The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1922-01-05
The New Way
In Kentucky Prison


The 1920 session Of the legisla-
ture placed q white and shining mile
stone, marking the farthest advance
that Kentucky has made in the care
of the wards Of the stste--the
criminal. the insane and the feeble
minded; through the combined efforts
Of both Democratic and Republican
members, a Law was passed which
provided for the appointment Of .
bipartisan and comparison lean
politics be verbally excluded any
other vsy) board Of eight members
two Of whom shah be women, to
have charge Of the seven public in
stitutions Of the state-thre hospi-
tails for the insane at Lexington,
Lakeland and Hopkinsville, the state
reformasOry and Predetermined insti-
tute at Frankfort, the penitentiary
at EddyvilIe and the state houses Of
reform at Greendale-
According to the Law, the members
of the Board Of Charities and Cor
reetion serve without salary, and
without patronage, except In the Sc
lection Of a commissioner Of public
institutions, a receiver at each ineti-
tuition and approval Of the appoint
ment Of the administrative head Of
each institution Of the commissioner.
No member of the board, in accord
ance with the terms Of the board,
may recommend or ask for the APP
pOintment Of any person to any pO-
sition in any Of these institutions;
the authority to select his own off
GERS and employees Is given by the
Law to the superintendent Of each in
stitution, but he is held responsible
to the board for the proper admin
istration of his Office.
Such, in broad outline, is the law
with which the Commonwealth Of
Kentucky is now armed to carry on
the work of salyaging humanity,
which, although it is the beginning
and means and end Of civilization,
has,not shared with industry in zeal
and expenditure Of time, money and
effort to let nothing go to waste
he board at present includes K.
S. Taehau. Louisville, chairman;
Henry P. Barset, Henderson; Samuel
H. HALEY, Lexington; A. P. Humph
rey, Louisville; Mrs. Lsfon Riker,
Lexington; Fred NJ. Ssckett, Louis
vile; Miss Lucy Blythe Simms, Pa
ris, and Robert H. VIM, Mt Ster-
ling. Such a membership gives as
surance that Kentucky's institutions
are now administered with the high
est good of the inmates as the goal,
and not-heretofore as often the
case in this and other states-polit-
ical considerations Of this or that
party.
Joseph p Byers, whom the board
secured to I'll the position Of COM
missioner Of public institutions, has
had a wide experience in the super
vision Of penal institutions and pub
lie training schools in Ohio, Penn
sylvania, Indiana and New York; he
was appointed by Woodrow Wilson,
then governor, as commissioner of
charities and corrections of New
Jersey and was for four years the
executive head of the national com
mittee on provision for the feeble
minded, in which work he was of
great service to Kentucky, through
the state commission on the feeble
minded appointed by Governor Stan
ley.
The board has realized that no
real advance can be made in the
care of these unfortunate inmates Of
these institutions, no policy Of con-
structive work carried out for cure
within the institution, or, through CO.
operation with other agencies, for
prevention Of crime, insanity and
feeble mindedness, without the as
sistance Of trained, highly qualified
men at the head Of 1.-THE various in
situations. The number Of such men
anywhere in the United States is
limited-public Institutions having
too recently been loosed from the
grasp Of partisan politics-and the
board has not been able to compete
with other states in the remuneration
they could offer for such services;
but nevertheless Ave new superin-
tendents have been secured to ill the
places Of former officers who found
obstacles too great to overcome in
the change from the old TO the new
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