River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-07-01
PRISON REFORM
BY Mrs. j. S. Wadsworth

treatment o f criminals. Awful
darkness, terrible silence, loneli-
ness, idleness, hunger, thirst. aock-
step. stripes and even stone walls
are giving way before advanced
ideas.
Hitherto our penal institutions
have been for the purpose Of pun
ishment, now they are for e
purpose of correction and reform.
Hitherto our method Of punish
ment has been barbaric, now it is
becoming humane, Hitherto " e
have held human beings in abiect
slavery, In idleness worse h a n
death. without sun, o m e t j m
without light, in damp cells, with
foul air. diseased and foul COM
panions.
cut off from the outside world
the criminals have been simply a
part of the prison machinery. 1t
mas been theirs but to do. obey
suffer and sometimes to die. The
repression OF their lives has been
fearful and the mental influence
deadening. Think 0f every in
.tinctiye movement Of the body
watched; tina stretch Of weary
muscles, the turning Of the head
or the glance of the eye gaurd-
I'd and repressed.
SUCH treatment never produced
good hut evil results. The whole
system has aggravated resistance
and desire for revenge, many
lives ending in hopelessness and
insanity.
Compare such treatment with
that of today where new methods
are being tried. Seldom is t h
prisoner submitted to the hair
dipping process or the wearing
Of the stripes. Now he can wear
Ills hair like any other person and
puts on the stripes only " E 4
occasion demands.
No longer is he Shut in q ar k
damp cells for weeks. With nothing
to do. Now he can attend chapel
services, listen to good music and
read good books. He is fed on
wholesome, Well-cooked f d
and good water to drink He no
2onger his to suffer the water
torture. but can have all the water
he wants.
Now he is taken out of doors
for recreation. week days as we'll
as holidays, If any convict has
any grievances he wishes righted
lie can submit them in writing to
the Warden and the case is at
tended to. Often the prison Of
ficials sit as a court in Judgment
Oh cases brought before til e m
Even criminals expect justices the
very lowest OF them. The old
saving There is honor anon g
thieves" is often eXemplified in
the law Of the under world ITO
BE true to my pal is the, only law
know" They expect those in
authority to be strickly honest and
truthful. As the criminal is square
With his pal, SO he expects a
square deal from those who deal
with him. Changes in the rules
are going on in most prisons.
tn some they come With leaps
and bounds. New York p or S
that before she began making over
her rules they We're sending $50
men a year to the insane asylum.
now they are sending half that
number.
Waupun gives a similar report.
Woodward says that as soon as
he began taking the prisoners cut
for recreation it. at once, cut down
the tendency to insanity and the
number Of sick calls.
The prison authorities have not
been slow to recognize the beni-
fetal results from changes insti-
tuted and the prisoners themselves
appreciate what is being done for
them and show it by their splen-
did spirit and cooperation.
But it has been found that kind
treatment, a good place to stay
good food. religious environment
good books, excellent schooling
and plenty of work does not re-
form all. Some continue going
wrong no matter how much is done
for them.
Penologists have divided crimi-
nails into three classes: the he
redi. airy. professional and acciden-
tai. Some people claim there is
no such thing as heredity, hence
there are no born criminals This
may be true, sill some people are
born with tendencies to do wrong.
Tendencies that under certain con-
ditions may develop nd cause
ahem to fall. When it has b e n