The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1916-07-15


The instruction and training in the
Reformatory have two ends in view
to teach him how to live with other
men and earn an honest living.
When this institution was estab-
lished, the general scope and pur-
pose of its work was little known to
the general public and this lack Of
information the courts themselves
shared. The law contemplates that
sentences to the Reformatory should
be confined to first offenders between
the ages of sixteen to thirty years,
and not even these offenders, If in
the Judgment of the court, they are
not amenable to reformatory meth
DDS. Many men have been sent here
by courts, who were without ques-
tion far past the age of thirty, al
though they did not claim to be so.
Also many were sent here, who after
arriving, were found to be many
time offenders. This necessitates
the board making transfer to the
penitentiary. The discipline of the
institution was made more difficult
while these men were held at the Re-
formatory, the institution suffered
by reason of their evil influence on
the rest of the population, besides
causing the state additional expense
that might we'll have been avoided
However, we now desire to acknowl-
edge the hearty cooperation by prac-
tically all of the courts of the state,
and, except in few instances, they
are using discretion and judgment
in sentencing men to the Reforma-
tory, and exercising greater care to
ascertain whether the convict has
previous criminal record. There is
still large scope of improvement
that can be made by the courts to
aid in a better administration of the
institution.
1t would be a most wholesome
thing if the state made it compulsory
for every judge who handles the
criminal calendar of his county to
visit at least once early in the term
of his office each penal and reforma-
tory institution of the state, so that
he might know the different condi-
tions that would best suit the life OF
the particular individual sentenced
by him, for 1t must be conceded that
what is best for the convicted Offend
er is best for the state.
The actual tangible assets that we
have produced for the state exceed
in value the total appropriations
made by the legislature. This, TAX
en- in connection with the earnings
of the men who have gone out from
the restoration to citizenship and to
useful walks of life of so large
percentage of these men, is sufficient
justification for the existence of this
institution Broken homes have
been restored, family ties cemented
young men set straight, and the
good that has been accomplished in
the lives of these fellows can only
family be described There is a
pride existing among the inmates to
make good" and this helps every
man in the institution. The men
who make good never advertise to
the world that they are graduates Of
the Reformatory; it is only those
who fail of whom the world hears
Many of the men now here and on
parole are looking upon the institu-
tion as truly THE University of An
other Chance"
We take pardonable pride in the
high character OF the men who are
at the head of every department
This has been accomplished by max
ing efficiency the test of continued
employment. No man who is not
even-tempered, self-controlled, clean
of speech, Straightforward, patient
and fearless can hold a position long
at the Reformatory. AS to the moral
atmosphere of the institution, no
citizen can visit 1t without being i'm
pressed with the good work that is
being done and the excellent internal
management. No inmate Is paroled
until a position with good salary Is
awaiting him. A part of the duties
of the chief parole officer Is to find
positions, as they go about the state,
with men sufficiently interested in
aiding young men who are trying to
get on their feet Sometimes we
lack positions in particular localities
I'm order to do the best in certain
special cases Whenever possible,
we have tried to get paroled in
mate a position in a community
away from that from which he came,
SO as to get him into new associa-
tions. | desire to take this oppor-
tunity to appeal to the people or
the state, who have need for young
men to do most any kind of work
OF an honorable character, to file
their applications with the parole
officer or superintendent OF this ms