Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-11
Reform at Sing Sing
BY Frederic ]. Haskin


make careers for themselves.
The Mutual Welfare league governs
Sing Sing in 80 far as the conduct OF
its inmates is concerned. II sets up its
own courts, presided over by oflicers 1t
elects, policies the prison, makes ar.
rests, prefers charges for misconduct,
tries miscreants and prescribes their
punishment. This one innovation 1t ia
claimed makes all the difference be-
| tween self governing. self respecting
! men and mOrOse and resentful pris-
oners.
How are things inside?" young
prisoner was asked the other day.
Fine" was his answer. "All the boys
are behaving themselves. There is no
more trouble"
What is the cause of this change
he was asked. I'VE promised Tom
/ Brown we would be good" he said.
TON Brown" it should be remem-
bered, was the name under which Os-
borne served a voluntary term In
| prison that he might study prison life.
, In Sing Sing the men call him Tom
Brown" as term of affection. There
are Tom Brown" clubs. The inmates
are making remarkable record Of few
! infractions of rules that such record
may help Osborne in his fight against
! the charges he is facing. There Is one
old time prisoner now in Sing Sing who
has escaped from a score Of such instt-
! buttons and who boasts that no prison
can hold him. He told Warden kirch-
+, wey that he would stay in Sing Sing as
| long as it is run on the Osborne plan
but il that plan Is upset he will break
out.
Since Sing Sing has become self
governing, it's politics are interesting
F., The Italians are regarded as pretty
good politicians and sixty per cent OF
| the inmates of Sing Sing are Italians.
At first the Italians ran the Mutual
Welfare league, But by the end OF the
first year the Irish influence began to
assert itself. Only ten per cent OF In
mates are Irish but soon they had
, built an organization. True to their
colors they called it Tammany and now
they have all the Offices and the spot
light.
Certain cases from the Welfare
I league court may be appealed to the
warden's court. There was an echo OF
| politics in the case Of Rosetti who ap-
peared on appeal. He was formerly an
officer Of the welfare league and one OF
the prominent politicians Of the 1nstl-
, tution--an interesting and picturesque
young Italian. But he had sent we
! insult to member of the success1ul
Tammany opposition and had been
hailed into court because of 1t. When
he appeared before the warden he was
asked what action he would have
/ taken, as an officer of the court, II such
a case had come before him, II he did
not think that in the interest OF dlsclp.
line. he should take his medicine. Il
letting him of would not injure the
thing they were all trying to build up.
lin the end he asked that he be punish
! ed and went away for two weeks in his
cell on bread and water.
! At sitting Of this court an offender
was tried for attempting to smuggle
letters past the censor. Another was
charged with having made an electric
stove" and having had it in his cell IN
/ violation Of rules. Another had been
out of his cell without permission,
They were mostly small onenses, put
/ intensely interesting to all concerned
because this court was theirs, some
! thing with which to busy themselves,
something about which to think
Before self government, better exer.
else regulations and other OF the Us
borne reforms were inaugurated, there
had been an average of flfty-fve men
who each year went insane and had TO
be transferred to Matteawan. The hrst
wear under the new regime there were
! hut nineteen men who went crazy. In
der self government system there are
! but one-eighth the number OF ln1rac'
tons of rules that took place under the
old plan.
.. ara over