performed by the individual in the
workhouse.
In this way, for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1907, a total of
5000 were paid to families from the
earnings of men under sentence at
the workho,,se; during this period
there were paid by men under sUs-
pended sentence, for the support of
their families, $6,05O.59. The sue
ceeding fiscal year, the amount Of
the payments from the earnings of
men under sentence at the work
house was $4,000; while the pay
ments through the clerk Of court of
the men under suspended sentence,
for the same offense of non-support,
amounted to $21, 1886. For the
entire six years and fraction, since
1907, the total amount of payments
out of the public funds, on account
of earnings of men under sentence
at the workhouse. to their families,
has been .$15, 294.50. During the
same six years and fraction, men
under suspended sentence paid to
their families, through the clerk of
the court. $21O,047.81, from which
no costs were deducted, not even
postage stamp.
This procedure has saved to the
taxpayers the burden of supporting
many of these poor families, has
minimized drunkenness, and has
made lazy men work to support
themselves and families. Some of
these men have improved so in the
economic sense, as well as the NOR
al, that they have voluntarily stated
they were glad they had been
! brought into court. Even those
committed to the workhouse are
given further chance when they
appeal therefor.
If the children be fed in their
home their is little likelihood of
their going into the streets to either
beg or steal. If the father is hous-
ing and feeding his little flock, it
almost invariably happens that he