Evening star., 1925-09-07
NOVEL PRISON PLAN
PROVES A SUCCESS
British Send Only First Of
tenders to Norwood
Scrubs.
BY JOHN GUNTHER,
Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Daily News


Daily News.
LONDON, England, August 20. =
Wormwood Scrubs is the name of a
famous English prison. For many
years the prison was notorious for
just such bitter elements of life as
words like wormwood' connote.
But that is changed. The differentiat-
ing fact about Wormwood Scrubs can
be expressed in one sentence: II Is
now an experimental prison and is
used for first offenders only.
That, of course, is a revolutionary
notion in prison management and one
from which the British authorities eX-
pect great things. Thus far the eX
pertinent has been entirely successful.
There are no prison faces" in this
novel prison.
"Habituals" Sent Elsewhere.
Three months ago all the old hands
the habitual criminals who drift i'll
and out of trouble almost as a matter
of course, the Convicts who have been
hardened by many terms in Jail, were
cleaned out of Wormwood Scrubs and
packed off to other prisons. The men
tally abnormal cases were sent else
where. Then the authorities began
anew with Wormwood and populated
tenders who may reasonably be eN-
pected never TO have another prison
sentence once their first term is over.
At Worn1wood are men of many
classes-middle-a aged fraudulent soliCi-
tors fas the English call con men'1.
young workmen convicted of petty
larceny, ex-army officers, laborers sen
fenced for assault, forgers and rob
bers and cat-burglars.
. n
they are all at Wormwood because
they have been found guilty of only
one offense. They are novices in
crime and the authorities are giving
them q chance"
Reform Is the Idea.
There Is no question of imprison-
ment's being looked on a s punish
ment at the new Wormwood Scrubs.
The idea of the scheme is reform, not
punishment. And as a result Worm
wood has an esprit de corps all its
own. 1t is something of a distinction
now to get into Wormwood.
I have visited several American
prisons and several old-type English
prisons, but I have never seen else
where anything quite like Wormwood.
There is a. marked absence of the
usual atmosphere of unnatural ST.
less overbearing supervision. There
is a marked absence Of the obviously
criminal types. Most of the men are
being confined for short terms and
they are model prisoners. Indeed, II
Is hard to think of the word prison
ers" in connection with them
The men may talk as much as they
please and eat as much as they want.
They talk and eat without direct su-
pervtsion and their meals are gay af-
fairs. I saw them at lunch and it
was astonishing. No wardens! No
forced silence, No bars,
The old system of giving each man
only a. regulated allowa nee of food
has been discarded. It as been dis
covered that no more ,od is con-
suned now, when the i N eat what
they like, than under the old system.
When l walked around the prison
| saw a group of six men crossing the
courtyard quite on their own. No
warder was in sight. The men looked
like an army fatigue party going
without hurry or strain to a job. l
found they were an honor party" of
skilled mechanics. Men in the honor
parties do better work and more work
than do those under supervision.
The prisoners rise at 6:15 am. and
have a full day. In the evening they
may attend educational classes, but
attendance is voluntary; nearly all do.
The great thing about Wormwood
Scrubs in the eyes of the director is
its deterrent effect toward future
crime. The men know that If they
are again convicted of crime they will
not again be sent to Wormvood
Scrubs No, indeed. It will be the old
hulks for them.
ITonvri-bt 1905 bv Cbfcazo DailV Neus 20