Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-04
GERMANY LOOKS
FOR PRISON IDEAS
Both Nations May Profit by
Commissions Coming Tour
of Inspection.


eminent will send four commissioners to
make a tour of the United States during
October and the early part of November
for the purpose of studying our penal in
stitutlons and reformatories and making
n report thereon to their government
The four commissioners are: Privy
Councillor Plaschke Of Berlin Privy
Councillor Schlosser of wabern. super
intendent OF prisons. DR.. Hickman Of
Werl, and Superintendent Remppis OF
the reformatory of Wabern. They will
sail from Hamburg on the Victoria Louise
on September 20. arriving In New York
about October ., whence they will leave
at once for the annual meeting OF the
American Prison association Mt Indian
apolis, which will be held from October
II to &C. While in Indianapolis they will
meet the vice-president Of the United
states II their program admits they
VIII visit Washington later and have an
audience with President Wilson
Among the prisons and other correc-
tlonel Institutions which the German com
mission probably will inspect are Sing
Sing, Auburn and Great Meadow prisons
in New York state, the Indiana State
prison Mt Michigan city, the Illinois State
prison at Joliet, and the Massachusetts
state prison Mt Charlestown. The Elmira
reformatory probably will he inspected
other refornatories which will be visited
are those nt Mansfield, Ohio. Concord.
Mass, and Railway. ~ ].
Peculiar interest will attach to the visit
of the German commissioners to the
George Junior Republic. the Hudson and
Bedford reformatories. and reform
schools in New York State, the ST
Charles school for boys and the Geneva
school for girls in Illinois, and the re-
form schools at Shirley, Lancaster, and
Wcstboro. Mass. for in recent years Ger
many has developed several excellent re-
form schools for minors, patterned large
lv after American models
Speaking of the Significance of this
1000 mile tour to study our penal institu-
tions, DR.. q. +. Lewis general secretary
of the Prison association of New York
who, at the request of the German gov
eminent, made the tentative schedule for
the tour and will accompany the distin-
gushcd visitors most OF the time while
| they are in this country. said yesterday:
THE results of this friendly investiga-
ton Of American institutions by our Ger
man colleagues should be valuable to
!
are in many ways very different. In Ger
many they believe IN the separate con-
fnemcnt of prisoners very largely, and
| little or no association in common We
believe more and more in very general
association, particularly in our so-called
honor prisons
! Germany, under the late DR.. Krohne,
developed Its state prisons to a remark
able degree architecturally Over there
the central government. such as Prussia,
has centralized control through one or at
the most two departments OF practically
all the prisons. Politics plays little or no
part. Here we find one department run
ming the State prisons. boards Of man
ayers managing the reformatories and re-
! form schools, while the penitentiaries and
fails are under local management.
From this rises "A confusion OF admin
istration that makes our American prison
system very disjointcd Furthermore, we
can learn much from Germany in the
matter OF the study of criminology. Our
American method is to go ahead. to de
liver the goods; we have made many
wonderful experiments and have had not
a few great successes We have devel-
Oped the childrcn's court, the probation
system, the indeterminate sentence, and
the outdoor honor prison The George
Junior Republic is an American institu-
ton. But the philosophy of the prison
movement, the why's and the whercfores
of the problem are more clearly seen
abroad often than with us. 1t is charac-
teristc OF the German government that
Just at the time = IN it is in the midst
of a fundamental revision of its impe-
rial penal code il should send four repre-
sentatives over here to analyzc our meth
DDS and results.
! Let us not expect that this trip vii
he easy going, either for the German
commissioners or for the institutions they
visit. The German government would
not go to the considerable expense OF
such IA tour were there not the prob
ability that more than one change |!
being contemplated In prisons and re
| cormatories across the water. VIVA
these gentlemen will want to know II
what We with our American institutions
actually have accomplished. / fancy they
Will be particularly interested in the pre-
ventive work for young offenders such a.
the boys and girls reform schools per
FORM the Juvenile courts, the Junior Re
public. and the probation system.
Our trip will probably take the com
missioners through nine or ten States
Invitations have been received alread.
at the offices OF the New York Prison
association asking the commissioners no
only to visit institutions. but to remain
over night or longer for the purposes o
thorough inspection. Automobiles are t.
be placed at the disposal of the dis
tingushed visitors. and 1t is certain tina
American prison and reformatory man
ayers will not spare trouble to make tn,
coming inspection one of the most note
worthy Of recent years in this coun
try