The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-06-04
DESTRUCTION OR
RECONSTRUCTION
An important Prison Problem, Considered
From The Standpoint Of a Prisoner
Confined at Sing Sing, Contains Per-
iinent Information.
WHAT Is THE Remedy
Star of Hope

not, proper that man convicted OF
crime should have much, if anything,
to say about the manner or length
of his punishment. But there are
some things that prisoner may say
about crime and the penalties meted
out for it-some things that he can
say better than anyone else and that
he should say.
Crime, and the punishment or re-
formation of the criminal presents a
problem today that dwarfs all other
problems. 1t is tremendous pro-
blem-tremendous, not only because
it directly affects 80 many people
and because of the manner in which
it affects them, but also, because it
affects, indirectly. every other man,
woman and child in the land.
In 1910, according to a recently
published bulletin of the Census De-
partment, 493 1874 persons were COM
mitted to prison in the United
States, of whom 4,147 were chill
dren. Assuming that an average of
five persOns-a very conservative
estimate affected directly and
disasterously by each of these COM
mitments, about 2,50O,00O people
or one-fortieth of the inhabitants of
our country suffered during that
year because someone close to them
had been put in prison. But the
operation of the criminal laws is
cumulative. Hundreds of thousands
suffered during 1910 on account of
the imprisonment of husbands and
brothers, sons and even daughters,
wives and mothers who had been
sent to prison in the years proceed
ing, and other hundreds of thou
sands suffered because of the brand,
imprisonment in previous years had
put upon them. When one follows
it back and considers the agony be-
cause of imprisonments that extend,
not alone over one year, but over
five, ten. twenty, or more years. the
terrible results of crime and it's
punishment are appalling.
On the other hand the misery that
often follows anG, is caused by the
wrong doing of the man who breaks
the law, must give pause and halt
the tongue that, speaking from a
tender or, perhaps. selfish heart,
is too quick to condemn the law
that Furnishes.
Law is Essential
Every man with a right con-
ception of his. relation to society
realizes that law is necessary and
that the enforcement of law is
essential to civilization. We must
have law; men must obey it, and he
who does not must pay some penalty.
The common good demands this.
The question is not, shall laws be
enforced and crime punished? But
how shall it be dore so that in the
end the community will lose least
and profit most?
There is much in connection with
the subject that appeals to sentiment,
but fundamentally the question is
one of policy to be determined on
sound business principles.
Sentimentally, the views of crime
and imprisonment for it, are as
many and divergent as the rays of
the sun. 1t is not to be expected
that one smarting under loss or an
injury caused by a law-breaker,
should see things from the same an
gle as the man who did the wrong
and who was misled by the pervert-
ing influences of bad environment
and association or who, yielding to
weaknesses kindred to those latent
in the best of men. acted. under the
stress of circumstances, the force of
which even he. in retrospect, cannot
understand. The prosecuting officer,
fred by ambition, urged on by what
he thinks is public sentiment. can
have but little real sympathy with
the viewpoint of the criminal who
feels very much as the fox or the
hare must when the huntsman's horn
is sounding and the hounds are in
full cry and right at his heels.
Greatest Good Desired
Practically, as with every other
question of business and govern
ment. it is simply a matter Of
securing the greatest good for those
concerned at the least cost. And
that cost. of course, is cost, not in
dollars alone, but in wounded feel
ings, in wrecked lives, in the yield
ing up of anything that goes to