Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-07-08
A PRISON MAGAZINE
SUGGESTS REMEDIES
Tells Of Remedies for the Evils Pointed
Out in American Prison Systems.

A subscriber way back in Philadel-
phia complains that we point out the
evils of the American prison system
without giving a remedy. There is no
complete remedy for crime itself, that
could be taken up without an over
throw of present social conditions, for
there will always be someone who will
commit crime. But crime may be re-
duced TO a minimum, first by prohibit
I ing the manufacture and sale of aleo-
holic liquors and drugs; second, by
humane treatment of the convict
already in duranee vile, and third, by
educating that convict 10 the fact that
his time is worth more TO himself and
the world at large If he follows an
honest avoeation. Then help MIN fit
! himself to meet the requirements.
/ Every man inside if he has an atom
of self.respect can broaden and ex.
pand, but he usually needs someone
to show him. A great many of our
number are illiterate; give them some
sort of an education during their stay
in prison. When they leave they will
be better fitted to cope with the world
and make an honest living. Very few
men with even a reasonable amount
of "book larnin' are confined in
penitentiaries; the smart man keeps
out. Someone nas asked if teaching
men trades is not an education. No,
/ il is not, for the way trades are
taught in prison gives n man very
poor idea of how to do certain thing
in his line. l have met no small
number of men who are "prison
taught" and have yet to find the
first one who really could make good.
They learn a trade after fashion,
but are unable to hold a job on the
outside, so they become discouraged
and go back to crime. Two years ago
we nad a school for a short time, but
as no provision had been made by the
state for the purchase of books, it was
not a success. At the same time it
was really wonderful how many of the
inmates were reaching out for that
something they had missed in their
youth. To this day it is no unusual
sight to see a school book of some de-
seription sticking out Of the pocket of
an inmate, and when opportunity
affords, he will button-hoe someone
with, "say, Gully, put me wise to dis
void, will yuhl" II is common, very
common here. Mail restrictions as
praetieed in most prisons is fearful
crime. In these places letters and
newspapers Of any value are cut off
almost entirely, for some barbarie
reason. Just think for a moment,
how much your own education and
knowledge of life would be impaired
if you were cut off from the outside
world for years. How would you ex.
pect 10 meet the battle when once
=. more forced out in tho thick Of il,
knowing nothing of the days Of the
worldi OF the evils pointed out in
previous articles, the remedy is also
made clear. The great trouble is, il
you talk to the pubic about something
it already knows, you have rapt atten-
ton; if you talk about something OF
which the public is ignorant, you are
thought to be a crank, or a liar, OF
Without q doub. rs per cent Of
this human scrap heap can be culiFu
over and made into new; with liquor
abolished, that per centage could bC
increased to 80 in one generation
from that time on, degeneracy would
die natural death, and the prison
population would be decreased TO 9
fraction. Liquor breeds dcgeneracy
and begets poverty; poverty beget'
crime, and there is no court blotter in
the country but what will tell you the
same story.