The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-01-28

count of the daily life of Russian colony of
social offenders will be of interest to our read
crs.-Editor.
WE bounced along over twelve miles of cobble-
stoned roads, built three quarters of a CEN
tury before the first automobile appeared in
Russia, Luckily the Fve-Year Plan called for
modern concrete to replace the cobble-stones
for not only backs but buses and trucks as
well would soon break down under this contin-
ual polting The flat country stretched around
US, green and fertile
We were with group of American educators
on their way from Moscow to see the first ex-
perimental criminal colony in the world Our
guide was member of the G.P.U. (Soviet State
Police, and to the relieved surprise of most of
the visitors, he proved to be quite unlike the
dread picture they had been given of such men
by their home press. He was quiet friendly
man who readily answered our many questions
and laughed heartily when one of the most
bold later told him his former impressions
The cobble!stones finally came to an end and
our bus turned off on winding dirt roads Peas
ants at work in the fields looked up and waved
as we numbered along Perhaps half mile out
side of small village, we drew up before the
entrance archway to what appeared to be an
other small community The driver threw off
the engine, and our guide informed u.s. Here
we are"
"What!' we exclaimed for there was not a
fence of any kind about the place. men and
women were wandering freely about there were
no guards and we soon discovered that none
of the buildings had bars across the windows.
An unusual arrangement, to say the least, for
colony of persons whose offenses against society
included all types.
Tie leader of the Labor Commune and three
members of the self government committee came
out OF greet us and escort us to the open air
community center, where they gave us brief
explanation of the colony's plan.
This Labor Commune, they told us had been
started in 1924 by the Soviet Government as an
experiment in methods of re-habilitating young
citizens guilty of misconduct toward their fell
lows. While in capitalist countries, the individual
was held to be mainly responsible for crime, and
the government depended upon punishment and
fear for its prevention or correction methods
rarely successful: in the Soviet Union it was
clearly recognized that the main responsibility
rested with society, rather than the individual
In Communist society. there would be no
criminals, for the social forces producing Grim
inals, such as private property relations, would
have been abolished. There would only be those
hospitals. In the Soviet Union, society in
transition from capitalism to Communism, crime
continued to be problem only in so far as the
heritage of the past weighed upon them In
proportion as socialist cooperative life had de
veloped, for the masses, social offenses had
greatly diminished and would continue to do so.
However until Communism was attained the
Soviet Government recognized that this problem
OF social offenders would have to be dealt with
Therefore, the Labor Commune had been estab-
lshed in order to determine the best methods
of Transforming former drug addicts,. drunkards,
thieves and even miirderers into useful and self
respecting members of the new Soviet society
corps Of young men and women prisoners
ranging from the ages of sixteen to Twenty-Five
had been selected for the experiment. and the
new community began. 1t now included one
hundred and seventy members.
The Commune was founded from it's very
beginning, upon the principles of voluntary CO.
operative, labor and group self discipline and
sef-government. No physical coercion had ever
been used. Group approval and disapproval
was deemed the most potent force. Individuals
joined the colony of their own free will New
members were added to the Commune on the
recommendation of old members, or at their
own request, and upon the vote of the adnis-
sion by the Commune itself. II members run
away (only five had done SO during the proceed
ing year,, they are not brought back. Sometimes,
they return Of their own free will. and are prob