El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-08-18
N. Nj. PRISON IS A MAN FACTORY
LINDSEY FAVORS SANE REFORM
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OOV ". E LINDSEY is one Of the new kind Of COVER
Z = who views the PeniteHtary place to make
- men rather than In which punish them. He
takes Just that Of the state prison of New Mexico
Fortunately for the state Gov Lindsey does not slop
prison reform His sentiment has not degenerated
into senmentaty- Unlike recent governor Of Arizona,
he does not believe in making peuitentiary pleasant
retreat for rest recreation and free board and lodging It
Is s prison It performs It's punitive junction. but its
effort does not end with punishment.
prison, Gov. Lindsey It, ought to be sort Of
factory where human material, of It far
from good material goes in and whence it emerges in the
form Of well schooed man, trained to work. convinced
of the folly his way Of living the past anxious
conform to the established rules of the law society That
is the higher mission Of prison It should be an indus
trial school for
In his attitude toward the state peatentiary Gov Lind
sey is observing the spirit Of the New Mexico constitution
which states "the peuitentiary refoTmatory
industrial school and all persons confined therein shall
far consistent with discipline and the public inter
est, be employed IN some beneficial industry"
The New Mexico governor believes industrial school
to be place where people are taught to labor He IS
firm believer that labor is the foe Of vice and me that
the bser people the apt they to walk the
straight path rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesars
and unto God that which is Gods.
To school the pupils detained in this prsonindustra
school, there dairy laundry garden, place for raising
hogs brick and tile factory several farms and print shop
In addition through contract recently made Of the
cOuvicts TO build roads, participating IN the pay
ceived for their services.
II would be hard for any man. matter how idle and
ignorant when he entered the prison. to go through its
Of instruction IN discipline and industry and
without knowing great deal about some
of the occupations mentioned above From Of them
he honorable living and make for himself
honOred place IN the world.
penitentiary gets Of the worst the world
and who not half bad. Il gets who
criminals by choice and by accident It gets
who not criminals at all but the victims Of cir
cumsances and wrongly convicted It gets Of
every grade Of intelligence ranging from the who
too clever for the police the whose stupidity got
him into trouble It has great work bringing the
best all these obliteratng the worst discpn-
ing them and working them until night living and night
thinking weld habit that viii stick when the
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fails is to be expected Criminals by force Of heredity
chance for their redemption In the best environments
administration conducting at Santa Fe He has great
differing only from himself that they have slipped and
Just getting back upon their feet with the states
aid.
With his faith in the prison, Gov Lindsey takes to it
optimism which must have its effect upon the convics
On the occasion Of recent visit to the institution saying
among other things TO the prisoners:
Strange as It may seem, there are advantages
which you who have to stay here have who have
stay the outside You do not have to dodge automo
bes and motorcycles and you do not have to worry about
the high cost Of living"
They do not have anything in fact, about which to
worry unless be the welfare OF families the outside
But they have great deal for which to hope including
parons paroles and the chance to regain the respect Of
some home community when they liberated It is to
help them make good" that the reformatory feature of
prison administration in New Mexico has been developed