unday Bee,
PART FIVE
MAGAZINE
PAGES ONE TO IIGHI
PART FIVE
MAGAZINE
PAGES ONE TO EIGHT
The
Omaha
VOL. XLI NO. 14.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 24, 1911.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
National Prison Reform Association Brings Big Men
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fcTJDOES wbo Bntenc prisoners, war
dens who keep them, physicians who
care for their physical health and
clergymen who minister to their
spiritual needs, with sociologists who
study their condition and philan
thropists who aid society's enemies and vic
timsall these will be in Omaha quite numerously
for the sessions of the American Prison association,
October 14 to 19.
This is one if the greatest factors in the modern
movement for the betterment of the human family,,
and the very lively interest felt in its work and ob
jects by thousands of the leading men and women
of the United States assures the opportunity for
Omaha and Nebraska people to see and bear a great '
group of students and workers whose names are
famous as experts in their particular fields.
The objects of the American Prison association .
can be set out under the four principal heads:
One The improvement of the laws in relation
to public offenses and offenders, and the modes of
procedure by which such laws are enforced.
Two The study of the causes of crime, the na
ture of offenders and their social surroundings, the
best methods of dealing with offenders and of pre
venting crime.
Three The improvement of the penal, correc
tional and reformatory institutions throughout the
country, and of the government, management and
discipline thereof. Including the appointment of
boards of trustees and of other officers.
Four The care of, and providing suitable and
remunerative employment for discharged prisoners,
and especially such as may have given evidence of
reformation.
It will be realized that a pretty broad program
of positive humanitarian effort is embodied In these
four planks; but through determined and enlight
ened effort, and nation-wide co-operation 'much
haa already bee a done to ameliorate unnecessarily
hard conditions within the prisons of the country
and to make self-respecting and self-supporting
thousands wbo have felt the weight of punitive
laws. ,
Not only s does the Prison association take a
lively Interest In those sentenced to expiate crimes,
while they are incarcerted and after they are re
leased, but it also devotes a good deal of solid atten
tion to corresponding evils and injustices In the
laws of the nation and the states. It aims to have
the lnmatea of Jails, reformatories and penitenti
aries treated decently after conviction, but the un
derlying aim that engages the most serious atten
tion la to create conditlona that will bring fewer in
mates to the prisons, and after they are again set
adrift in the community to get hold of them and
provide opportunity for regeneration in citizenship.
The extent of the success achieved in these two lines
of effort will be told in detail by persons actually
In touch with the work all over the country.
Dr. F. Emory Lyon, superintendent of the Cen
tral Howard association. Chicago, who la to be on
the platform In Omaha, says of the effort at preven
tion of crime:
"At last the emphasis has been shifted from
the cure of crime to Its prevention. Soon we shall
be able to say, 'to cure Is the voice of the past, but
to prevent la the divine whisper of today.' While
SJT. Central. Howard Ass'n, Chicago, 111.
the assertion is often made that crime is Increasing,
there are no statistics to support the assertion. On
the contrary, there are no evidences of a consider
able decrease of crime in proportion to the increase
of population. Every penal institution in Illinois
has about 25 per cent fewer Inmates than they con
tained five years ago. It is known that organized
gangs of criminals can no longer be found in Chi
cago, to ply their trade systematically, as they did
ten or twelve years ago. These facts should give
new courage to all believers in good citizenship
and human progress. Still other problems In this
direction are pressing for solution, such as the
abolition of a pernicious Jail system, the injustices
of the fee system, the deprivation and suffering of
innocent families of offenders, the Influence of poll
tics in the administration of penal institutions, etc."
Associations like the Central Howard organiza
tion are, according to Dr. Emory and other experts,
"standing midway between the church and thei
state, grappling successfully and at first hand with
these problems." These students of the question
of prisons In the relation to the general Interests
of the community have in mind the eventual trans
formation of all prisons and reformatories into
schools and workshops. They advocate the pay
ment of prisoners for their work, and the adoption
of an adult probation law in every state. Pending
the realization of these objects the aiding of re
leased prisoners is engaging more and more of their
attention every year. Of this feature Dr. Emory
says:
"This practical work of making good citizens
out of bad ones has bad most gratifying results. A
friendly hand is extended to all comers regardless
age, creed, nationality or previous condition. The
Howard association alone assists about 1,000 men
each year, with the result that some 80 per cent
have become good citizens Employment is secured
for them, they are given working tools and working
clothes when necessary and are provided with a
place to live until they receive their first pay. They
are put into touch with new environment, new
friends and a new life. In short, all the ties of
social and spiritual contact, which have been sev
ered, and which mean so much to all of us, are re
united." The Omaha Young Men's Christian association,
and similar organizations, are now taking a dally
interest in this phase of saving work, with good re
sults, and they report an encouraging response
from those who are thus helped to again become
useful citizens.
Supt. rV,Y.x.HOO. or Industry
JmOS W; SUTLER
StC'r Iwoawa Board State C mart its
PAndLt 0"icrStat or Michigan
It may be stated the Howard associations take
their name from the originator of . this phase of
reformatory work, John Howard, who was the
sheriff of Bedford, England, in 1773. Of Howard
it was said, "He trod a glorious but unfrequented
path to immortality."
So, the sessions of the American Prison asso
ciation will present the story of the New Human
ity in action. This accentuation of the spirit of
man's faith invhis fellows b&a been made possible
only by the wide co-operation of state and prison
officials, together with the supporters of the work
and the large number of friends who believe that
kindness will win where severity must fail. "In
this direction,"" says Dr. Emory, "lies the demon
stration and realization of buman brotherhood."
In connection with the parent association ses
sions meetings are to be held and discussions car
ried on by the National Wardens' association, the
National Chaplains' association, the Prison
Physicians' association and the Association of Gov
erning Boards.
Following the plan of organization by commit
tees, the American Prison association has groups
of strong men (with here and there a woman) who
devote attention to criminal law reform, preven
tion and probation, reformatory work and parole,
prison discipline, discharged prisoners, statistics of
crime, co-operation on uniform state laws, to In
vestigate jails, lockups and police stations.
Wherever possible or advisable members of these
committees will devote personal attention to in
spection and investigation while in Omaha. The
character of men actively Interested can be judged
from the makeup of the executive committee,
which comprises, b'esldes the principal officers,
Albert Garvin of Wethersfield, Conn., former war
den of the Minnesota and other state prisons;
Henry Wolfer, president warden of the Minnesota
penitentiary; James A. Leonard, Mansfield, O.;
Dr. J. T. Gllmour. Toronto, Ont.; W. J. Dlehl,
Pittsburgh, Pa.; Eli H. Brown, Jr., Frankfort, Ky.,
and C. A. Purdunn, Marshall, 111.
The present officers of the association are:
President. T. B. Patton, Huntington, Pa.; vice
presidents, James A. Leonard, Mansfield, O.; Gov
ernor A. W. Gilchrist, Tallahassee, Fla.; Lieuten
ant Colonel A. G. Irvine, Stony Mountain, Man
chester, and Robert V. LaDow, Washington, D. C;
general secretary, Joseph P. Byers, Newark, N. J.;
treasurer, Frederick A. Mills, New York. Dr. A.
W. Clark of Omaha is an assistant secretary.
Preceding the assembling of the national dele
gates the Association of Societies for the Aid of
Discharged Prisoners will convene In Omaha
Thursday, October 12. On the evening of that day
the first session will be held, and the meeting of
this particular branch will extend over October 13.
Saturday evening, October 14, will vitness the
opening of the congress proper at the Auditorium;
Judge Lee Estelle will preside and addresses are
scheduled by Governor Aid rich and Mayor Dahl
man, preceding the annual address of President
Patton, who is general superintendent of the Penn
sylvania State reformatory. Prof. Charles R. Hen
derson of Chicago adversity will discuss the reso
lutions adopted at the International Prison con
gress in their application to the United States.
Prof. Henderson was president of the congress of
1910 and is international prison commissioner of
the United States.
After the Auditorium meeting an Informal re
ception is to be held at Hotel Rome, which will be
headquarters for the convention officers and dele
gates. Sunday, October 16, many of the noted men
attending the convention will occupy Omaha pul
pits and discuss the various phases of the associa
tion's work. In the afternoon at 3 o'clock a mas
meeting Is to be held in the Auditorium, with
Prof. Henderson, Judge Charles A. De Courcy of
Boston and others as speakers. Maud Ballington
Booth will also probably be on the program tor this
meeting. She is to be here, bu.t the program of
her activity Is not yet settled.
Attorney General Wickersham, who will rep
resent President Taft at the convention, is down
for an address Tuesday evening and It is expected
the Auditorium will be crowded to hear him. Be
fore the address of Mr. Wickersham Judge
De Courcy of the superior court of Massachusetts
will make a report for the standing committee on
reform of the criminal law, and following the ad
dress of the attorney general of the. United States
a discussion 1b slated.
Wednesday morning Governor Gilchrist will
read a paper on the Jails of his state, Florida;
there will be a report from the special committee
on jails, lockups and police stations and the advisa
bility of providing farm work for misdemeanants
will be discussed.
The meetings of the wardens' section is set for
Monday morning, October 16, and the chaplains
will also meet that morning. To the wardens
Henry K. W. Scott of the New Hampshire state
prison will make a report on prison discipline, and
other subjects dealing with the management ot
prisons will have an airing.
Tuesday, October 17. the prison physicians
meet to hear papers and discuss matters peculiar
to their work. Tuesday afternoon Dr. William
Healy of Chicago will discuss the "Psychology of
the Criminal" and Dr. William M. Richards of
New York will talk on "Physical Defects as a Fac
tor in the Making of Criminals." Both addresses
will be followed by discussions.
Frank L. Randall of the Minnesota reforma
tory is to make the report of the standing commit
tee on reformatory work and parole Wednesday
afternoon. At the same time Mrs. Imogene B.
Oakley, chairman of the civil service committee of
the National Federation of Women's Clubs. Is to
make an address. "Statistics of Crime" is the
special subject for Wednesday evening, with Eu
gene Smith, president of the prison association of
New York, as leader.
Thursday, the last day of the convention, will
be a busy one, with a very Interesting and Impor
tant program, aa follows:
Report of standing committee on "Discharged
Prisoners," by the chairman. Commissioner Eva
Booth of the Salvation Army.
Report covers: (a) The man In prison who
wants to reform; (b) Caring for bis family during
the period of his rehabilitation; (c) Meeting him
at the prison gates; (d) Personal study of the man
(Continued on Page Two.)
