Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-07
SAN [AW TO END
PRISON BRUTALITY
..,,l Reform Society Members
aroused by Revelation Of Con-
ditions at Holmesburg
,uuess SCORE SYSTEM

| hinges SCORE SYSTEM
,,,,lo,ions in the EVENING PuBi1c
,ruorR Of brutal treatment Of prison.
Dtp" W. I,olmcsburg County Prison have
~ .,nscd - members of the Philadel'
t,ouncil Of the Penal Reform 80.
pa'. of Pennsylvania that they Will
e.M .ooo.e new measures for regulating
p'.'i w r,isou when the Legislature meets
next month. .,,,,,o ,hc lcrislotiye
ne, ,eu will be held ut /" 30 o'clock
tampas oftcrnoon in the Public Char-
mol,WDv;,dinc. d10 South Fifteenth
Nles r. will bc suggested that the
Iree'' establish farms on which pris-
onsrs ran work. e.. ,,.,vo, soru.
iii have III" unanimous support o'
s Ssh,l,delphia Judges who. IN interviews.
i,nonnced solitary c"niinem"nt nt
afuvbrs aafou,mesburs Jail and the system IN grT,.
i..i which permits OF prisons IN "hich
w. w. sit day after day IN narrow cells,
m nh o,dy twenty minutes OF exercise
WIN dsrs n wccl.--provided they have
Nv, NV wbistlcd or sung or committed some
~. n,w w' nstty olfcnsc in their little cells
S,.', ~. which prison guards take away the
privilege ,, r.v-
Urges Prison without Cells
,,,a,o Horace Stern. discussing con.
,,,o"s IausF ot thc lIolmrabury prison, said
aNihV, aNh.. lang heard unofficial rumors that
moi M 10 for trial IN ms court wou'h
rothrr sct comparatively lons sen
,snce in the state pcnitentihry 'hnh
comparatively short term in the county
prison. IA. ,,,,i,s of com,,,ints
.,oinst the IIolmc~burs prison which
,""y bc relied upon are hard 70 get,
fe added. II understand there are no
iscililies for the prisoners to work at
Holmesburg and that solitary cont'ne'
mrnt Is common.
i"dae Stern has made a thorough
.,ndv Of rcnology ana Is enthusiastic
An an ,he subject Of state prison farms.
tn. Judges who expressed themselves
.,o included !. Willis Martin. william
II Stake and John Monaghan. Of the
Court Of Common Pleas No. >; William
! II Shoemaker and Charles f.. Bartlett.
Al the Court Of Common Pleas No. ];
md Thomas y. Finlettcr. of the Court
al Common Pleas No. !.
prison without coils is the vision
a Judge Finlctter. ~ hate to think
Al sending man to n barred room for
Sre years." he said, "but what am J to
do under the present System. Persons
who have committed n crime must be
punished. Tho thing 70 do is cut the
cells out Of prisons and put the farm
D."
Scores Holmesburg System
judge Martin said:
Il have visited the ITolmesburg
Prison on several occasions, and have
never heard any corupla int against the
management. The prison authorities
seem to b. doing the best they can with
an institution existing under n faulty
system.
There may he a possibility that the
prisoners do not get enough to eat.
have heard that the rntions are very
scanty," Juds. Martin continued, "but
that may BE- q matter Of appropriations
The creates. trouble with the Holmes.
burg Prison is tho system under which
Il exists. The men should be given an
opportunity to work. They should be
given healthful occupations. They should
u SLOWED TO earn money with which
10 support their families, or in the case
Of prisoner without family and who
Is doing time for robbery the money
cOuld b. used TO repay the persons from
whom he stole. The plan for having
convicts work outdoors as on prison
farms would solve the problem
Judge Shoemaker. Judge Stake md
Judge Bartlett concurrrd with the
opinions OF their colleagues, c0ndcmning
the system calling for Holmesburg
Hand supporting the prison farm plan.
Judge Monaghan was most emphatic in
his approval Of the prison farm plan
which would benefit tho prisoners. lie
tod Of on incident which demonstrates
The close watch he keeps over the pris.
cnes no has sentenced. Reports came
10 him that "Bucky' IIaig. who was
about half way through his term for
robbery. was rapidly failing in health
While in the lIolmcsburg prison. The
next day he visited the institution and
FOUND Hnig IN his cell. d0wncust. dis.
heartened and suffering from the first
sNges OF consumption. He immpdiately
made arrangements for his removal to
hospital Oh the ground that while lie
did not believe the prisoner should be
put on parole he should receive the
proper care.
Investigation Urged
All the Judges agreed that they
son'a make practices of keeping in
f!ose touch with prison conditions and
Fnould visit the institutions at frequent
Intervals.
A sweeping and scientific invcstiga-
s,oh OF all the penal institutions in
Eehnsylvani IN is urged by Thomas Mott
fsoorne, who stated that such n pro-
ysura was essential on account of the
Snamelul conditions in the Holmes,
SWGnR Prison M was revealed bv tho
H'lN'NG ICBLIC LEDGER.
n J. am exceedingly glad the EVENING
sbLio LEDGER has had the courage to
.pe% nose rotten conditions existing
~ INC linIn"Nhurg prison. said Mr..
'VWprh'' former warden Of Sing Sing.
.,m SPOKE at a meeting at the home
ri harrison :. Morris, York rond and
dy'hith avenue. Cnk Lane, of two
n,;' 'n men and women interested in
SnSon reform and in the new National
'0e'e'y for Penal Information.
Potent Danger to Community
m,.,no nopc this investigation will be
faea n',.a to the cnd," he snid. "The
mrr,ul msutlol Is potent danger TO the
/, immunity IT breeds more crime than
nsrt aFes, a and not only solitary coninc-
rSnt hnl dark coils cyiot tLc,c L,,t