Omaha daily bee., 1921-12-19
Prison Breaks



within a few days three desperate
prison breaks" have occurred, two
OF them successful, al the time. Al
Little Rock, Ark, the other day,
one OF the most notorious bad
men" OF that region oyefoams his
guards, and with fiye other e0nyiols
won the way lo liberty, only 10 be
shot down by one Of his companions
later and killed. IL has been hlntsd
that the man who slew him was
chiefly responsible for tile ''break,s
seeking 10 wrenk Private vengeance
upon the desperate despite the ylr.
tual certainty that he would be- axs.
euted. In Chicago yesterday, 4 no.
torious gunman, implicated In nu-
merous crimes and finally convicted
and sentenced 20 death Tor killing a
eonviets after "A night with the
guards. Is now al liberty, with The
police ordered TO shoot 10 kill the
moment they see him, This case
suggests Inside aid" The con
demned man was armed, and under
prison rule the guards In charge
OF the exercising squad had no
weapons. Eventually doubtless this
fugitive will be caught and probably
slain, He was taking a last dekper-
ate chance In the face OF certain
death on Thursday. Almost stimuli
taneously with the Chicago break"
riot occurred In the Michigan state
reformatory at Marquette, where,
during motion picture exhibition,
q number OF the prisoners sprang
upon the warden and beat him,
wound!ng him dangerously with
knives presumably taken from the
prison kitchen, and before they
were subdued several OF the of,icials
had been badly injured.
These successive troubles In sup
posedly well conducted penal insti-
tutions suggest that discipline Is lax
In these places. The tendency for a
number OF years has been to loosen
the hand OF control over men held
by the state In confinement Pris-
oners have been given more privi-
leges, even condemned men have
been treated with sympathetic leni-
ency and much more visiting has
been permitted. Communication
between prisoners is now easy,
whereas formerly in the major es-
Establishments 1t was difficult. The
smuggling of contraband to the
inmates OF large institution is
comparatively easy, II rrgld appear
from results, and escapes occur
with significant frequency.
The question arises whether
prison leniency has not been carried
too far. The men who are held for
crime are not, of course, all hard
ened into irredeemable rebels
against society. There are many
who are susceptible of improvement.
Perhaps most OF them. II released
at once, would lead law-abiding,
decent lives. But there are many
who cannot be trusted, either In
prison or out of 1t. Probably the
best course in seeking reformation
would be to have two types Of in
stitutions, one for those who are
readily to be classified as chronic
criminals, and the other for those
who are only casually breakers of
the laws. This has been to some
degree the tendency, but for lack
of proper provision the states have
not offered adequate opportunity to
the courts to differentiate in SEN
fencing those convicted Of crime.
Paroles and probations permit
some classification OF the convicted,
but there remain many of the hope
full kind who must be held in GUS
tody, and for these there should be
provided detention places suitable
to their condition. while the habit
ual law breakers, the men with rec
ords, the men for whom there is
practically no chance of redemption,
should go into jails and peniten-
tiaries where confinement means
punishment, and from which there
Is no chance of escape.