Part 5

The workshops are many, and the trades pursued are carpentry, cabinet-work, blacksmithing, wheelwright, harness, boots and shoes, tinsmith, making all kinds of household utensils, and weaving by hand. If a prisoner has no trade, he is taught one before he goes out; their object is to turn out men reformed and able to make their own living. The prisoner receives part of the profits he made while in prison, to help him on his release, which is then paid to him. All the goods manufactured in prison are sold at a store outside, at a little less price, and the people go there to purchase, yet there is a fair profit made. The prisoners have outdoor exercise every day, they have a schoolmaster besides a moral instructor, and they are treated as erring brothers, called by their first name; the Director was horrified at the thought of our calling a man by a number, when the object was to reform him and make him appreciate his position as a citizen or subject of his country. Women prisoners were very few.

THE NATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS.

CLEVELAND, OHIO, SEPTEMBER 22-26, 1900.

The meetings were held in the hall of the Young Men’s Christian Association, except on Sunday. There were 201 delegates present. Ohio had 40, and Pennsylvania next, with 25. The official delegates present from this Society were Mrs. Deborah C. Leeds, John J. Lytle, and Rev. R. Heber Barnes.

On the platform were Governor George K. Nash, Abraham Wiedner, Chairman of the local committee; Captain Edward S. Wright, President of the Association; Rev. D. Morgan Wood, of Plymouth Congregational Church; Hon. Frederick Howard Wines, LL. D., of Washington, D.C.; Rev. John L. Milligan, of Allegheny, Pa.; M. W. Beacom, who represented Mayor Farley, and others who had achieved national reputation for reform in prison work.

Director of Public Charities Abraham Wiedner, as Chairman of the local committee, presided, and made a brief speech of welcome. Rev. Dr. Morgan Wood made the opening prayer. Director Wiedner introduced Governor Nash.

GOV. GEORGE K. NASH, ADDRESS OF WELCOME.

To me has been assigned the pleasant duty to express to you, in behalf of the people of Ohio, a hearty welcome. We appreciate the honor of having you meet with us, and also the noble work in which you are engaged.

When the Association was first organized it was presided over for a number of years by that noble man, Rutherford B. Hayes. After his death another noble man from Ohio became your presiding officer; and I am glad that General Brinkerhoff is still in our midst.

My understanding is that there are two purposes in punishing crime. The first is to protect society; the second, to bring about the reformation of the prisoners. With these ends in view the prisons should always be healthful, but the prisoners should not live in luxury. The reformation of the prisoner is most desirable, and he should be treated with that end in view. If you succeed in reforming those men and women you have accomplished a most noble work. In your efforts you need and are entitled to the sympathy of all, and I give you a most hearty welcome to the old “Buckeye State.”

The chairman introduced CORPORATION COUNSEL M. W. BEACOM, who represented MAYOR JOHN H. FARLEY in his absence.

I wish to express the Mayor’s feeling of gratitude, that you have chosen this city for your conclave. Your purpose is not to further your own interest, but to uplift humanity. I take it that there is a tendency in the caring for criminals to run to sentimentalism. I think that all such theories should be laid aside, but the health and environment of the prisoners should be good. In behalf of the Mayor and the people of Cleveland I welcome you to this city.

HON. FREDERICK HOWARD WINES, LL.D.,

Responded in a graceful way to the addresses of welcome. He outlined the objects of work of the Association at some length. Dr. Wines is the Assistant Director of the United States Census, and, as Assistant Director, thought he ought to be the most popular man in Cleveland. He said he was very glad to come to Ohio, for it was his birthplace. What the Governor has said about the object of this organization was right so far as it goes. Not only do we mean to look after the interests of prisoners, while they are in prison, but also after they have been released, and even before they are put in prison. We want to know with reference to the prisoner what is desirable and possible to do for him. Dr. Wines spoke of the different theories held with reference to the criminal class. One view, he said was held generally by many religious people, and it was that since all people were bad, the so-called prison class was no worse than the other class except in being less fortunate. The other extreme view was, that the average prisoner had so inherited criminal tendencies, that all efforts to reform him would prove futile. The truth, he said, lay somewhere between these two extremes.

ADDRESS.

CAPTAIN EDWARD S. WRIGHT, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION.

We all retain memories of having regard for all the men and women who have been helpers in the work we have in hand. One name will always stand highest, that of General Rutherford B. Hayes, for ten years our President, and to many of us a type of a gallant American gentleman. His life and labor in the promotion of humanity in prisons, and the reformation of the imprisoned, are crystalized in the records of the proceedings of the Association.

Following the history of prison reform work in the world, and especially in this country, he said, “Thus it has come about that a cellular system of confinement in separation in the intervals of work has come to be called the American System of imprisonment. In nearly all the prisons of this country details may vary in some points, but in the main the prisons closely resemble each other. No better form of imprisonment has yet been devised. Nearly all these changes in prison discipline of the United States have taken form in the latter part of the century.”

“The Constitution laws, of nearly all the States have been enacted since the National Prison Association took strong grounds in favor of this feature, in which reward and punishment go hand in hand. A system of classification first introduced in the Elmira Prison Reformatory has been adopted in substance by the majority of all classes and

GRADES OF PRISONS.

As the work goes on it will be found to lead step by step to the indeterminate sentence law, or a system which holds the prisoner in the control of the law, until he has given evidence of a reformed life.

EDUCATION.

An interesting change in the method of conducting prison schools deserves consideration. Illiterate prisoners of all ages, cripples, and men of clouded intellect are brought into a real school, with hours of instructions each day. Education is only given in the elementary branches, but such great progress has been made, that it would seem possible to extend its curriculum especially with the long sentenced offenders.

PRISON LABOR

remains an unsettled problem, except its future in the South, and here and there in the North, where the expense of support has been met by the earnings, show no inclination to adopt measures really leading up to its eventual abolition as a means and measure in prison discipline.

“Convicts should be constantly employed in intelligent labor or work having a beneficial object and result. We should all hope that common humanity, which underlies all hearts, must some day agree upon a system of labor for all ages and conditions, it has been considered a man’s common heritage; the most helpful to his restoration to honesty and virtue.

BERTILLON SYSTEM OF IDENTIFICATION.

“To promote efficiency to the system of measurement and photography throughout the country, Congress will be asked to enact and establish such a National Bureau. When that has been secured, many facts as to crime and criminals can be made plain to all. For the repeater, severity is mercy. On that thought much could be said, for it underlies all systems and methods of modern prison discipline. If we contrast the conditions, methods, and laws now the rule in all prisons with those of one hundred years ago, there is great reason for thankfulness and hope for the future.”

At the adjournment of the evening session a reception was held in the parlor of the Y. M. C. A., where all the visitors shook hands with Governor Nash.

The headquarters were at the Colonial Hotel, where most of the delegates stopped. The delegates were furnished with a badge, and also a package of twenty trolley-car tickets to ride on any of the lines. These were donated by the car line management.

SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 23d.

The delegates met at the Colonial Hotel and marched to the Epworth Memorial M. E. Church to listen to the annual sermon by Rev. Ward Beecher Pickard, D.D. It was a masterly production, so well filled with good thoughts, that it was constantly referred to throughout the sessions.

The theme of Dr. Pickard’s sermon was “God’s child, the criminal.” I refrain from any extracts as it is to be published for general distribution, as a leaflet, for a help to prison workers.

Sunday evening, at the Old Stone Church, Chaplain Rev. John L. Milligan, General Secretary, made the invocation prayer, Chaplain William J. Batt read the Scripture lesson, and the evening was taken up with short popular addresses on prison reform, by President Wright on the aims of work of the Association, Hon. Samuel J. Barrows on the International Penitentiary Congress, held at Brussels, Belgium, General R. Brinkerhoff of Ohio, Hon. H. H. Hart of Illinois Children’s Home and Aid Society, Professor Rev. C. R. Henderson, University of Chicago.

MONDAY, 9 A. M., SEPTEMBER 24TH.

WARDENS’ ASSOCIATION MEETING.

PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL ADDRESS, ALBERT GARVIN,

WARDEN CONNECTICUT STATE PRISON.

It contained a number of striking features. He strongly advocated the adoption of the indeterminate sentence plan, and that of productive labor. Among other things he said:--“The absolute indeterminate sentence for all prisoners except life convicts is, in my opinion, the only logical method of dealing with the delinquent classes. Upon criminals it should operate as a definite deterrent influence. To habitual offenders it would be a danger sign, and it would beget new risks in the commission of crime. Under it the sifting process, by which the reformable prisoners are sorted from the incorrigibles, could be intelligently applied; powerful motives for the abandonment of criminal practices would be created, and safeguards for the protection of society would be erected.”

The State might as reasonably send an insane person to an asylum for a definite time, as to convict a criminal to a prison for a specific period. If the management in the one case is competent to discharge, why not in the other?

“From every penal institution in the country convicts are being regularly discharged, who as the management only too well knows, will promptly resume the criminal program which was temporarily interrupted by a term of prison.

“Every consideration of social welfare demands that, on the one hand the criminal should be kept under restraint until he is fit to be released, and that, on the other hand once fit to be released, he should be conditionally discharged. This system should not only afford the largest measure of protection to life and property, but it would also supply the most practical method for the reformation of the offender.”

The galling fire which is kept up against productive labor in penal institutions, is born of a mistaken or partial view of the situation, and is not justified by the whole body of facts in the case. It is estimated that the value of the products of penal institutions does not exceed one tenth of one per cent of the total value of the products of the manufacturing industries of the whole United States. This fact renders it obvious that the economic and competitive effect of convict labor upon free labor is in the aggregate insignificant, and that it wholly fails to justify the persistent warfare which some people take pleasure in waging against prison industry.

It would be superfluous to state in a gathering of this kind, that regular and intelligent employment is absolutely essential to the moral and physical welfare of convicts, and the enforced idleness begets sullenness, immorality, sickness, insanity, and retards, if indeed it does not entirely prevent, the improvement of which the prisoners might otherwise be susceptible. In all intelligent efforts to reform convicted criminals, work is an indispensable factor--and only productive labor is reformative labor. Both the practical and the ethical requirements of the situation make for productive labor.

ADDRESS BY H. F. HATCH, IONA, MICH.

“_A contractor’s view of prison discipline._”

JOSEPH F. SCOTT, WARDEN MASSACHUSETTS STATE REFORMATORY,

Spoke of “_Civil service in Prison_.”

A deplorable evil was the constant changes in prison management for political reasons, it was an evil which had to be eliminated. Mentioned several instances, where prisons were entirely under civil service rule with very satisfactory results.

Recreation and privileges as aid to prison discipline was freely and favorably discussed.

The food problem in prisons was discussed. This being a wardens’ meeting, the wardens of almost every penitentiary in the country (including our warden of the Eastern Penitentiary) told briefly what food was given to the inmates of their prison. The cost ranged from 7-1/2 cents to 10 cents for each prisoner, average was 9 cents.

It was also agreed that a prison orchestra could do much good in a prison. A music hour was also advocated, during which every prisoner should be allowed to play whatever instrument he chose in his cell.

* * * * *

George Scheidler, warden of Northern Indiana State Prison, said he had found that the improvement of prison food had done much to establish confidence between prisoners and officials. He said Indiana supplied food baked, roasted, stewed, etc., and that the menu is changed every day.

MONDAY AFTERNOON.

THE CHAPLAIN’S MEETING, 2 P. M.

A meeting which at times waxed warm. One of the subjects for discussion was Dr. McKim’s recent book, “Heredity and Human Progress.” The consensus of opinion among the chaplains was that the cause of crime is not psychological, as Dr. McKim tries to prove, but sociological, and it behooves the churches especially to try not only to improve the environments of the prisoners and ex-convicts, but to study more closely the cause of crime.

ADDRESS. REV. WM. J. BATT, CHAPLAIN, CONCORD, MASS.

He reviewed the past work of the Chaplains’ Association, and said: “That as they looked back he certainly felt very much had been gained from the existence of this organization,” and that much more could be done to aid the wardens and superintendents in the management of prisons and reformatories. That criminality was not on the increase, being lessened by public education, beginning in our public schools, where there has been no backward step in the matter of discipline and study of civil government.

To-day the cry is: “Use the preventative in the case of the discharged prisoner.” Yes, but what is needed is to use the preventative “education” at all times before he has cause to enter a prison gate.

The value of the parole, and possibly of the indeterminate sentence when enthroned, requires that in person you lend a helping hand to such a man to uplift him to better ways. The highest realization of our hopes in this world we shall never see, when all the gloomy enclosures of prison walls stand empty. Let there be earnest courage to walk and work by the light now shining about us, for the Light of the world is Jesus Christ.

CHAPLAIN WM. A. LOCKE, MANSFIELD, OHIO, READ A PAPER ON

“_Prison Methods; Formative and Reformative_.”

Crime is very largely due to poverty, or rather to what he called misdirected energy, both of mind and soul, and is a problem in sociology to direct activities from abnormal into normal channels. He dwelt much on prison discipline as of the greatest importance, and could not be too exacting, but that whatever methods might be employed, no violence should be done to the man within the man; that punishment should always be reformative. He spoke of the prisoner as a social iconoclast, who had lost his ambition, his help, and who sought to destroy what other men cherish. “It is the object of the prison to teach such a personal respect for social obligations, that nothing belongs to anyone except what he has gained by his brawn or his brains.” He touched on the evils of saloons, and said: “Through the doors of saloons to the prison doors pass one-half of the prisoners in this State.”

PRACTICAL PRISON REFORM.

CHAPLAIN D. R. IMBRIE, HOBOKEN, PA.

A paper on “A Decade of Prison Reform: The Realized and the Unrealized.” Among other things he said: “What is society? It is an individual, of which the members are individuals. It is one in interest, one in object, one in benefit, with the individual its factor. Its laws are the laws of God, and it strives to keep the letter of the law (but not always the spirit), but one thing is lacking--an all-powerful, soul-filling charity. It is the object of public philanthropy, of sociologists, of reformers in general, of this Prison Congress, to bring to the social world a realization of the eleventh commandment--to love thy neighbor as thyself.

A very able paper was read by Rev. Dr. F. A. Gold, of Mansfield, Ohio, on “The Chaplain’s Work from a Pastor’s Point of View,” which recommended co-operative work of religious and semi-religious associations as helpers.

Rev. Dr. H. H. Hart, of Chicago, criticized the paper, about delegates sent from the Y. M. C. A. and W. C. T. U.; the young clergy and Brotherhood men visiting prisons for the purpose of reforming prisoners, he claimed that very many were not real themselves, and we could not look for any success.

Rev. David J. Starr, Chaplain of Ohio State Penitentiary, in answering Mr. Hart said, that to find instances where actual injury was done by preaching, one need not go to the prisons, we see it on the outside, at revival meetings and other places. However that should not discourage any one from trying to induce men to lead better lives through the Gospel of Christ. What we need is less preaching and more hard work of sympathy.

Hon. Frederick Howard Wines, LL.D., of Washington, D. C., spoke about the recent book by Dr. McKim, “Heredity and Human Progress.” The drastic remedies of crime, are they Christian? He personally considered it not worthy of being chosen as a special topic of the Association. The fundamental weakness of Dr. McKim’s position is his preconceived notions. Let each one look that book over, you are not likely to read it all.

Chaplain J. F. Orwick, Jackson, Mich., read a paper about the observance of Prison Sunday (the fourth Sunday in October). He lamented that in so few churches it was observed, except in Chicago, where 300 sermons were preached last year.

Oren C. Painter, Treasurer of The Prisoners Aid Association, Baltimore, Md., spoke of their annual report, that last year 1,577 men and women were discharged from Baltimore Prison; and that they aided 564 discharged prisoners, furnished 4,644 meals and 1,502 night’s lodgings to men and women.

Mrs. Deborah C. Leeds made some brief remarks about reform.

Professor Charles R. Henderson, Chicago, claimed that if the people did not wake up and realize the necessity to reform themselves, how shall we expect to reform other men and women of like nature.

MONDAY, EVENING, SEPTEMBER 24TH.

ADDRESS--HON. SAMUEL J. BARROWS, MEMBER INTERNATIONAL PENITENTIARY COMMISSION, “THE INTERNATIONAL PENITENTIARY CONGRESS” BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, LAST YEAR.

The remarks were of great value to people interested in prison work and the care of prisoners. He made comparison between the management of prisons in this country, and some of the European countries, mentioning incidentally that in some of the prisons of Europe, methods were in vogue which were no longer thought of in this country.

He outlined briefly the mode of work of the Congress and gave interesting details of the reforms and improvement brought about through the influence of this commission.

The Congress at Brussels, 1899, had about 90 official delegates, representing 29 different countries; and 247 visitors from other countries who came for information.

He mentioned that the unification and expansion tendency of nationality might tend very largely to a healthy interchange of ideas, as the records of this Congress are made the property of the whole world by translation. States most progressive are those who confer in the general interests of life. He spoke of John Howard and his influence in all the world, and especially in England.

Dr. F. H. Wines was sent by the United States Government to meet and exchange ideas and experiences with other countries; he was not the first to suggest the organization of an International Congress, this was suggested by private men, several years previous.

“How to preserve the continuance of this Congress, each country promised a permanent commissioner. The United States failed to make such an appointment. Dr. Wines has the appointment from time to time only, but our government is now about to take it up again and resume its former responsibility. In this the United States will be fully able to take its part.

“At these international meetings no papers are read, all the papers are printed before the meetings, they are translated in different languages; then each country, answers the matter clearly in discussion, questions on reports, &c. Last year the United States was not officially represented on the commission, and the Delegates did not feel comfortable. All members are supposed to make themselves familiar with the papers on the programme before they come up. Sometimes there are too many questions to discuss properly. And even in our own country it is impossible to get some details, to give a proper answer; for instance, the United States Commissioners’ duties touching the Criminal Insane. It was very hard to get the facts from States, for there were so few that had any central bureau of information, it took the Government a long time to get any from a positive source.

“Penological questions were answered by monograph reports, such as relation of crimes to misdemeanor in the United States; reports to show the penalty and charges; result of the combined work was one of great value, for one cannot go to Paris or elsewhere to the meeting--to know that his contribution will be translated.

“He spoke of the United States Reformatory statistics being deficient, and of the prison management of the cellular or separate system in the United States department as very meagre, and now almost abandoned in the United States, and yet almost wholly installed in every country, and new prisons now building throughout Europe, with a system of centralization suggested by the State of New York, but while New York State prisoners share in the earning, all Europe is to the contrary.