The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-03-21

III "details W 1llCtliOClO VI LAAS SO5AAo
Club at their regular meeting at
the Hotel Hamilton, Wednesday
evening, by James Grove, new edu-
cational director of the Maryland
State Reformatory for Males at
RoXbury.
Mr.. Grove, a veteran of World
War II, had, before his military
service, taught in the elementary,
junior and senior high schools of
the state and during the war was
an instructor at Penn State College
and Robert University in Istanbul,
Turkey.
The new education program that
has been inaugurated at the Refor-
matory is based, Mr.. Grove stated,
on the premise that the needs of
the juvenile offender for security,
companionship and an opportunity
to experience life" are exactly the
same as those of all young people.
The goal of the program is to at
tempt to understand the needs of
the inmates and to rehabilitate them
as members of a worthy group. The
treatment" as Mr.. Grove feels the
method should be called, is designed
to ''readjust the individual to social
living in the broadest sense i.
giving youth an opportunity to ex-
perience life in a controlled atmos-
phere"
The Roxbury institution is for
boys and young men between the
ages of Is and 26, serving indeter-
inmate sentences. There are, how
ever, among the inmates, many old
er men, who are "repeaters,' - serving
their fifth or sixth sentence; trans
fers from other institutions, and a
few serving life sentences. This stu
alton, which has always complicated
the handling of young or first often
ders, is being remedied, Mr.. Grove
said, at least in the matters of trans
fers, which are no longer being per-
mitted.
Mr.. Grove, in outlining his work,
explained the obstacles encountered
in putting into effect the educational
program. At least 1919 of the in
mates are illiterate, a few actually
feebleminded, the latter there be-
cause of overcoming in the institu-
tions where they should be. The
illiterates of average intelligence are
put into classes which cover rough
ly the work from the first to the
fourth grade; those who have had
some schooling in the elementary
grades go into a fourth to eight grade
classification, and for those whose
records show that they have COM
pleted the elementary grades, high
school subjects are taught.
Recognizing the need to keep the
inmates busy, no time is allowed to
be wasted When not assigned to
tasks about the farm or dairy, the
young men must attend classes,
ranging from the rudiments of the
Three RS for the elementary
group, to blueprint reading, prac-
teal phases of aeronautics, and so
on, for the high school group. BY
applying vocational guidance, an
effort is made at all times to avoid
those subjects that cannot be used.
In spite of the shortage of trained
teachers, the program is working
out, Several of the guards - whom
Mr.. Grove feels should not be called
guards, but correctional officers,
since the connotation is bad for the
officers themselves as well as the in
mates = are instructing in various
fields. A two-hour course in dairy
husbandry, for instance, is taught by
one of the officers to give the boys
working in the dairy combination
of knowledge tied in with practical
experience. A shop course is also
under way and government surplus
supplies are being sought to enlarge
the program.
Mr.. Grove pointed out that
athletics are compulsory for one
hour day and fairly comprehen-
sive program, including basketball,
baseball, volley and soft ball, has
been going on for some time. Re-
Gently the institution received %
new musical instruments and a
guard is teaching band music to the
twenty inmates who, at present, can
play some instrument.
The library, Mr.. Grove said, is
soon to undergo regeneration
through $500 appropriation that he
has received, earmarked for the pur-
chase of new books. And not mo-
ment too soon, apparently, since Mr.
Grove stated that among the several
thousand volumes on hand, he hac
personally disposed of 400 books
copyrighted prior to 1885. On Mon.
81. L.