The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-10
THE HONOR SYSTEM
IN THE FLORIDA PRISON

In the past dozen years or so, we
have heard much of the honor system
III penal institutions. and have been
skeptical of its efficiency. The shackle
and the lash have always been repug-
nant to US. but it has seemed impos-
sible that men and women condemned
to servitude because they broke the
law could be kept in order without
coercion and rigid restraint.
But we have seen fair sample of
the honor system, and can conscien-
tiously pronounce it good. And we
saw it, not in one of the highly en-
liphtened and progressive states that
adopt the fads as fast as they come
along, but in our own Florida. looked
upon as benighted BY a proportion of
the Union and considered as some
what backward even by its dearest
friends.
Sunday we visited the state prison
and farm at Raiford, went over much
of the farm and thru all the prison.
We found there at least five hundred
men and women who are serving
terms for breaking the laws. We
found them well cared for and most
OF them reasonably contented. We
might say that many were happy.
During the day. we did not see a
guard nor gun. We found the in
mates bound to certain limits only by
rules that they mainly enforced
themselves and seemed to cheerfully.
We saw the superintendent and his
assistants going around among the
prisoners unarmed. and greeted by
all as friends and not as masters. We
saw, in fact, what we would not have
believed if we hadn't seen it.
In company with Mr.. and Mrs. B.
E. Raysor, we went on the morning
A. G. L. train Sunday to Raiford,
where we were met by the superin-
tendent. Mr. j S.. Bitch, and his son
Clifford, in an auto, and taken to the
farm. The Raiford farm is an ex-
tensive tract of land on both sides of
New river in Bradford county. Nature
did not intend it to be a farm. Tt was
mostly fatwoods. and the men who
unloaded it on the state should be
doing time in the prison. It is one
of the monumental swindles that the
stupidity of our. legislators has allow
ed to be perpetrated on the taxpay-
ers. With much hard work and at
great expense the present superin-
tendent and his predecessor have
made something out of it, but there
are many other places in the state,
wher half the labor and money would
have repaid tenfold. The prospect is
that by expending a great deal more
III scientific drainage, the farm may
other place could have done from the
start
However, this isn't the fault of Sim
Bitch. He took his visitors around
over much Of the farm and showed
them with iustifiable pride thousands
of broad, clean acres and much good
stock. He made good. crops last year
and is preparing for better ones this
year. There are some things the
soil around Raiford are web adapted
to; others with which it will do fairly,
and these are being utilized to the
best advantage.
The human element at the farm, as
elsewhere, is the principal feature of
interest, and to this Mr.. Bitch led
his visitors. The prison is in an en-
closure called the stockade, covering
several acres and including number
of buildings. The stockade is. a high
wooden wall on top of which are
number of sentry boxes, IN which up
TO few months ago armed guards
stood ready day and night. They are
empty now, only some of the prison
ers, enjoying their Sunday rest, had
climbed up IN them to look around
The big gate was not locked. but as it