Evening star., 1924-06-15

a long term of Imprisonment and in
variably involves dishonorable dis
charge. the greatest punishment that
Gan possibly be given to any man who
mas ever for a minute felt pride in
his uniform or the Army spirit stir
ring in his Breast
To make possible the return to the
service of meh worth while and to
avoid sending them out into the
word branded as being unfit even to
Ole Tor their country merely because
OF their conviction. there have been
established disciplinary barracks and
It's branches, psychiatric and socio-
logical departments whose functions
plete and scientific way possible a
convicted mans adaptabilty to the
service.
Offenders OF Two Classes.
Offenders may be roughly divided
into two classes-the habitual those
whose mental makeup foreordains
that they will repeat the offense. and
the impulsive, those who yield to the
force of temporary circumstances, or
who give in to real or imaginary
grievances and break the military
law. The greater number of prisoners
in the Arn1y's disciplinary barracks
Is of the latter class. Obviously,
where there is nothing pSychopathic
Ill lHt vi pElltCllUH III
prisoners mentality. when he is
m mentally and physically fit to finish
his enlistment, the Army is preserv-
ing a good soldier and the state a
good citizen by permitting him an
opportunity to redeem himself. To
determine just which of the prison.
ers are of this class is the task of
the psychiatric and sociological de-
partments of the Armys penal insti-
tutionS.
Restoration Service.
Once it is determined that a pris-
oner is worthy of reStoration-that
nothing in his mentality renders him
wholly unSuited' 10 the service--the
next. step is so to order his confine-
msnt that he will be better fitted to
go back to active soldering than when
he became prisoner. If the prisoner
so wills. and the commandant approves.
he IS permitted to join the disciplinary
battalion, an organization of prison.
ers who are being given the oppor-
tunity of restoration to service. The
battalion is not unlike any other army
organization except thaf the drill is
more intense. the discipline more rigid.
and the standards of perfection in /.
ID. r much higher than in the ordi-
nary line company. The prisoner is
made to feel that he is on the way back
to respecta bility and good standing, but
there is brought home to him, by the
hard labor he must perform in the
afternoons, the fact that he is under
going punishment. He is being pun
ished, but not humiiated, and he has
the satisfaction of knowing that his
work is useful work.
Leaves n Better Man.
The result of all this is that a man
leaves his confinement better mem
tally, physically and morally than
when he entered ii. II he was illit-
crate, he comes out able to read and
write-the key TO all knowledge. all
education. has been put in his hands
II ne was inclined to trade. he has
been given vocational training
"Of those men restored TO the serv-
ice in 1929 three have been dis
charged with characters excellent,
three with good two were dishon-
orably discharged after further con-
finement, and nine deserted. But "A
per cent of the men who passed
through the disciplinary barracks are
serving satisfactorily in their organi-
Zations."