The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-05-07

/ Al Inc annual CONVENTION O1 S11A-
! tiles and Corrections. to be held In
! Baltimore from May 2 to 19. consid-
| cradle attention Will b: given to the
betterment of the conditions affecting
1 convicts both during their stay IN
/ prison and after their release. Frank
\ L. Randall. Massachusetts Commis-
! sioner of Prisons, will present the
subject OF wages for prisoners. wnicn
| Is a matter now receiving considera-
ton from all those interested IN
I prison reform
/ slowly but surely. a tremendous
change is being brought about in the
attitude of the public regarding the
man in prison. Instead OF Sendlng
man 10 prison for revenge for
wrong committed. society now senos
a man TO prison that he may have an
| opportunity TO reform.
One OF the grievances the prisoner
cherishes against the state which con
! fines him is due 70 the fact that ne
only nominal wages. during the time
he is confined. This grievance may
be intesified If he Is a man with
| family, which is enduring poverty
J during his Incarceration. The pos
sibility of paying the men what they
earn above the expenses OF their
maintenance. has been much discuss
! ed by penolosists. L is being paru-
ally realized in the prison at Baltt-
more by contracting the labor of pris-
oners TO certain manufacturers VINO
pay for it at the rate of other labor.
the warden ascertaing what constr
tutes a fair days work. a part OIL
this work he is compelled to do as
his daily task for the state. The TASK
does not utilize all OF his time. ana
the balance may be employed In con-
dc no T.
yided with the state. Under this ar
rangement it is possible for prison
er TO save as much as $500 in year.
With the idea of reforming instead
of Furnishing the convict comes an
entirely new mode OK discipline. Tho
lash. the black hole and other OLD
methods OF punishment have beeh
absolutely abolished. In their place
rewards for good behavior are given
These rewards are of many different
kinds. They include baseball ana
other recreation privileges. entertain
ments, debating societies. more iber-
ty. an opportunity of pa-ole. and per
haps the shortening of the sentence
In addition TO these rewards are ed
ucatlonal classes which fit the pris-
oner to become self-supportins upon
his release.
| The great impetus toward prison
] reform was given uS Inc PQDAAS1N'N.H
of the report of the commission ap-
pointed by ex-President Roosevelt TO
investigate the conditions of the pen
: al institutions of the District OF Co
!! lumbia This report. which was
printed as a public document. is held
| BY sociologists to have been at least
q half century in advance of its time.
and il has furnished the basis for re
forms in the prisons throughout the
\
| the ordinary jail except for tenn
| porary jail detention; recommends a
| probation system for offenders VINO
can be safely handled without con-
! fnement: reformatory for those
/; who must be sentenced to conflne-
ment and are yet hopeful: work
/ house for those who must be SEN
! fenced TO confinement who are no.
proper subjects for reformatory
! treatment: confinement in the federal
prisons for the worst offenders. and
! a carefully guarded parole law TOT
| prisoners in all institutions.
The parole provision was the great
| forward step in reform and the ono
which has brought greatest res5lts
| within the last five years When the
| bill was passed providing parole Tor
prisoners in the District of Columbia.
I il became an injustice to prisoners
I from the states who We're sent there
! for the same offense. but VINO were
not entitled to parole because the
| states made no provision for it. Inc
| enactment OF a bill providing for pa
role of all prisoners in federal pris-
ons was a great advance step, ana
the parole was soon extended TO state
! prisons. so that there are few large
institutions in this country in which
I ? prisoner may not hope for re-
lease long before the expiration OF
his sentence providing his behavior
is good
/ Since .::a parole has become well
.esta bIish, the indeterminate sentence
/ has come into prominence. The IN
\ 6eterminate sentence IS one ranging
! from short confinement to long
( one at the discretion of the prison
authorities 1t is still opposed oy
some judges. because it limits Their
power. but ii is believed that it Is the
only means of securing absolute JUS
tice for the prisoner The case is told
] of two counterfeiters confined in the
I Leavenworth prison. An old man Of
bad record deceived a great many
people by raising the value of one
dollar bill TO ten dollars by cleverly
pasting the figure 10 ov0r the I. He
was convicted before a ienient judge
and sentenced 10 year OF imprison-
ment in the federal prison at Leayan-
worth. 4 young boy in the back
woods made a clumsy sttempt to
reproduce a silver dollar Sn tin foil
and some other metals He was ar
rested and 2 more strenuous judge
gave him three years. The manifest
in Justice could best be remedied by
the interminate sentence. which,
leaves the matter to the discretion OF
the board of prison directors
An excellent example OF the posi-
bilities of the pearole system was evil
/ denced a few years ago through the'
! instrumentality of James Kelly. the
I Chicago editor A banker absconded
I and fed to Africa Keely followed
him in the interest OF his newspaper.
and after finding him persuaded him