I am very glad to give to The Delinquent information regarding the
course of instruction in penology which for the last ten years has been
conducted by the Prussian Ministry of Justice. There are three kinds of
prisons under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice:--
1. The local prisons, under the direction of
the local magistrate.
2. The county prisons, under the direction
of the ranking county district attorney.
3. The large, so-called “special prisons,” of
which the “Director” is the executive
officer.
We had the experience that the directors of those prisons I have named
under 1. above did not always meet the demands that we believed the
government had the right to require of them, because they did not
possess the necessary means and knowledge. The training of the lower
officials in these local institutions was also often faulty. To be
sure, there prevailed in general a condition of cleanliness, order and
honesty, but the treatment of the prisoner according to the crime and
to the individuality of the inmate was often pretty poor.
On the other hand, we came to the conclusion that only those judges
could properly and reasonably impose a just sentence who knew and had
studied the effect of imprisonment and the administration of a prison
sentence upon the prisoner. And so there developed from this idea the
requirement that the judge should also be assigned to the office of
prison warden. And so, with the introduction of the course on prison
administration, we had two aims:--
1. The understanding of the judge should be strengthened as to the
effect of imprisonment upon the prisoner, in order that proper
sentences should be imposed, not only from the standpoint of the
law, but from that of the individual to be imprisoned.
2. It was important to develop prison wardens who would understand
the effects of imprisonment and who could therefore administer
their office properly. This required a proper training in all the
details of prison administration, and the rules and regulations.
We were confident that when the warden became conversant with all
these matters, if he then had the necessary knowledge and interest,
he would also train up in his turn the lesser officials of the
prison.
So much for the purposes of the course in prison administration. We
carry on the course in the following manner. We issue, around January,
not a special, but a general invitation to attend the course. The
invitation goes to recently admitted members of the bar, judges,
district attorneys, and also to clergymen, physicians and the higher
prison officials, who have shown special interest in their work. The
invitations are very numerous. But since we can receive at the most
only from 24 to 27 persons, in order to do each person justice during
the two weeks of the course, only about fifty per cent. of the requests
for admission can be considered.
The course is divided into two parts, practical and a scientific.
During the forenoon the men in the course work in the prisons, where
they are instructed in all the details of the administration. In the
afternoon, scientific lectures are held, with following discussion,
lasting often four hours or longer. I regard this part of the course
as of great value. After the close of the course, during which, by
the way, there are inspections of a number of institutions, the
participants in the course return to their occupations, with the
admonition that they shall pass along the knowledge they have acquired,
and especially to give to the lesser officials of the respective
prisons from which they have come, the benefit of what they have
acquired. In this manner we send out through the Kingdom of Prussia
every year a corps of new teachers.
Moreover, we ascertain who among the men that have taken the course
has shown special interest, and is inclined to become the warden of a
prison, and we send him for several months to one of our best conducted
institutions, “in training.” Here he takes up the ordinary duties of
the minor officials, up to and including the duties of the director of
the institution himself. And if he shows himself well qualified, he is
assigned as soon as possible to the position of representative of the
warden, or his associate in the case of especially difficult tasks,
and in this manner comes to learn the duties of prison warden in a
number of institutions. And from this group of men the directors of the
prisons are chosen.
As to the subjects of the lectures of the course, I would say that
I cannot be very specific, for they change from year to year. The
lecturers are both executive and theoretical. Among the teachers I
might mention Professors Kahl, von Hippel, and Moehli. Among the
subjects are the following:
Prison System and Prison Architecture.
The Mentally Deficient: their responsibility and methods of
treatment.
The Treatment of Juveniles.
Organization of the Prison Administration.
If you wish, I shall be very glad to send you the program of the last
course.
I can say, with much satisfaction, that we have really succeeded with
these courses, and that they have found very favorable mention both in
the press and in Parliament. The participants in the course complain
sometimes because they are driven so hard, and I confess that the
mental strain is considerable. But they nevertheless show great zeal
and industry.