San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-13
PRISON BOARD
To INACCURATE
HONOR SYSTEM
Plan Outlined to Aid Con-
victs Who Are Willing
to Benefit Selves.
WORKED In FLORIDA
Mrs. ]. E. King Tells of
Aims to Better Prison
Conditions.

Plans to establish the honor system
among convicts in the state peniten-
tiary and on the state farms of Texas
are rapidly progressing. This is the
announcement Mrs. j. f. King. chair
man CT the ST. ervisory board of Tex
as prisons. made Saturday upon her
return from a tour of inspection of
Texas rris,is and farms. After hav-
ing secured information from wardens
in most of the prisons of the coun-
try, Mrs. King has decided to adopt
the J.aiford honor system plan now
being successfully carried out in the
penitentiary at Raiford, Fla. This
system, according to Mrs. King, was
instituted by Warden Bitch of that
prison and the plan has been worked
out to such degree of efficiency that
at the present time 52S convicts of
that institution are on their honor not
to escape and not single gun is used
to prevent them from running away.
The honor system in many other
states as well as Florida has proved
a great success and of real beenfit to
the convicts. especially those having a
desire to reform. Mrs. King believes
that this system, which not only does
away with an excessive number of
guards and guns, but also affords the
convicts a better chance for self-de-
velopment. will be success in Texas.
Start for Huntsville.
Mrs, King will leave San Antnio
next Friday for Houston, where she
will confer with DR.. ]. II. Harrington,
vice chairman of the prison board, be-
fore going to Huntsville, where the
board plans TO inaugurate the system
in the state penitentiary and then put
it into effect in the various state
farms.
She said Saturday that plans are
already made in detail as to the ac-
tual establishment of the system. "Of
course" declared Mrs. King, call the
convicts will not be placed on their
honor at once but one by one as soon
as they show that they are willing to
remain in the prisons if allowed to
few more privileges. they will be grad
uated from the ranks of 'line-men' and
become TRUSTEES
Has Schooling Plan.
1t is Mrs. Kings plan to introduce
a system of schooling into the prisons
similar to the city public schools. She
said that in one prison she had re-
Gently visited she put her plan into
operation for the first time. She al
lowed all the convicts who had become
TRUSTEES to elect ten teachers to in
struct them in mathematics, spelling,
penpanship. geography and history.
Then from the ten teachers they elect
ed two superintendent to be i'm charge
Of the entire SCHOOL" Mrs. King
said that the city of Houston had al
ready donated many blackboards,
erasers and numerous other school util-
tiles and that the convicts in other
prisons will be dependent upon the
people of the state for books.
In telling of the vast improvements
made in the prisons of Texas during
the last four years. Mrs. King said
that it would have been impossible for
the state board to carry on the work
had it not been for Governor Neff's
standing back of it. She said that
it is the duty OF the board to in
spect the prisons and devise plans
conditions may be improved.
IHe pOdIu, Sne ueciIrcu, tncn SUBMITS
its report to the state prison commits
sion at Huntsville, which in turn
seeks the aid of the governor.
Have Controlled Malaria.
Mrs. King has just returned from in
spccting the Shaw state farm in Bowie
county. and stated that by the use of
pure artesian water for the convicts,
malaria has practically disappeared.
Some time nso there were % cases of
malaria in the hospital on that farm
and now all but one case has recov-
red. She declared that no convict
with contagious disease will be al
lowed on any of the farms in the
future but will be kept away from
the others in special part of one of
the prison hospitals to be used for that
purpose.
Ihis Is the first time an ATTEMPT
has ever been made to establish the
honor system in penitentiaries and
state farms of Texas and Mrs. King
is of the opinion that it will meet
with ne much SuccesS ne fhe Raiford