Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-15

10 the most unenlightened penal ideas
1t is a national shame.
SST>HERE are 100000 criminals
l. turned back into society every
year. Their restoration is a problem
and the law should employ every
agency to guard and assist them in
making a new start. We are not
meeting our part OF the problem until
we provide them with the means to
return in a way that will not cause
them to be menace
| I'm the establishment of a federal
industrial reformatory which the
measure provides shall be on the
abandoned cantonment at Camp
Grant. Illinois. the government plans
the development of model place Of
confinement for first offenders under
thirty years Of age Modern shops
with facilities for education and re-
construction, will be erected. The
idea Is not only to lead the inmate
of the reformatory to regard himself
as not yet sunk to the level of the
4
respect so that he can 60 out feeling
he has not been branded as a felon,
but to aid him in his restoration to
useful citizenship by providing. him
with the means OF making a living.
Similar provision is made for WON
en- in the pending bill for the estab-
lishment Of a United States industrial
home for women at Mount Weather,
Bluemont Va. This property is owned
by the Department Of Agriculture. and
| was formerly the government weather
bureau. There are two large stone
buildings in good condition. artesian
well. and water and heating systems.
With but small additional expendi-
ture hospital and cottages could be
erected
"Of all the government-owned sites
visited by a special committee, this
site was decided upon as the most
logical and ideal. 1t is perched on a
! high summet of the Blue Ridge-six
miles from the railroad and fifty from
the nearest city of any size. It's iso-
lation lessons danger of escape as
well as of smuggling various kinds
| of dope to the prisoners. This is a
problem that must always be faced
| in penal institutions where there are
many woman prisoners
| THE motive of the measure is the
| development of an institution for
| women on the most modern methods
known to penology. 1t would be
| equipped to represent in it's facilities
the highest type Of training for the
| rehabilitation of disadvantaged
| womanhood. Only those eligible to
it's advantages would be sent there,
dangerous and incorrigible woman
prisoners being placed elsewhere
| Bearing in mind the superior in
telligence Of the women to be incar-
cerated, we would place them under
the care of. the most enlightened PEN
| ologists. the nurses and women doing
the individual training to be cultured
college women. With proper sewing
equipment installed, the women could
be taught to make the pajamas and
sheets and great deal of the mater
iai for. the upkeep of our federal
prisons. Il:
I'm the institutions 1 have been
connected with and had occasion to
observe, 1t has been quite a problem
to find, and to teach to women, any
kind of work that they were interest :
ed in. Weaving and handwork seem
to be the most popular. In these, we
would receive help from the depart
ment of education, which has a bu-
reau specializing in that work, and
from the Department Of Agriculture
in teaching them butter-makine
cooking, small farming and garden
ing"
Sounds more like a domestic sci
encer school than a prison." said the
| interviewer. after all, it looks as If
women are not going to get equality
of punishment"
ssCoCIETY has always made it
- harder for a woman commit
ting an offense against it to return.
Because of age-old traditions and
prejudices. her expiation. is doubly
hard. Therefore, during her restraint,
double effort should be made to equip
her with some trade, some useful
calling. In punishment. We should
reform, not degrade. What we would
| like with an institution of this ma
ture Is the opportunity to demon
strate the fine art of restoration to
good citizenship Of the woman social
offender"
'You say there was local opposition
to the measure?"
yes; the major portion of it COM
ing from a group who had summer
homes in that locality. With the es-
tablishment of a penal institution,
there are always those who oppose 1t
from purely selfish. .'holier than
thou attitude Of mind. What 10
wrong with the world today. Is that
too much of it is willing to do good
to unfortunate creatures providing
that good is done by somebody else.
and the unfortunate creatures are
never brought within the sight Of the
protestants Of good Wilt" y.
Meanwhile, until Congress convenes
In December, a hundred or more fed
erai women prisoners will langufsh
in rat-infested jails. who. says won1-
en- are not getting equality of. pun
ishmeut?