The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-01-06
'$;;Kl :;j A; KlSONERS GIVEN
! ,SELF-G0VERNMENT
REL
otaen Saunders, Of Fort Madison.
! inaugur ates Startling Change
in Management.
vFIDEhT PLAN WILL WORK.

Iame 5NFiDENT PLAN WILL "oHN.
sas..iii Have Jurisdiction Over Prisoners
I'd Sit in Judgment for lnfrac-
~. tions of Discipline.
we're Sort Madison, la, Jan. 2.-Among
liess. .,many extraordinary things which
on, 4 various penal institutions through
out the, country are attempting to do
to make good men of bad ones, the
intention of Warden Sanders to train
stiIe inmates in the Iowa penitentiary
fes be- self governing. is pronouncedly
one ofsthe foremost.
He intends to allow his prisoners
the right to govern themselves. He
believes If they are allowed to estab-
lish rules and regulations, and to sit
in Judgment upon their own faults
and misdemeanors. the discipline OF
the prison will eventually be made bet
ter and the men themselves encOurag-
ed to live Il more orderly life.
The thought is not entirely new.
But the plan, as it is outlined by him,
will greatly differ from the ordinary
conception of prison regime. 1t is
his purpose to lay before the inmates
of his prison set of rules analogous
TO the laws of the land. which will
serve as Limitations within which
others are to be confined, such as
safety and the welfare of the prison.
The internal management will be
entrusted to the inmates. There Will
likely be, as at present defined, three
separate and distinct bodies. One OF
them will be for the government OF the
prison. one for the enforcement and
execution of its rules. and one will
serve as its Judiciary.
The first body, sitting as a gov
erning board, will investigate and rec
ommend to the warden reforms in
either the management of the prison
III the conduct OF the prisoners or
Guards. Upon his sanction of propos-
FED measures, they will be incorporated
into the rules OF the prison and plac-
ed i'm the hands of the executive board
Tor enforcement
The second body, the executive
board, is designed to take an active
! interest in promoting the welfare 81
|, ~. rsjseni 10 eatf0rce ifs rulesf Keep
j UP tie moral tone OF Tie prison. and
! act in all respects as protective offi-
J GERS. @asil ,,ss' sNS. ssaES
The third body will investigate into
and act upon all complaints made by
either the officers and guards or the
prisoners. This body will be very in
teresting. 1t will be in all respects
an inmates court to try breaches OF
discipline. 1t will be composed OF
members of the governing board and
ri will hn ri.
ed over by chairman selected from
time to time. Being in session one
hour daily, it is expected to dispose
of all matters coming before ii prompt
ly and justly.
Any inmate cited for breach of dis
ciplinc who is unable to properly
present his own side of the case may
have the assistance of friend. An
officer OF the prison will also be pres
cnt at each meeting. lie willnot take
part in the proceedings, but he may
appeal any case to the warden II lie
thinks the interest OF the state. orsOf
. the prison is not being properly pro-
tected. Eules will be made which will
permit prisoner, under certain con-
ditions, to appeal from the decision
OF the court.
In all cases of prison misdemeanor
the court will have power either to
warn the inmate cited before it. to
suspend special privileges. to limit
them. or to take them away altogeth-
er; or it may impose any of the other
penalties prescribed by the warden
for .Offenses against discipline and
good order. The governing board, and
the executive board, will, through its
inmate court, assume full responsible
ity for the discipline of the prison.
1t is believed that by placing the
responsibility for self government up
ON the men, their pride in the welfare
of the prison will be increased, their
desire for order and good morals Will
be put to the test. and they as men
must either come to the mark with
evidences. of good citizenship. or con-
fess to their unfitness by their failure.
Warden Sanders also expects in
this way TO Danish the stool pigeon.
His usefulness will be done away with
as fast as each inmate shall stand for
good government. Then. instead of
"stooling' to the warden, complaints
may honorably be made to the execu-
tive committee, and delinquents be
warned in ample time before they are
,haled before the court.
The proposition is declared by Grim
inolOgists to be unique, unusual, ami
logical Many men are in prison be-
cause they have not been able to gov
crn their lives outside of it. Then
why should they not, asks the warden,
be taught self government? If peni-
tentiary is going to be reformatory.
he thinks it should be instructiVely
and educationally so. That is the
force of his logic. And it would seem
that the state can do no better than
to strengthen the, admittedly weak
spot In it's penal wards.
II is claimed the majority OF tn
I, men in the Fort Madison prison will
welcome this form OF government.
4 Many of them are fairly well educat.
Y fed, of good ideas, common sense. or
X 2derly inclined, Of moral character.
and aside from some dominant weak
hess they are as normal as other men.
with the governing power placed in
their hands it is likely that Warden
Sanders will raise the moral tone OF
w