The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-26
OLD PRISON SYSTEM
 MADE REC|D|WSTS. SAYS W. H. WADHAMS
Prominent New York Jurist Spoke to Several Hun dred at Luncheon
 Yesterday

"The greatest evil of the old prison system rigid discipline, was that it sent men back to prison. Forty-five thou sand persons passed before my bench last year. If I am to stop every man who has been in prison before, I am to stop every third man.
 The above from the address of Judge William H. Wadhams, given yesterday at the Hillman hotel, under the auspices Of the Alabama prison reform committee and Alabama social workers strikes the keynote of the plea for better prison conditions made by the eminent jurist.
 The meeting was in the form of a luncheon and was attended by several hundred people interested in the ques- ton of prison reform. Judge Wadhams was introduced by Judge William D. Fort, who paid quite a tribute to the ability of the speaker as judge of the court of general sessions of New York, and as a. lecturer on the subject in which he is vitally interested
 Judge Fort stressed the need of Ala bama in the administration of criminal law, the need of abolishing the convict lease system, of establishing board of pardons and parole, and of introducing the principle of the indeterminate sem tence. 'The administration of justice should be removed from the influence of politics." he said.
 Judge Wadhams, famed for his un- usual delivery and for the thoroughness of his knowledge with the subject in question, made an address which held the undivided attention of those to whom he spoke. His speech was pune tuated not by theories, but by results Of the system he advocates.
 After explaining to his hearers that he is judge of the largest criminal court Gin point of volume of business) in the world, Judge Wadhams explained the evils of the old prison system.
 SENDS MEN BACK
 "The greatest evils of this system are that they send men back to prison," he said. "Forty-five thousand men passed my bench last year. If I am to stop every man who has been in prison before, must stop every third man. Ninety-f1ve per cent of the inmates of one prison are recidivists or 'repeaters'
 Keeping in mind the fact that the pur- pose of prisons is to protect society from the commission of crime there are three essential points to be considered for the understanding the new system: First, since every act is the child of the mind, from mind to hand The greatest expo nent of the new system is Thomas Mott Osborne"
 Judge Wadhams paid tribute to the former Sing Sing warden and the Mu- tual Welfare league. The convicts at Sing Sing learn the true relations of units of society with their own court,,'' he said. "They have & new point of view toward courts in general-a com munity of criminals turned into an ethical debating society. Under the old sys- tenn of silence and discipline, the state fortified the enemy
 The proof of the pudding is In the eating l" continued Judge Wadham. "As- sauts fell off 45 per cent. Drugs were driven out by prisoners themselves. In two years only two men among the recidivists who came before me were for mer inmates of Sing Sing. This was the direct result of the new system.
 'The second essential is classification. Sing Sing is to become a classification prison, the insane and feeble minded to be relegated.
 ''The third essential is the indetermi- nate sentence with court of rehabilita- ton.
 Under the new law in New York a commission is to have charge of parole, composed of commissioner of corrections, commissioner of police and three others. They are to determine when man is to be liberated The probation system is working splendidly. Out of 1000 men and women on probation, only 20 have failed to make good