The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-12-09
Prof. J. C. Heerey Served Sem
tence to Study Lansing.
SPEAKS IN TOPEKA NEXT WEEK
Will Illustrate His Talk With
Scenes in Pen.
Calls Prison a "Crime Breed
ing Institution"

1ne -AanSaS state peLlteitldAy -
Lansing is antiquated, run on the
wrong principles, and is crime
breeding institution instead of a cor
receive of crime, according to Profess
sor ]. c. Heerey, who served volun-
tary sentence there to investigate the
conditions.
Professor Heerey is an Australian
lecturer, who is touring the United
States with a motion picture film of
the penal settlement in Australia. He
will speak and shcw the film at the
Cozy theatre Monday and Tuesday of
next week.
Heerey was reared in Tasmania,
which was once known as Van Die
mems land. where England sent her
convicts after the War of Independ-
ence closed America to such undesir-
able emigrants. He came to America
last year to lecture at the Panama-Pa-
cific exposition. and has since visited
many American prisons.
He was in Kansas City during the
recent agitation over the management
of the Missouri State penitentiary and
became Interested in the local reform
movement.
Seven Days in Prison.
He served a voluntary sentence of
seven days in Lansing, to ascertain
actual prison conditions in the peni-
Tertiary
Every one who has a personal
knowledge of Lansing is prepared to
il stitution." said Mr.. Heerey in the
State Journal office this morning
"But the citizens of Kansas do not
seem to know how much harm their
so-called reform institution is doing.
What you need is to throw the white
light of publicity into the dark cor
ners of the coal mine and do justice
to the unfortunates who are losing
their health and efficiency. and run
ming a risk of losing their lives be-
cause they committed a crime.
Most of the inmates at Lansing are
not criminals-they are social misfits.
The great majority of them have
blundered only for the first time.
Surely they deserve another chance.
The theory of your law gives them
that chance but the practice does not.
"a portion of the cells were de-
stroyed by fire since I left Lansing.
When 1 read of the fire my only re-
greet was that the whole of the cells
were not destroyed. They are unsan-
itary. disease-breeding holes unfit for
human lbitation and should be torn
down and rebuilt.
The Parole Law.
another reform that is badly need
ed in your state prison, is a better I'M
Outstanding of the parole law. The
indeterminate sentence was supposed
to be an improvement over the old flat
sentence, and give men an incentive
to be on their best behavior and earn
the minimum.
But political and other influences
have done much to prevent this adj
vanced measure from becoming the
success il deserves to be.
"A public defender is also needed in
Kansas. Most men are physically,
mentally and financially unfit to look
after themselves in the hour of their
trouble, and many men are railroaded
to prison because they are moneyless
and friendlesS when arrested
Lansing could be a model prison
1t has plenty of good land, a good
stone quarry. good fire clay for the
brick plant and geographically is in
the heart of the nation. 1t could have
men in honor camps building good
roads. 1t could grow crops and pro-
duce food for many other state institu-
tons 1t could have a good factory
on the inside, instead of the energy
wasting Irvine plant. to teach boys a
useful trade and restore them to So
ciety fit to lead an honest life.
Instead of this it is a sick and sad
old place and your coming legislature
has some problem on it's hands tc
make it that model institution which
some people would have you believe
IL is right now"