The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-01-21
HANDLING CONVICTS.

None of the recommendations VI do'eiHNA ooNF
or in his annual message to the General Asseii'-
h7v. is more deserving of general commentator
that the recommendation that the County ohaiii
oanos be discontinued though there Will hot pe'
and should not be, general support OF tne recoih
mendation that State Chain gang system be lhau-
onrated The latter system will have Some eVlaeht
advantapes over the county system it is true, but
both systeins are wrong in principle
The idea of punishment of breakers of the law
NAV he said to have three objects, viz: FIRST Inc
protection Of society by the imprisonment OF 'he
offender and his removal from the commuhltS'
Second: Determent from the COMMISSION OF INC
same or other crimes; and Third: Inc relorh"
tion of the criminal. In former times the TWO lrs'
objects NAV be said to have been the exclusive pene
fits sought in the punishment of criminals, though
exnerience has taught us in later years that pun
isbment as such does not have deterring an ef-
feet on the ordinary criminal as to prevent the
commission of other crimes, while his mprlson-
ment onv relieves society from his crimes for the
season of such imprisonment.
Thoughtful people in these latter years have
GROWN to believe that while the two objects first
named are not to be entirely eliminated, yet tne
reformation of the criminal in lasting as we'll as
beneficial results is the more important OF ALL De-
cause by reforming the criminal, teaching him
trade and thereby making him a man with means
of earning an honest living, tends to make OF nm
person not dangerous to the rest Of mankind.
Work keeps more people out of trouble than does
imprisonment or fines
The chaingang, it will be conceded, relieves So
ciety for season of the presence of the criminal.
We say it relieves of his presence, but 1T does
rot entirely He is seen from time to time upon
The public roads in stripes with two or three men
carving big guns, who guard him, sight not en-
t;relv good to look upon either from the stand
point of the criminal or of the public. But we may
say that society is relieved of the presence of the
criminal in the sense that he is not in position Ion
GER to threaten it. The criminal is duly punished,
and if there are any lettering virtues in punish
ment he should be deferred, we will admit.
Rut q question naturally arises as to that period
when the offender is no longer on the chan gang
l. society then relieved and out of danger! has
the prisoner learned anything on the chal-' gang
enabling him to work out living more easily OF
which gives him more interest in the Well-Delng ol
those who earn an honest living? Has ne received
such punishment as, in spite of the fact that ne
comes out of the chain gang a more haroeheo
criminal at heart than he entered it, deters him
from committing other ofenses? These are ques-
tions which every may answer for hlmself.
We believe that the common verdict, at least
among informed and thinking men in our midst IS
that # would be great deal better to take these
criminals away from places where they are ex-
nosed to the public gaze and there confine them
under humane surroundings, giving them humane
+bo thenn
which they might at the end of their respective
terms 20 out into the world and earn livelihood
We need all kinds of workmen these days such as
might be made out of these unfortunate criminals,
most of them negroes. They might be taught to
he carpenters, brick-layers, shoe-makers, black
smiths helpers and helpers in other callings, and
in these occupations they might be enabled when
their terms hay been ended to become useful
workers in the communities to which they are re-
turned at the ends of their terms of service. In
deed, they might be taught how to farm with
some degree of intelligence to the end that when
they returned to the farms they might become
more useful to their employers then when they went
away might do better work for him. and accom-
plsh better results for themselves and surely there
is need in South Carolina today for good laborers
in the fields.
If happily, therefore, the county chain gangs
might be abolished and the convicts now held in
the camps might be placed in some place where the
ends of justice would be served, society protected
and the criminal reformed, the present General
Assembly would have done something, not only to
save the counties many thousands of dollars as we
have aforetime stated but something which would
be of real service to the country which the men,
bers of the legislature would serve.
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