The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-10
VERMONT'S PENAL
PROBLEMS TAKEN UP,
DR.. Hastings Hart Of the Russell Sage
Foundation Commended Sheriff
Tracy's Jail Labor Methods.

who was called to Burlington as a dele
gate to attend the annual meeting of tn
Red Cross. Dr. Hastings Hart, directo
of the Russell Sage Foundation, who i
chairman of the penal committee of tn
organization and who has made stud,
of Jail conditions for "a years, was tn
speaker of the afternoon session and at
tended the morning session, at whicl
routine business was done. DIR, i. II
Knight, superintendent of the Littl
Wanderers home in Boston, was invited
to speak at the next meeting. The sec
retary reported a need of assistance il
the child care and home problem. A. Z
White of Montpelier was made deputy J
state probation officer, with pay tn,
same as the other deputies. DR.. Hart
also stayed for conference after the
address.
DR. Hart opened ais remarks by ex.
planning the work that the foundation
has been doing for some l5 years, having
made allusion to the fact that he had
for 10 years been secretary of the Min
nesota board and tlle..of another board
for nine years, after which he came to
the Sage foundation work and has been
changed from one department to another
until he has been made director of the
work. While the foundation is organized
for child problems II has committees on
other work, which include a penal com
mittee, of which Mr.. Hart is the chair
man.
Through this work he studied Vermont
for some eight yesrs with the result
that he found thatfSheriff F. II. Tracy
had solved the problem which he had
been working on fo-.454 years, namely,
that of what to do with those committed
to jails on short-ter sentences; and he
paid Sheriff Tracy nice compliment
when he said that the plan which Mr.
Tracy has worked out has been adopted
by Wisconsin, New Jersey, West Virginia
and Maine, and he wanted to congratu.
late Vermont upon having a man of Mr..
Tracy's ability to work out the plan
which crimnologists have worked upon
for lifetime. He sent experts here to
investigate the system. he said, and has
found it without fault. The thing he
said that surprised him was that the
state had not made law forcing the
sheriffs in each county to carry out the
provisions of Mr.. Traey's plan, or the
Vermont plan. as it is known, he said,
through the country. He said in Wiscon
sin that the sheriff who does not employ
the prisoners after Mr.. Tracys plan is
penalized for each breach of the law on
that subject.
Idleness, he said, is the worst thing
that prisoner can experience, for IL
they are grouped together they win tell
each other stories Of the crimes that
they have committed and Uuly increase
their intentions, upon release; but If
worked they do not have time TO talk
over such things, they are tired and go
to bed. They are not burden on So
,iety Maine, which has adopted the
Vermont plan, when he visited the state |
L few months ago had man guarding |
'our men TO see that they automatically |
rock during the day. Accom- |
olishing nothing either for the state or
themselves and only making worse citi-
.ens of themselves. Some of the states
which have recently adopted the plan
lave divided the money received little
differently than Vermont. They give
he sheriff 10 per cent for management
md 40 per cent each to the prisoner and
tate. In those states where the Yer
mont plan is now working, the worst
'enalty he finds that can be imposed on
he prisoner who will not work is to
lace him in his own cell The idleness
ets his nerve and he soon is ready for
mployment.
Chairman Pierson asked the speaker
rhat he thought of the state detention
arm. DIR. Hart replied; II would have
ne and put Frank Tracy in charge of
/" because he said progressive states
lready have their detention farms and
he plan is working out better than any
ther part of the state institutions.
Speaking of child problems he told the
oard that Vermonts most acute prob
I'm is that of the care of its feeble
minded; that it must be met early; that
he feeble. minded girl of mature years
more of a menace to the public than {
he insane of the state. He advocated J
liking the senile dementia patients out i
t the state hospital and filling their ]
laces with feeble minded girls who are |
,aching and have reached their mature a
ges. claiming it is the only way of s
lortening the degeneracy which exists !
the states. He advocated that the 7
rls be kept at work gardening, dairying r
nd such things as they can do under ?
IperyisiOn.
He said the second proposition Yer
ont must face is the care of dependent r
lildrcn. They are entitled to a chance e
I'd he urged the board to visit the home i
II these in Massachusetts, and New {
,Tsey
He criticized Vermont's plan of proba B
on. stating that it has become q recog G
zed fact among probation authorities {
at there should be salaried man to A
ch 100 paroled men. Vermont has 200. il
e claimed that written reports are Of "
tie use. that regular close touch by "
station is the right method and gets q
suits according TO the modern ideas in C
cad of the old plan OF abuse, as con
lcted in jail and prison. He was g
eased, he said. to find that their secre- d
~ had taken hold Of the poorhouse b
opposition. It is a big one, long need b,
2 remedying. lie cautioned against W
publicity, but to use that f
nd that will gain the cooperation of
ose who are most concerned and who
We the states interest before them.
advocated going slow. for Oregon v
a the best secretary he ever saw. He