Evening star., 1933-04-23
BY EDWARD J. CALHOUN.

IF Charles Dickens who fought tirelessly
with his facile pen for the abolition Of the
prison horrors OF his time could look today
upon the Federal Industrial Institution
for Women at Anderson. w. Va, it is in
deed doubtful II he would recognize it for
what it is. And this is readily understandable,
for a visitor for the first time Is apt to find
himself asking rs this a prison?"
The answer to this question reveals the policy
of the institution under its first superintend-
ent, DR.. Mary B. Harris who is amply qualified
both through training and experience to give
the anti-social group under her care the bene-
1it of the most recent methods Of training,
methods which, instead of being punitive. are
designed to give the inmate every opportunity to
make the adjustment required by organized So
ciety
DR.. Harris might agree that strictly speaking.
the institution is a prison; but she would make
haste to explain that 1t Is never referred to as
such. Nor is the term prisoner" used to de-
scribe those who are confined on the reserva-
D:on. Frequent use Is made Of the word
~"campus' and it requires little Imagination to
think of this group Of buildings as being q
school, And that precisely is what it IS;
school for the atypical; a school for those who
are the victims Of the complex causes which 60
to make the criminal Here they taught
their duty to society, the meaning Of good
citizenship, and are prepared to meet the vi
cisstudes Of life when retribution has been
made
The Federal Industrial Institution at Alder
son, which the Department of Justice has built
for the detention Of women convicted in the
Federal courts, came as the result Of the wide.
spread interest Of organized women throughout
the country, who asked of Congress proper de-
tention and treatment for the ever increasing
number of women who were being convicted for
offenses against the Government of the United
States.
The enabling act, passed in 1924, gave the
institution its name, signifying that industry was
to be the keynote Of the project. It also speci-
fled that each woman was to be given training
which would enable her to be self-supporting
upon her return to society. Ability to earn q
livelihood, or, in a word, to become an eco
nomc asset to society," presupposes good health,
the desire for work and proficiency in q trade
or profession It was with this concept in
mind that the work Of the institution was Or
ganized The doors were opened In April, 1927.
Since that time, over 1,872 women have been
admitted, about 1,419 discharged, and the maxi
mum capacity Of 500 reached. The buildings
and grounds have value of approximately
|$2, 500 900.
IN every community, regardless of size, there
| ] is always a small percentage of children who
become the problem of their families, the
Schools the churches, the police and the courts
1T often follows that the delinquent juvenile
becomes the mature criminal. It is beyond the
provence of the social unit to interest itself in
behavioristic psychology, to attempt to explain
the reasons for the wide variation which indi-
viduals exhibit, even where heredity, environ
ment and training appear to b. the same This
leaves to the correctional institution, happy in
the thought that some can be helped, but that
Rll can be restrained from further damaging
The community. So it must be remembered. at
The outset, that the normal population Of
detention home is made up entirely of malad-
usted personalities.
This attitude, which beyond doubt is con-
Ftzuctive viewpoint, is a pertinent part of the
policy at Anderson. For it has been found out
hat s5 per cent respond to the program of
Fork, training and recreation which has been
aid out. There will always be small per-
Fentage of persistently and fundamentally re-
istive cases. Institutions Of the past, to meet