The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy (New Series, No. 50) November 1911Pennsylvania Prison Society
History
The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy (New Series, No. 50) November 1911
Pennsylvania Prison Society
Charities -- Periodicals; Prisons -- Periodicals
Under this general heading, Dr. William Healy, Director of the Juvenile
Psychopathic Institute of Chicago, read a paper on “The Problem of
the Causation of Criminality,” and Dr. William Martin Richards, of
New York, gave an address on “Physical Defects as a Factor in the
Making of Criminals.” No synopsis of these papers can do them justice.
They represent the latest investigations along these lines, and when
published should be read by all who are interested in the betterment
of humanity. Dr. Healy recited numerous specific instances of abnormal
children whose lives were directly aimed at defiance of law, because of
physical or mental defects or because of trivial circumstances, most of
whom could be more or less readily reformed when handled in a rational
manner.
Dr. Richards dwelt on such defects as bad eyesight, nasal
imperfections, “flat foot,” and various spinal troubles, all of which
were responsible for criminal tendencies. He told of some cases where
the restoration of correct vision had resulted in changing lives,
criminally inclined, into right habits.
Frederick Howard Wines, the only charter member of the Association
present, said that in all the sessions he had ever attended he had not
heard two such illuminating addresses.
COMMITTEE ON PRISON LABOR.
Kate Barnard, of Oklahoma, introduced a resolution providing for the
appointment of a committee to study conditions of convict labor. It is
gratifying to report that it was finally decided that the committee
on organization at the next Annual Meeting in 1912 shall include
among the Standing Committees a Committee on Prison Labor, whose duty
shall be to study the aspects of prison labor and to report definite
recommendations as to the most practical measures to be adopted by the
various states.
The new committee to investigate the subject of prison labor will be
composed of F. H. Mills, New York, Chairman; Albert Garvin, Chesshire,
Conn.; Samuel Gompers, Washington, D. C.; Kate Barnard, Oklahoma City,
Okla.; Dr. J. T. Gilmour, Toronto, Can.; Joseph P. Byers, Secretary.
DISCHARGED PRISONERS.
Miss Eva Booth, Chairman of the Committee on Discharged Prisoners, was
unable to attend the convention, but the report of the committee was
read.
This was a paper by Miss Booth, reviewing the problem of the discharged
prisoner, urging that he must be understood as an individual in
order that he might be helped to get a new footing in the world, and
emphasizing the necessity of prison visitation to enable the workers to
know the prisoner when he is liberated.
The parole system was commended and reference was made to the plan
recently advocated by General Booth in England to have paroled
prisoners make their reports to the Salvation Army and other charitable
institutions instead of to the police departments.
Governor Folk’s plan of having the family of the prisoner taken care of
from the earnings of the convict’s labor was commended.
FIRST OFFENDERS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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