Urafall Muntalso, warden of Havana Prison, last fall made a tour of the
most noted prisons of the United States, with a view to adopting the
best points of our system in the big Government institution of Havana,
of which he is the head. He spoke of Sing Sing as being so different in
all its features that one would imagine the institution conducted for
another purpose entirely, instead of having exactly the same object. He
gave high praise to our Eastern Penitentiary as a model institution of
its kind, and to Warden Bussinger as certainly conducting it in a model
manner. Several times expressed that the men seemed happy and contented
as possible, being detained. Cuba so many generations under Spanish
rule, with ancient views for punishments of convicts--to introduce
American reform would seem almost revolutionary, but it must be done.
The penal institutions heretofore embodied all the unfavorable features
of solitary confinement, and with very few of the favorable features.
Education and employment of convicts in prison was out of the question.
The convicts simply served out their sentence, not contributing in
any way to their own support. By means of the reforms contemplated
this will be largely changed. The intention is to improve the sanitary
condition of all the penal institutions in Cuba, to alter the buildings
to modern details, the men to do the work; then as rapidly as possible
the humane American features will be introduced. Since Spanish rule has
been cast off, the number of criminals and of crimes committed have
been lessened over one-third. The cause is attributed to its present
prosperity, thousands being employed, who were long time idle, keeping
them honest and out of the hands of the law.