Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-07

!cnst 90 far as tho fundamentals resu.
lating tue conduct OF prisoners are con-
cerned.
"It IL not n difficult matter to change
these conditions" he said. "lf II
had never been done before. IL would be
different problem. but these reforms
have been going on for eight or nine
years and the way Is more or less
simple"
Disregard Causes Misery
Utter disregard for men ms huma,.
beings, arbitrary rules of the guards
and the fnct that prisoners have no
official means to communicate with
their warden lead to the misery and
suffering which have been exposed at
Ilolmcsburg.
with no official means of com.
munication with the warden, said Mr..
Osborne, "thc individual never COM
plains. because he knows IL he does that
be probably will suffer further i'll.
treatment at the hands Of his keepers.
"Whcn men are held down as tightly
as they arc. In the county prison her,
it is humanity impossible TO keep them
from breaking out and becoming unruly
and then the guards have to use their
blackjacks. The guards in Jail of
this kind arc always in nervous state.
They live in fenr Of the mon in thcie
charge and ncrvousness and fear turn
them from kind human beings to heart
less persons who know nothing but
cruelty.
'Thc system which demands silence
among prisoners Is bad. What IS the
reason for such fool rule anyway
II Is just that sort Of rule that encour-
ages men to break it and break the
others.
"On tho other hand. scntimentality.
rcformers mush and artificial roses
have no place in prison management.
They simply disgust the men. The
reasonable deterrent discipline.
Penitcntiary Not Idlc
"'rhc honor system breeds hypocrisy
and distrust. Keeping men under the
heel results gradually in absolute rebel.
lion and this eventually blows of, as
it did in Pittsburgh few years ago.
and the prisoners assault the guards.
Mr.. Osborne took occasion to inti-
mate that conditions ut the Eastern
Pcnitcntiary are far from ideal. lie
said he had visited there two years
ago TO see convict whom he knew ana
found that Warden McKcnty vat
Within two feet Of him while he was
talking TO the prisoner.
Later on Mr.. Osborne received
through underground channels n peti-
ton signed with the numbers of nearly
all the convicts in the Eastern Peni.
Tertiary bcsceching him to have n
thorough invest tigation made Of the
regime ut the Fairmount avenue insti.
tuition.
"The EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER"
he said. "carried an account today Of
visit to the Eastern Penitcntiary
made by reporter, accompanied by a
guard. which would give the idea that
the institution Is thrown open to the
whole world. But that is not so.
"A guard Is nearby to hear every.
thing tho prisoners say. This talk Of
tho Eastern Pcnitcntiary being more
or less ideal is nil slush. Some Of the
conditions there arc frightful. The
Eastern Penitcntiary is Il perfect ex-
ample of prison camoufagc.
Further than this In connection with
the Eastern Penitcntiary MIR. Osborne
refused to so.
"a prison is designed primarily to
protect society," he said, 'and not
for punishment or retaliation. Prison
itself IL punishment and tho prisons
we have had IN this country have bred
more crimes than they have saved us
from. II a prison cannot cure crimi-
nails Of their criminal ways, then It
fails in it's purpose. But brutality
aud ignorance cannot accomplish this,
and il you cannot cure criminals 1t
would be better to kill them.
Favors Scientific Probe
Every correctional institution in
this State rs a matter of course should
have a thorough, scientific investiga-
tion conducted by some person disos.
sociatcd from all political influence and
who is competent to determine what Is
what. Idleness In prisons is a crime,
and IL there are no facilities for useful
work it would be better 10 heap up
large piles of sand and simply have the
prisoners move It from place to- place.
Mr.. Osborne also suggested knit.
ting" as an excellent occupation for
prisoners who have nothing else to keep
them busy.
The former warden of Sing Sing dur.
ing the evening garbed himself in one
Of the regulation uniforms such rs Sing
Sing prisoners wear and read one
act allegorical plnylet designed to con-
trast the difference in effect upon pris-
oners of institutions in which brutality
and ignorance prevail aud in those
where humanity and wisdom are at the
helm.
"Brcaking a mans spirit he said,
simply teaches him hate and re-
venge.'
Mrs. Morris is a member Of the board
Of of the new organization In which
Mr.. Osborne is interested. nr. Frank
Aydclottr. president Of Swarthmorc
College. is also n member. He pre-
sided at the gathering.
The object Of the Penal Reform So.
ciety Of Pennsylvania in the five months
it has been organized has been TO es.
tablish working committees in each
Of the counties Of the State to urge
the Improvement Of local prison con-
ditions, according to DR.. Wilbur *.
Thomas. executive secretary of the
American Friends Service Committee
and chairman OF the Philadelphia coun-
ell of the society.
"prisoncrs who are discharged from
Ilolmesburg Jail and jails of it's type
often are greater menace to society
than before they went in" DR.. Thomas
said.
The Philadelphia Council includes ::
Kenneth l.. NJ. Pray and Miss Sophia
II. Dulles, secretaries; DR.. George W.
Kirchwcy, director; the Rev. Samuel
Zane Bntten, Franklin \. Brewer. y.
Lewis Rurnhnm, Mrs. George Burn
ham, Jr., Miss Fanny u. Cochran,
Mrs. Walter Cope, Mrs. Samuel S.
Fcs, DR.. Charles II. Frazier, Mrs.
J. :. G. Harvey, Francis Fisher Kane.
Mrs. Lawrence Lewis. Mrs. Wilfred
Lewis, Miss Mary V. McCurdy, Albert