Evening star., 1921-04-25
|CONv|CTS REMADE
| BY HONOR SYSTEM
Even Unguarded Life-Term.
ers Do Not Attempt to Es-
cape Delaware Prison.
CRIME Is HELD DISEASE
Present Jails Declared Schools Of
Vice. Where Abnormal Con.
ditions Pervert Mind.

WILMINGTON. Del. April 25.-A
prison where every man is on his
personal parole day and night. where
guards are few and rules are rarely
broken. where lif.-termers work un-
guarded outside the prison walls and
where punishment when needed. is
decided on and adm nj stored by the
priscners-this is the New Castle
county workhouse. in the outskirts of
this city. where "A remarkable eNper
m"nt in penology is being carried out
by warden who believes men the
world over are being driven to crime
by existing prison methods.
The New Castle county work house
this month rounds out its first year
under the direction of Mordecai =
Plumm"r. the warden who Instituted
the honor system" in May. 1929
There are today 337 prisoners. slightly
more than half of them colored
Mr. flummer believes that crime is
mental afiiiction and that men can
be cured" by proper treatment. He
in prisons are morally sound and that
only per cont are "incura Bile" In
a recent address to the state legisfa-
ture in behalf Of a parole law similar
to the one enacted in Wisconsin he
declared
Most jails are schools OF vice. hot
beds of disease. leprous. foul and i'm
moral, where abnormal conditions
rervert and unbalance the mind.
where man become mere elemental
beasts and where initiative and en-
crgy is sapped.'
Prisoners Form Committees.
In the carrying out Of Warden
PlummerS theory the internal affairs
of the workhouSe are administered
by the prisoners themselves. through
an honor committee" of eight men.
whose chairman is a man serving
eighteen years for manslaughter and
which includes on its membership
three 'life-termers"
\ prisoner who breaks "A rule is re-
ported. tried by the committee. which
sits every night, and punishment
meted out. This takes the form of
partial withdrawal of privileges.
There are now only six guards in
the institution. These are in the
main stationed at the doors and carry
the keys. The prison is scrupulously
clean. The men have band of
twenty-five pieces. glee club. two
base Eall teams and dramatic soci-
cites. They are allowed visitors at
any time when it will not interfere
with their work. and may be seen in
the corridors near the entrance con-
versing freely with relatives.
In the main corridor is store.
where candy, tobacco, soap, toilet
articles Gncluding razors). biscuits
L.
Only six prisoners have attempted
to escape under the honor system"
Three of these were recaptured and
punished by their fellows
On the Saturday half holiday base
ball games are played. with outside
teams sometimes present. and many
spectators. On Sundays church serv-
ices of every denomination are held
In fact. the "honor system" is based
on the Bible. Warden Plummer says.
and it is to religious influence he
looks for his results.
The prisons work is not finished on
discharge. The warden's first task
is to find the prisoner employment
with a firm which will overlook his
prison record and help him along.
A local shipyard has employed scores
of discharged men. The former in
mate comes 10 the warden frequently
for advice and assistance. sometimes
financial.