The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-10-15
e d IT o II / A L -.
THE PRISON REFORMERS

great land of ours, the prison problem
and the prisoner is Chinese puzzle
II Many people seem to be labOring under
II ~ II the distorted impression that men and
m women who have transgressed sOciety's
III laws are at best of a different type OF
u,D human beings. But the social workers,
II III prison reformers and criminologists have
II q been convinced otherwise; and to this
end and for the welfare of the convicted
they are slowly but surely convincing
IHEl the public that men and women behind
- the bars are only human after all.
We clip the following from the St.
Paul Dispatch, which will give some idea of the
attitude of the prison workers to the inmates of
penal institutions at the present time, and what
their method is of helping those who have fallen
as compared with the measures used in precedence
of yore.
What the Dispatch has to say. in part regard
ing the meeting of the Prison Congress, held in
St. Paul last week, follows:
Those of our citizens who have attended
the meetings of the American Prison associa-
ton were surprised by many things. First
by the character of the membership of the as
ISOLATION. Formerly many of the prison re-
times to the exclusion of all other considera-
tiOns. His lot was hard one; they wanted to
make it easier for him. They thought but lit
tie about his past; but little about his future,
or the future of the community when he should
return to it, They dwelt upon his present
condition, and insisted that it was too bad"
They did not discriminate very closely be-
tween different classes of lawbreakers but
wanted improvement in the treatment of all.
At the opposite extreme in the discussion
of crime problems, were those who insisted
that these prisoners were terminals" and
that the mission of the prison was to punish
them. They declared that the things which
the sentimentalist wanted done couldn't be
done, and those who did not make the prison
er realize that the way of the transgressor
is hard" could not run prisons successfully.
They, too, were indiscrminating. All must
be treated alike
There was a great difference between then
and now in the issues
Howard made war upon the physical pris-
ons of his day, partly because they were un-
sanitary and even loathsome; and partly be-
cause in the nature of things they corrupted
the inmates and through them the community.
The sentmentalists have had their day,
and accomplish their main purposes. That
they are not prominent is due TO the fact that
there has been general recognition of the
soundness of many of their contentious. AS
rule, prisoners are now treated as men and
women, rather than as criminals" and those
who used to insist that the main appeal in
dealing with them must be fear, are no long,
er prominent. The modern prison is found
to produce better results and the wardens who
ruled by force have disappeared.
In their places are found men and women
who will surprise the average citizen They
are large-brained, large-hearted, educated
mon who will be at once recognized as hay
ing the qualities which are always associated
with leadership. Minnesota contributes it's
full shareholder, man of great admins
trative powers; Garvin, whom we gave to
Connecticut; Randall whom we have loaned to
Massachusetts, for while, and Reed and Scott,
newer comers-all progressive men, who have
dared to do new things which were original and
progressive, and DR.. Smith and many of his
associates in the work of developing public
sentiment, supervising administration and Sc.
curing progressive legislation. From all
parts of the country came men and women
of the same type with new questions to take
the place of dead issues. Formerly prison
officers talked of what couldn't be done,
but in these days they meet to hear what has
been done and can be done. The basis of the