The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-20

The democratic form Of the dicta-
torship Of the bourgeoisie endeavors,
as regards penal administration, to
conceal the fact Of class rule. 1t
grants political prisoners certain
rights and a milder regime as per-
sons acting from conviction. The
seizure Of power by fascism COM
pletely abolishes this form of penal
administration; the bourgeoisie casts
aside every mask.
Grimes" are "atoned for" under a
barbarous prison regime. Criminals"
are not to be educated. The theory
that fear acts as a deterrent tri-
umphS. Political delinquents are the
worst, for these criminals" menace
the roots of the capitalist order. The
newspapers in all countries publish
reports Of the ill-treatment and tor
ture Of political prisoners in the fas-
cist prisons and concentration camps
OF Germany, Italy, Poland, Yugo-
slayia, etc.
The Soviet Union, the country Of
the dictatorship of the proletariat,
the country Of socialist construction,
has impaired new meaning and
content to penal administration. The
basis Of the penal law is the class
policy of the working people. Justice
is a means of power for suppreSsing
the class enemy, but it is also at the
same time a powerful instrument for
educating the workers in self-disci-
pline.
In the Soviet Union the form Of
punishment and also the penal ad-
miniStration is determined from this
standpoint. In imposing punishment
one does not proceed from a feeling
Of revenge; sentences are imposed
not in order to punish the prisoner,
but to educate him. No tortureS, no
death penalty, no prison regime, how
ever cruel, will enable fascism in the
capitalist countries to destroy the
revolutionary movement. The Soviet
Union endeavorS to convince even
the political prisoner that the inter-
ests Of the community and his own
interests demand that he plays his
part in the common life, that he sub
mits to the law of the proletarian
state.
Soviet jurisdiction seeks as far as
possible to avoid depriving the indi-
vidual Of his liberty. If it resorts to
depriying a person of his liberty, this
deprival Of liberty is limited, as the
Soviet authorities are convinced that
every member of society can be edu-
Gated so as to become a socially use
full being: the longest sentence may
not exceed ten years.
1t is, however, very seldom that
this longest term is served. The re-
suits of the education the penal Sys-
tenn provides are so good that most
of the prisoners can be discharged
sooner, often after having served only
half their sentence.
In the prisons the chief importance
is attached TO work; not to drudging,
useless work, as in the capitalist pris-
ons, but TO useful production. The
penal institutions resemble modern
factories, in which the prisoners ac-
quire skill and training, which they
can make use Of in the process of
production after their discharge, Ev-
cry prisoner knows that even while
in prison he is taking part in the
building up of Socialism, that his
work Is of benefit TO himself and to
the community. Work is carried on In
the penal institutions according to
the same principle obtaining in the
works and undertakings outside. The
unskilled worker is instructed by a
skilled worker. Every brigade, every
single prisoner has his plan; social
list competition between brigades and
between individuals are quite usual.