Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-07-18

| The penitentiary population Is smal
now, and has been for several years
since Governor Blease got through
granting pardons and paroles. Their
are only about 140 inmates Of the pen
Iitentiary, and about 95 on the stat
farm. Most of the male convicts ar
employed on the county chaingangs
and only those unfit for such heaV!
work, or those whose confinement OF
the chaingangs would not be good po
licy, are sent to the penitentiary.
: Col. Sanders is firm believer in TIT
| parole system but he thinks the system
should be changed. when man II
paroled," he said, "he should be re-
quired to report to some court officia
or to us, once a month, or once ever!
three months until he has shown tina
he has reformed and Is determined II
make a new life. Then, if he is making
good. he should be pardoned outright
and restored to full citizenship. Bu
the system of turning convicts loose
upon parole without keeping watch or
them afterwards does no good. we
owe it to ourselves and to them, tt
see to 1t that they do not fall into eVl
ways as soon as they leave here, anc
they would be more careful If the!
were required to report regularly for Q
while after their discharge. If we have
system of this kind many more ol
the convicts could be paroled."
This, too, explains Col. Sanders Idea
of the treatment of convicts. although
he did not attempt to explain it other
wise. Col. Sanders thinks that punish
ment, to be effective, should be correc-
tive, and not revengeful. The tendency
of this work here is to show to the
convicts that right living pays, that II
is good policy, even If there Is no high
er motive. He is endeavoring to make
the convicts leave here moro anxious
to lead right lives than they were when
they came in. And ne is doing this by
practice and not by preaching. So far
as that goes, there Is plenty Of preach
ing, for there is a regular employed
prison chaplain and religious services
are held every Sunday, but the rules
and routine Of the prison are framed
so as to impress the idea that right
living is the right thing. Failure to
live right to obey the rules-means
the withdrawal of privileges and re-
wards rather than the infiction OF
punishments. This is the theory upon
which the penitentiary is conducted
now.
This rule will not work in all cases.
of course. Col. Sanders does not be-
lieye that all prisoners should be pa
rolled. Some men are wholly bad, and
should not be permitted to run at
large. There is in the penitentiary no"
a man who was sent up for life gord
many years ago for burglary. He was
finally paroled and within few weeks
after his release was at his old trick
again. He was captured. of course,
and tried and convicted, and WIZ
doubtless spend the rest Of his days
here. But Sanders believes that the
average man who is sent to the peni-
tentiary will behave himself If he Is
given another chance and the right
kind of encouragement after a certain
length Of punishment. He did not say
so, but he indicated very clearly that
he would be glad to see many OF the
prisoners now here paroled, provided
the law is amended as he has sug-
gested.
The change tina. has been wrought
in the penitentiary cannot be appre-
ciated by those who were ignorant Of
conditions in the prison up to even a
few years ago. Prisoners, conv1cts
though they are treated as human be-
ings. They are closely confined, ana
they work hard, but they are taken
care of. They are made as comfort
able as can be under the circum-
stances. And they do not wear the sal
len. cowed look that one pictures men
tally when convicts are mentioned.
The penitentiary is far from being an
ideal resort, of course, but it is equally
far from being the wretched place that
many have been accustomed 10 think
it is.
There is need Of some new build
ings. All the buildings are kept clean'
Immediately clean, but they could DE
more comfortable. There Is urgent
need for a new building for the women
prisoners. The women are confined to
to a wooden building, which is a YER
liable fire trap. If a fire ever breaks
out in it at night there is going to be
a holocaust, for there will be no way
to get the prisoners out. The building
was condemned by legislative COM
mittee several years ago, but for some
reason an appropriation has never been
made for a new one. Much of the con-
struction work can be done by the
convicts themselves when the appro-
priation is made, and it will be made
without a doubt if the members OF the
legislative will visit the penitentiary
during the next session and inspect 1t
for themselves.