Arizona republican., 1920-01-09
THE JAIL PROBLEM
IS BROTHERHOOD
LUNCH CLUB TOPIC

Inc JAN BTODlenl was the SuDJGtl
Of an address delivered by Rev q. ID
Yoakum. pastor of the Congrega tional
church at the Brotherhood Lunch club
meeting at the Y. NJ. c. A. yesterday.
There was a large attendance. Kew.
Yoakum, spoke as follows:
The problem Of the jail is the problem
# the prisoner. The Jail is an in
ititution in civilized society, but 1t
should not be. IL is inevitable that
We must deal with criminals. but it Is
not inevitable that criminals should
5e thrown into Jail. That a jail should
oe erected in every village, town ana
city 10 swallow up every variety or
offender is one of the evidences that
man is IN imperfectly rational creature
The church is an institution; the school
is an institution. government is an
institution, and the jail Is an institu-
ton Why the jail2 Who fastened
that mill stone on the neck of society :
We inherited our jails as we in
herited our legal codes. Nine out OF
ten offenders could be dealt with ef-
fectively even if there were no Jail IN
PhoniX Vet because the Jail is there
aJl Cylinders go through it, They go
in a. careless automobile drivers over
passionate lovers. dupes of the desper-
ate thirst, men too eager TO be rich,
men too lazy 10 work, murderers
thieves. and cut-throats. but they all
come out jail-birdS. The jail levels
them all down. and does its best to
wipe out all distinctions of guilt or of
merit. Considering the ability OF
Jail record to keep up with a man. IT
is almost as though we branded each
man with a hot iron on the forehead.
The prisoners should be discussed
here. not their cells. They are the
eternal problem. Who are they? First
of all they are the youth. No youth
should be in Jail To send any youth
under IS to Jail is an admission of our
helplessness in the presence of his
moral perversity. F1eXner and Bald
win say that there are no criminals
under eighteen. Then we need no Jail
for youth.
Then there are the feeble minded,
"A motley host. DR.. II. II. Goddard
after a, very wide survey of the field.
estimates that between . and 30 per
cent of all criminals are at least sub
normal mentally. Many of these are
shrewd and dangerous persons. need
ing restraint but the Jail cannot help
them.
Another class. usually and wisely
recognized, is made up of first Offend
ers Many of these are far from dan
gerous or criminal persons. They can
be saved TO society. The branding iron
of prison sentence and term should
not be put upon them.
Then there are recidivists, the re-
peaters. The jail has had them, and
has failed. It did not reform them.
The percentage of recidivists in any
jail population is always high-from
30 10 90 per cent. What the jail could
not 10 the first time it will scarcely
do the second. Statistics are abundant
and definite on that point. Then why
throw them into Jail again and again,
since the game wearies and diSgusts
everyone connected with it and helps
no one? Why have a Jail?
BlackwelPs Island, the old city jail
of New York is now called Reception
II 10 self rs.4r inv, a
Read about it in n recent number OF
the Outlook. All convicted persons are
aiken there, but instead of being
thrown into jail. they are classified
and forwarded TO various reformation
or ministration agencies. First Of
tenders go one way. and are given
every chance 10 come back Re-
cidiVists go elsewhere. and are further
classified Drug addicts go 10 medical
hospitals for treatment. Many are
sent TO psychiatric clinics, where their
mental deficiencies are noted and
treatment given. So the great me-
tropolis. grinding out its daily grist OF
deformed and degraded souls has AT
last gone TO work TO mend and heal
and reclaim its human wreckage. So,
some day, all enlightened cities will do
In the article above referred to there
is an enumeration of the accepted
principles upon which a good reforma
tory is run. They are:
l. Careful classification of cases.
>. An honest days work.
3. Education to meet personal needs.
I. Recreation for mind and body.
;. Religious influences.
s. Wholesome and sanitary living
conditions.
Z. The incentive of the indetermin-
ate sentence. Judged by this stand
ard the jails. if they are intended to
he reformatories, are about 50 per cent
bad.
A word to the man who still thinks
that jails are necessary for the pun
ishment of criminals. The object of
all penal procedure is TO protect So
ciety. Judge William II. Wadhams.
court of general sessions, New York
City, is my authority for saying that
the old prison system, such as Phoe-
nix has, is a failure in this respect.
Society is not protected by any prison
whose inmates go out to commit new
crimes and return TO Jail as recidivists.
He has proved that enlightened meth |
DDS of dealing with prisoners prac-
tically eliminates the recidivist, and
therefore protects society. 1t alone
gives the taxpayers something for his
money.
Taxpayers should be wary of this |
plan TO improve the Jail situation here |
by building new court house or
new city hall Such buildings may be
needed: let them make their own ap- |
peal. They viii not help the jail sit
uation in any essential respect Oak |
land, Cal, has a jail located on the |
10th floor of it's million dollar build |
ing yet conditions in it are rotten?
Jails are not sanctified merely by lift |
ing them nearer heaven. The Oakland |
jail up there in the clouds is dark and |
stuffy. and so ours might be. Items
/. 2 8 4, and in the points of a |
good reformatory L have mentioned, 1
would be absolutely unchanged by a '
new building, while is very doubtfuliy |
included. We might spend barrels "
money on new buildings and still have |
jaiIs 100 per cent bad
Why not reform the SYSTEM Let |
us come up into the twentieth century. |
Let us adopt a modern penal and cor
receive system. and make it work at |
whatever cost.