The Washington times., 1930-12-26
'LM COLONY FEARS RENEWAL OF COAST EXT0RTI0N PLOTS
jailed Prosecutor Shocked
At Our Colleges of Crime

For twenty years Asa Ksyes pleaded with ues to send
defendants prison For nearly half that time he was dis
t attorney Of Los Angeles county and he was proud Of his
record Of convictions.
Now Asa Keyes is in San Quentin Prison, California
prisoner along with hundreds Of the he convicted serving
sentences Of from to ten years for conspiracy TO brDe
Another pleaded with jury to send Keyes to prison.
another stood in the place and he stood in
the dock where hundreds Of other men had stood before m
he went to San Quentin Prison and in nine months there
among nearly 4600 other prisoners he has learned something
he not able to learn in all the years he served district
attorney few days ago he talked fifty California police
officers and this is what he said:
IT have been in this prison for nine months and the thing
that grieves me more than anything else the in
creasng number Of youths who being sent into this
institution It is appalling to the steady stream Of men,
hardly Of their teens arriving Quentin have
checked up the records learned that 1904
into this institution in the last ten months
have studied individual and know that hundreds Of
men in their early youth coming into San Quentin who
should be here They could given pro-
baton could have had the charges against them reduced
to msdemeanors county Jail sentence probation would
have been just and proper for them and II they had
ceived this treatment it would have been vastly better for
society and for the men themselves"
Asa Keyes in prison. is thinking straight about one Of the
most serious Of social problems he was prose.
cutor he thinking about his record prosecutor
He guilty before him and he bent his energy
and talent toward convictng that individual not
himself how he could salvage the defendant and make him
useful to himself and society Instead Keyes sent young
to prison and thought he rid Of them But now in
prison himself he all these young cooped up together
carrying grudge feeling themselves mstreated learning
about crime from older and hardened men, who are
nicay first offenders but who schooed in awbreakng
Keyes that prisons colleges Of crime he
that young who did little thinking all outside learn
think crookedly behind prison walls Putting them with
older in prison like putting children who sick with
measles in contact with smallpox patients We do not send
measles patients to pest houses why should put young law
breakers in contact with older hardened ofendes7 And why
we not run prisons ntegenty hos
pita1s? q
Asa Keyes with his eyes opened says should mot
make feons Of young but should put them probation
give them jail sentences in gTaver instances place them in
larger institution built especially to house youthful offenders
He 10 entirely right.
And that's not all We send careessy to prison We
even careless about methods Of restoring them
to society In fact have such method Every day
men leave prison. Of them embittered SOME Of them
feeling that they have paid their debt to society" and
start afresh The State gives its released prisoners $10
suit Of clothes and ticket to the place where they
victed they can get job their odtime friends
their backs they at least look up the address Of the
will pay for secondhand gum The law interested in
excomvict unless he commits another crime And he
does break the law again. the State wonder why he
did it if he could have been saved from crmnaty It
sends him to Folsom for postgraduate in crime
There's the picture and is terrible 1t will grow
backer and backer until mend ways We need plain
common in treatment of young awbreaker-pro
baton and supervision Jail sentences terms in special
institution to them from lives Of crime We need to
prisons scientific hospitals instead Of pest
houses And must work method Of restoring men
to society and helping them to stay there.