[The prison policies of several governors have lately attracted
attention, notably those of Governor West of Oregon, Schafroth of
Colorado, Foss of Massachusetts and Gilchrist of Florida. The following
article, written by one closely in touch with Oregon prison conditions
and published in “Lend a Hand,” is a useful outline of Governor West’s
work in Oregon for prison betterment.]
There has been much comment in the papers and magazines lately
regarding Governor West’s prison policy; some of which has been written
in a friendly spirit, some of it in a spirit of criticism, and some of
it, while undoubtedly written in a friendly spirit, has, because of
insufficient information, had rather the result of putting the governor
and his policies in a false light.
Some of these writers, probably with the best intentions, have given
the impression that Governor West’s policy flashed upon the unmitigated
horrors of the Oregon state penitentiary like a flash of lightning out
of a clear sky, without any preparation or previous warning. If this
had been true, it would probably have resulted only in disaster, as far
as the policy is concerned, and in making the governor appear rash and
inconsiderate, if not ridiculous.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Governor West knew perfectly
well what he was doing, and, so far as I have been able to judge, he
has been eminently wise in his reforms. He has not entered into this
work without having given a great deal of study to its problems, and he
seems to have a large fund of information regarding the conditions he
is trying to meet.
The fact is that the change in the prison policy began in the spring
of 1903. At that time conditions were just about as bad as they have
been pictured. The generosity of the people of the state of Oregon did
not go to the length of furnishing the prisoners in the penitentiary
even such common necessities as socks and underclothing. Flogging was
common, and the hose, no less terrible as a punishment than the whip,
was considered a necessity in the government of the penitentiary. There
was no common dining room, and the men lived, slept, cooked and ate in
their cells. An exceedingly limited and coarse fare was provided by
the state, but the prisoner who had money could send out and purchase
provisions, which he could cook in his cell over a small oil stove.
The prisoner who had no money had to content himself with dry bread
and bean soup flavored with the smell from the cooking of his more
fortunate neighbor. Sanitary conditions were shockingly bad, and at one
time resulted in a large number of cases of typhoid fever. The spirit
of the inmates was exceedingly dangerous, as witnessed by the fact that
the officers of the prison considered it unsafe to go among the men
without a guard. The Tracy-Merrill outbreak was a fair sample of the
spirit of the institution at that time.
On April 1, 1903, C. W. James as superintendent and Frank C. Curtis as
warden, appointees of Governor George E. Chamberlain, took charge of
affairs at the prison. They proceeded cautiously, but with a marked
advance in their treatment of the prisoners.
The striped clothing formerly worn by the prisoners was abolished,
except as a mark of disgrace for infraction of the prison rules.
Flogging was abolished by act of the legislature. Necessary
underclothing was furnished the prisoners. A dining room was built
and cooking in the cells was stopped. The sanitary conditions were
improved. An orchestra and band were organized among the prisoners.
A parole officer was provided, whose duties were practically that of
chaplain. A prisoners’ aid society was organized, which looked after
the welfare of the prisoners, both before and after release. A printing
office was donated by the prisoner’s aid society, and the publication
of a small monthly paper by the prisoners and in their interest was
begun. This paper was known as “Lend a Hand,” and has now a circulation
that reaches across the continent. An innovation worthy of special
mention was the permission of baseball games between clubs of the
prisoners, which the prisoners were not only permitted to witness, but
they were allowed to cheer and “root” to their heart’s content. These
and various other reforms which were inaugurated during the eight years
previous to Governor West’s inauguration laid the foundation for the
success of his policies.
Great as had been the changes before the term of Governor West began,
they had been spread out over a period of eight years, and while
awakening considerable opposition, had not attracted much notice. When
Governor West came into office, notwithstanding what had already been
accomplished, he found plenty of room for improvement, and he went at
it in characteristic fashion. His “honor system” was put into effect
and with surprising success, if one did not know of the care with which
the cases were selected to whom it should be applied. The indeterminate
sentence law was passed by the last legislature, and provision was
made for a parole law and a parole board to have oversight of its
administration. Various advanced methods of treatment of the prisoners
were adopted, prominent among which were plans for giving the prisoners
a portion of their earnings. The contract system of employing the
prisoners has been practically abolished, or will be as soon as the
work now begun is completed.
A new auditorium has been built entirely by convict labor. A weekly
moving picture entertainment is furnished the prisoners and various
schemes for the improvement of their condition have been put into
effect, all with the result that the burden of expense has been
lightened, and the inmates have come to feel more as if they were still
considered human beings. The details of these improvements are too well
known to need repetition here. It but remains for me to say that, with
the unusual opportunities accorded me as manager of the printing office
and “Lend a Hand” to observe the effect of his policies in the working
out, I am impressed not only with the spirit of Governor West, and the
scope of the plans which he proposes to put into effect, but even more
with the wisdom he has shown in the reforms he has undertaken.
The fundamental principle of Governor West’s prison policy appears
to be that “A man’s a man for a’ that.” While he believes that
prison sentences are primarily for the protection of society, he
also apparently believes that the protection of society will be
best accomplished by helping the prisoner regain his manhood and
self-respect, and that is the keynote of his policy. I asked an
“old-timer” the other day to tell me how the spirit of the inmates of
the prison now compared with that of the time before these reforms
began. He said: “There is no comparison; they are as different as
heaven and hell.”