[The American Prison Association held its annual meeting at Omaha,
Nebraska, from October, 14th to 19th. The Review publishes this month
some echoes of the convention. In November further attention will be
devoted to the meeting.]
_Morons in New Jersey Reformatory._--Dr. Frank Moore, superintendent
of the Rahway Reformatory gave an address before the annual convention
of the American prison association at Omaha, on “Mending the Immoral
Moron.” He said, in part:
“In our New Jersey reformatory we have during the last two years made
a careful study of this problem. Each inmate that has been received
has been tested concerning his mentality, with the result that 46 per
cent. were found to be deficients and to have minds that in knowledge
or ability were only equal to the minds of children from 5 to 13 years
old. Fully 33 per cent. or one-third of our population, we concluded
was of the Moron class.
“The problem presents very great difficulties. The ordinary institution
officers declare that prisoners are ‘dopes,’ and sometimes the
psychologist agrees with them.
“The methods employed in dealing with this difficult problem must be
unusually wise. The first thing that seems important is to know the
man. He must be recognized as a defective. A special system must be
adopted to him. His is a feeble mind. To place the same load upon him
that is put upon others is either to cause him to balk or to break
down altogether under the strain. He is a child mentally and not the
abstract, but concrete or kindergarten mode of instruction must be
used. In school he must be separated in some way from the others.
“In his training in work the calibre of his mind needs also to be
considered. The trades that need planning and skill are too much for
him. To the work of the laborer, the farm, garden and dairy he is best
suited, and in them he is really most contented.
“Discipline which is firm yet kind is most successful. The most of
immoral morons that we get have been ill-treated. Those who have not
understood them have tried to beat sense into their stupid heads, and
they are filled with fear and suspicion. They need, therefore, to be
reassured.
“Care must be given to correct such physical defects as are often times
the cause of mental and moral weakness.
“Of the 46 per cent. who by the test were feeble-minded in our
institutions the percentage of physical defects was as follows:
“Defective eyesight, 40 per cent.; flat foot, 35; bad teeth, 32; throat
difficulties, 17; nasal obstruction, 47; total number having some
physical defects, 88 per cent.
“The work that the true chaplain may do is very great. The best way to
mend the immoral moron is through persuasion and influences of religion.
“Our learned friend, Dr. Goddard, of Vineland, N. J., has declared
that nine years is the average age when the tendencies of crime begin
to develop. At this and even an earlier age it has been arranged by
infinite wisdom, it would seem, that religion should begin to make its
formative impressions on the mind.
“Concerning the question of parole or discharge, we cannot agree with
those who advocate that the moron should be kept in permanent custodial
care. Our success with this class on parole has been fully as good as
it has been with the normal mind. Of eighty-three paroled during three
months, not long ago, the morons have made even a better record than
the normals.
“We could point to many other morons who are doing their part well in
the world’s work. They have their place in the economy of society; they
peculiarly fit certain kinds of employment.”
* * * * *
_Judge De Courcy on Unpunished Homicide._--Quoting President Taft as
saying that “The administration of criminal law in this country is a
disgrace to civilization,” Judge C. A. De Courcy of Lawrence, Mass.,
justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts, pointed out in a paper
read at Omaha in his absence that the United States is conspicuous for
the great number of unpunished murderers. The defence of insanity,
the limitation of the power of judges and the character of testimony
allowed to be introduced in behalf of the defendant were some of the
evils which, he said, ought to be rectified. “The number of homicides
in this country for 1910 were 8975--an increase of nearly 900 over
the number in 1909; yet but one in eighty-six was capitally punished
in 1910 as against one in seventy-four during the year preceding,”
said Judge De Courcy. “It is said that in 1896 for each million of the
population there were 118 homicides in the United States; in Italy less
than fifteen; in Canada less than thirteen; in Great Britain less than
nine; in Germany less than five.
“In New York City, 119 cases of homicide were investigated by the grand
jury during the last year, but only forty-five convictions resulted.
Chicago reports 202 homicides were committed in that city during the
last year. Only one of the offenders was hanged; fifteen were sent to
the penitentiary and the others were set free. In Louisville, with a
population of 224,000, during the last year, there were forty-seven
cases of homicide and not a single murderer was hanged. In Alabama
a conviction for stealing hides was recently set aside because the
indictment failed to state whether they were mule, cow, goat or sheep
hides. And indictments were dismissed because father was spelled
farther (in South Carolina); because the letter ‘i’ was omitted in
spelling malice (in Alabama).” Judge De Courcy then suggested some
criminal law reforms which included simplified forms of indictments,
change in the selections of juries and in the rules governing
pleadings.
* * * * *
_Wickersham on Prison Reform and Parole._--The attorney general of the
United States said at Omaha that in the battles of economic forces
for supremacy, the law must be obeyed, even though it seems to favor
one class as against another. Punishment in some form, declared the
attorney general is still necessary in our land to prevent crime. He
discussed at length the broad question of punishment for crime and the
administration of the federal parole law. Modern penal legislation, he
said, is based on a recognition of the expediency of endeavoring to
reform the criminal. Mr. Wickersham favored the extension of the parole
law to include life prisoners. He regarded it as an incongruity that
prisoners sentenced to long terms for vicious crimes should be eligible
for parole when the man convicted of second degree murder must remain
in prison for life.
Since the parole law was placed in operation last autumn, only one
prisoner had violated his parole. The two hundred prisoners who were
paroled from the time the law was put into effect in the autumn of 1910
to June 30, 1911, earned nearly $22,000, whereas, if they had remained
in prison, the attorney general pointed out they would have been a
charge on the government. Mr. Wickersham expressed the belief that
the parole boards should be enlarged by adding two unofficial persons
selected from among prominent citizens of the locality in which the
prison is situated.
* * * * *
_Base Ball in Prison._--At Omaha this question was vigorously
discussed, not unfavorably, but as to the day or days when the game
should occur.
J. K. Codding, warden of the Kansas penitentiary, told of base ball and
other recreations for prisoners in his institution and the discussion
which followed the general expression was that base ball, athletic
contests, moving picture shows and other recreations render prison
discipline easier by affording opportunity to reward those who do well
and to deprive of pleasure those who break the rules.
The statement of Chaplain Le Cornu of Walla Walla, Wash., that Sunday
afternoon in his institution is devoted to base ball, raised a protest
from others, particularly Warden Codding of Kansas and Warden Saunders
of Iowa. Mr. Codding said he didn’t let the men play ball on Sunday
because he didn’t expect them to advocate Sunday ball when they got
out. Mr. Saunders said his men played Saturday afternoon; that he would
allow the men to play Sunday if they couldn’t play any other day.
Warden James of Oregon said he not only had base ball games, at which
the men were allowed to root until they were hoarse, and weekly moving
picture shows, but he intended this fall to put in a gymnasium. Several
wardens said the reason that prisoners in many prisons are locked up
all day Sunday is that the state is too stingy to hire a few extra
guards.
A Colorado woman delegate said the men in the Colorado prison play base
ball without guards, and in the rock camps they enjoy themselves at
various sports, without guards, all day Sunday.
* * * * *
_Mrs. Booth on Prisoners’ Earnings._--“Every man who works in prison
should work for the support of his family or those depending upon him,
after his board and clothing have been paid for,” declared Mrs. Maud
Ballington Booth in a lecture at Omaha. “Some officials and law makers
seem not to know that a convict may have a family, yet there is always
this heart-saddened, home-broken circle of gloom, the mothers, wives
and children of convicts, about every penal institution. Wherewith are
they to be fed and clothed? What recognition does the state give to
them, from whom it has taken their only source of support? When this
wife married the man he promised to support her. Then if the state
takes him in hand, why should it not make provision for his carrying
out the promise?
“I know of one case where the state gets $500,000 a year for its
convict labor. A nice little source of revenue! What of the army of
helpless and hopeless wives and children who are being deprived of the
support of these laborers who are their husbands and fathers.
“The helping hand extended to the family frequently has a reflex action
on the man in prison. He decides that if there are people outside who
think enough of his babies to care for them they are worth his efforts
too.”
* * * * *
_Shackling Chain Gangs._--At Omaha, during the American Prison
Association meeting, some plain talk was printed in one of the
newspapers, quoted from the lips of some delegates who saw the Omaha
chain gang going through the streets, and who pronounced the shackling
system bad and unnecessary. Word comes now from Columbus, S. C., that
the convicts on the city chain gang who are not disorderly or those who
have not attempted to run away are no longer required to wear the iron
shackles about their ankles. When a prisoner is convicted before the
recorder and given a sentence on the gang he is told that the shackles
will not be put on him if he promises not to give the guards trouble.