PAGE SIX
The Evils of the Present
System of Handling Prisoners
Chapel Hill, X. C., Aug. 6.—‘‘ln ap
proaching the prisoner in his abnormal
surroundings we first have to deal with
a psychology brought about largely by
years of applying a system calculated to
tear down rather than build up the indi
vidual, the Rev. William S. Shacklette.
chaplain of the State’s Prison, told the
Public Welware Conference here recently.
‘•The present system of prison manage
ment is bulwarked by centuries of prece
dent so that the defects and virtues, if
there are any, are not clearly appre
hended."
The prison chaplain stated that, in his
opinion, "probably the thing most needed
is an era of sane legislation, based on
the findings of experts? If legislation
should fail, he suggested, something else
might be resorted to.
"There are evils in this punitive sys
tem that strike at the very foundation
of civilization, and there are so many
criminal laws that nearly every one
breaks some of them.
“There is a crying need for construct
ive laws to replace the countless old. ob
solete and destructive criminal laws that
now cumber the statutes of every State
in the Union.
"Laws are made primarily to protect
society from wrong-doers. The penalty
attached is supposed to restrain the evil
minded from breaking these laws and
injuring society. Society represented by
the State ’commands that which is right
and prohibits that which is wrong.’ The
innumerable laws on the statute books
probably tend to cloud the issue and in
stead of applying the rule of right con
duct and instilling it in the minds of her
citizens, the State seeks to restrain by
enactment of laws. Then society be- 1
comes engaged iu defensive warfare,
making criminals rather than applying
the protective and remedial measures,
preventing the tendency of crime.
“When one is convicted of an act de
clared by law to be a crime he is sent to
prison to be published as an example and
as a deterrent to others, that the law
may be vindicated and its majesty up
held.
"But, if this procedure does not get
results, and the lawless .go on breaking
laws, tlie crook fails to consider the con
sequences in bis career of crime; if
wrong doers go right on committing dep
redations, if Bie system is no deterrent
to criminals and does not lessen crime,
it is a failure and should be replaced
with something more constructive."
Mr. Shacklette declared that it is self
evident that if such a system acted as a
deterrent, "the countless laws that our
legislatures are grinding out would iu
a short time eliminate the criminal class.
But enactment of numerous laws does
not deter the criminal. The wave of
crime Hooding the country tells another
story. It is true. I think, that each year
finds the criminal class growing with
alarming rapidity and showing less and
less respect for law and the majesty of it.
“Let ns pause a moment to discuss the
frightful cost of the judicial and penal
punitive system to the taxpayers," Mr.
Shacklette said to the public welfare
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workers hearing him. “It costs in mon
ey paid directly in taxes to pay for the
detection, arrest and conviction of law
breakers, and for maintenance of prisons
and asylums. This applies not only to
North Carolina,” he reminded the audi
ence. “but to every State in the Union.
“The amount of property stolen each
year cannot be estimated. It costs in de
preciation of property through ever-in
creasing lawlessness.
“But here is the sad story. It costs so
dearly in wasted opportunities, in wast
ed lives, in broken homes!
“The cost to society in the loss of
good citizens turned into criminals: the
cost in human blood and human lives,
by the lawless and tbe law; the
cost in human souls, and the cost in un
told misery and-despair of both the guilty
and the innocent is beyond human concep
tion and calculation. It is the women
and little children, the homeless and the
friendless, that suffer as a direct result
of the crimes committed.
“Last year in the United States alone
about 15,500,000 were arrested and put
in prison and jail charged with crime,”
said the chaplain. “This affected about
25,500.000 people, or about one-fourth of
the population of the United States.
There are, at this time, about 505.000
inmates of prisons and reformatories in
this country. It costs over three billion
dollars directly in taxi's to put them
there, and it costs over a hundred and
eighty million dollars a year in direct
taxes to keep them’ there.”
Through discussing the actual cost of
the penal system, the chaplain declared
that “evidently there is something wrong.”
He said the prison system could not be
’blamed, wholly, though that, in a meas
ure, was at fault. He expressed the
opinion that every man who is convicted
and sent to prison is not essentially a
member of the criminal class. “It is safe
to say that fifty per cent, of the .first
term men are in no sense of the wdrd
criminals. They are of average intel
ligence and morality, who through sorin'
undue temptation, have slipped, from the
straight and narrow path. Caught in the
net of circumstances.
“However, when these men leave pris
on walls, they are in great dangen.of hit
ting the toboggan slide. And why?
“It'isn't in many instances that the
men in charge of prisons are inhumane,
evil or Imrd-boiled. It is that they are
governed by a worn out obsolete system
that does not aim at reformation of the
prisoner. It may safely be said that all
thinking men and women agree that, the I
main idea of prison management should j
be reformation, the making of good men 1
out of bad men, of bringing the prisoner
i to a fuller knowledge of the error of his
way.
“The punishment a man receives is be
' ing deprived of Bis liberty. Liberty is his
constitutional right, but by brj*ajving the
! law that protects him and society, he
, loses his right to tliat constitutional
‘ claim. ,
1 r “The old idea of prison punishment is
. wrong. It is destructive, ndt construct
i ive. It is a desperately hard matter for
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the prisoner to hold or even secure a job
after serving a term in prison. Society
views with suspicion and aversion the ex
convict. And society is largely to blame.
It has not used organised effort to cre
ate the right kind of environment. Man
is very largely the creature of environ
meent. It makes him or it breaks him.
The environment a man lives in is a re- *
flection of the wills and desires of the
governing powers. A system that at
tempts to conquer, to break the spirit
instead of recreating and reforming is the
philosophy of hopelessness, not the teach
ings of the Man of Galilee.”
The speaker then devoted a part of his
address to a discussion of the kind of
men who. in his opinion, should be chos
en as prison officials.
"The fitness of prison officials should
depend upon merit. Men of heart and
brains are needed. These positions are of
such great responsibility that not many
men are big enough to fill them. These
positions have to do with the reforming,
the saving to society and the State of
thousands so men as economic assets in
stead of wards and liabilities.
"Men should be in charge who under
stand human nature, who know the hu
, man heart, who can temper justice with
mercy and can reach the good in the
hardest of'them.
“In the prison in which I am now serv
’ ing as chaplain it is only right for me to
say that the officials in charge are big
i hearted, humane men. Flogging is per
missible under the law in the State Pris
on, but three years ago. by exeecutive or
der. Superintendent I’ou forbade puuish
’ ment by that method. The morale of the
prison population is on a higher level
than ever before. These officials have
’ the interests of the prisoners at heart—
but they are handicapped by the old, old
system of the past ages.
"Men grow under the mantle of respon
sibilit.v. Prison discipline could be en
. forced by the prisoners themselves. This
would, put them on their mettle. It
would give them a sense of responsibil
■ it.v ; they would really feel that they had
something to do with carrying out the
I laws of their own State by being allowed
. to enforce the rules governing the pris
■ on.
1 "Let education, intellectual, (to those
• who want it) moral, spiritual, manual
and physical be adopted and conducted
along helpful lines.
“The prison board is mindful of this,
but they too. are handicapped.
■ "Put the prison on a paying basis—
. says the statute. The cry out yonder
■ in the wilderness of politics ami destruct
i ive criticism is "Make it pay! But
‘ how?’ f .
1 j “In all fairness, let us try to see.
■ j “There are about 1.4<)0 prisoners in
1 • the State Prison. Os these 400 are nee
i essary for the employment that can be
■ gotten for them under the State law. It
« costs on an average of $1.25 a day to
maintain a prisoner, lienee, a daily ov
■ erhead of over SSOO. And until July
: Ist from four to fifteen cents a day was
‘ required to be given all prisoners. This
‘ to be added to the overhead of the dead-
I heads.
“Os course, if nature is benevolent and
* sends* the showers ’■and the harvests are
- bountiful, then it plight be possible to
r meet expenses * *
THE CONCORD DAILY TRIBUNE
“but how does this affect the educa- ,
tional and religious program? And why
refer to it at all? First, because I think
we slionld try to be fair and not listen j
to hostile newspaper reports.
“The law permits prisoners to work ten j
hours a day. The guards have to work ;
10 hours a day. Then, in order, to effect- ]
uully carry on the educational and relig- ]
ions program as outlined, more guards !
are needed. It would not be right to ask j
a man to work more than 10 hours. j
"The human cry is economy, but it is j
difficult for a prison to work on a bud- 1
get basis. The State and othei asylums ]
may refuse a patient whenever they ;
choose. But not so with the prison. When j
a man is convicted, the prison authori- 1
ties must take him. He has to be cared ]
for. Consequently, the program has to ]
bo cut .in every direction. What ean be ]
done about it?
"Unless society presents organized of- ]
fort to decrease crime, society will have j
to pay the bill. e
"The taxpayers must face the music j
and pay up, or band together to put a j
sstop to crime.
“How can we create a better spirit 1
among the inmates of prisons?" asked i
the chaplain.
"I’ethaps the parole system is the one ]
to best meet the conditions of today. It 1
is the most constructive law ever applied
to a penal institution. But it is abused I
and mis-upplied by those in charge, they i
maintain.
"If a person convicted of law violation j
is not really a criminal he should never !
be sent to prison. He should never get !
further than the prison gates. There is ]
a vast difference in the state of mind of j
a person leaving prison having served his !
full time and one going out under parole. |
One goes with h!s debt to society fully j
discharged. But he goes with hatred and j
bitterness in his heart, under responsibil- 1
ity to no oue and none to hel)>— an out- I
cast. The other goes with his word of j
honor given to go straight, with proper !
supervision and sympathetic help to keep !
his word.”
Mr. Shacklette declared that prisons
are being filled today as never before.
"Why?" he asked. "The question has
been asked, ’Are we a nation of law
breakers?’ Perhaps)?) The widespread
defiance of the prohibition laws has
brought us face to face with an acute
phase of chronic national ailment. Time
ami time again men sentenced to prison
for various reasons state that manufac
turing. sale or sale of moonshiue and the
use and sale of dope have led to the
downfall. The question arises: 'Has so
soety presented the organized effort it
ought to present to decrease the crime
wave spreading over the country?’ Can
didly. no.
"This is an era of law making and law
breaking, and society salves its conscience
when, through au imperfect, obsolete, leg
al ysstem, it exacts the penalty.
“Boys 15 and l(i years of age are
sent to State Prisons. They are not there
reformed or made better in any way. but
the chances are. that from association
they leave the prison walls criminals. It
is not in the discretion of the court to
send children to reform schools?”
The speaker, at this point, contrasted
the prison system* of America and Eng
land. "In English criminal procedure
technicalities are unkonwn,” he declared.
"There is a search for truth and justice,
and when the accused is found guilty, no
time is lost in placing him behind non
revolving prison dqors. Pardons are few
and far between. Seldom is there an
appeal. England awoke from her leth
argy when she found herself in somewhnt
the same condition that prevails in our
country today with reference to the
crime wave.
"Obviously, something is wrong with
our system.
"Surely, then, in,, this enlightened age
we not only can but must get at the bot
tom of the evil."
The Scopes Conviction.
Philadelphia Record.
There is nothing surprising in the fact
that Professor Scopes has been convicted
in the trial at Itayton, Tenn. He un
doubtedly taught the theory of evolu
tion in his classes in biology, and un
questionably the Tennessee law forbids
it. An appeal has been taken, and it is
expected that the constitutionality of the
law will be tested. The only purpose of
the trial was to secure such a test, which
must ultimately come from the Supreme
court of the United States.
While the legal phase of the cast thus
runs according to general expectation it
has other sides hardly less interesting.
Without question the trial has already
doue precisely what the Tennessee law
was designed to prevent. It has promot
ed the study of evolution. It has set
thousands of persona who were not inter
ested in the subject to reading books
about it. Tiie study of natural history
will go on. and theories now generally
held may be modified, but the antiquity
of the globe, the movement of the celes
tial boilies and the evolution of life from
its lowest to its highest terms are so far
established that an abandonment or a re
versal of opinion is unthinkable;
In one of his rhetorical flourishes,
William Jennings Bryan said that the
struggle between the advocates and op
ponents of the theory of evolution was
to be a duel to the death, which is, of
course, the veriest balderdash. Unless
the .world ret regrades, to the methods of
the middle ages thete can be bo legal
compulsion of mankind’s view of scientific
questions. A milliQjUlaws like that of
Tenneswe would have no effect on the
opinion* of a seeker after truth if he
came honestly to the belief that the theo
ry of evolution is correct in the light of
man’s present knowledge. Freedom of
thought has been won after centuries of
battles, and the decision at Dayton will
have no effect upon it. Reaelly the case
has been interesting chiefly as a revela
tion of the intellectual backwardness of a
considerable portion of the country. What
ever the ultimate decision of the consti
tutionality of Tennessee's law may be.
neither science nor genuine religion will
be affected a whit by it They are not
antagonistic now, and they will not be
in tbe future.
During the visit of the British police
chiefs to this country, Sir Robert Pea
cock, head of Manchester's police, point
ed out that In England, Scotland and
Wales with a population of 38j000,000,
there were only 71 murders last year, <
while almost five tints* that number oc
curred In New York City.
An Atchison, Kansas, motorist chants
this complaint: “We stopped, looked and I
listened, and a bloomin’ idiot bampedl
into our rear.* , J
v ' ' ‘ 'viSfe- a L *
B g
34 ■ H
3 ss
I Thousands of Children I
I Died During Infancy (
I In Ancient Times I
3 3
H Such were the conditions of people living during the earlier §§
B stages of civilizations. Many of the infants born in those days
died in babyhood. Those precious little lives, in many instances
would have been spared if they could have had the services of our
present day physicians. Yet, the fakers of those times waxed rich
through quackery. »
That was because the people of ancient times were possessed
of a greater sense of gratitude than the people of today. For
services that were perfectly imaginary, many of them in return
gave even the clothes off their backs. There are such instances
, recorded in the tombs of those gone on in the ages past.
== =c
Today, you should never become seriously ill. If you will
place yourself under the care of a good physician, he will keep
you well. That is what the medical profession has to offer to
you—the precious gift of health and long life, which they so gen
lerously give with no prospect of any return in many cases. Be
1 a friend of your doctor. He needs your financial support as well
as your moral support at all times.
What are you offering? Ingratitude and a forgetfulness of
services recorded? Or do you gratefully pay the small'fee asked
at once? N S
Don’t Be 3000 Years Out of Date, Pay Your Doctor, M
Keep Well and Live Long.
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Thursday, August 6, 1925