Evening Star Newspaper, April 7, 1929, Page 91

rs. Willebrandt Sees Crowded Prisons as Schools of Crime States That Many Le ave Places of Con- finement More Embittered Toward Society and More a Menace to Others Than When They Entered—Larger Amounts Spent to Capture and Restrain Than to Rehabili- | the entire Federal machinery of functions, the simplification of its Certainly, there is a feeling of deep obligation on the part of those connected with the Government’s principal law-enforcing agency, the Department of Justice, to meet aggressively and ef- fectively the crime situaticn in America. importance to every law-abiding citizen. From the prosecutors’ standpoint 1 realize the urgent necessity of promptly apprehending, trying, convicting and adequately punishing every violator of our Constitution and laws. But beyond that, and fully as important, is an- other obligation: To make the places where criminals are confined places of carrection and readjustment to normal, lawful living as well as punishment. ‘To herd men, women and children in- to jails and prisons so unintelligently managed as to be merely ‘“rghool- houses of crime” is folly, and defeats much of the effort put into law en- forcement. Let it be understood that this is not & plea for a general “softening” of penalties for the commission of crimes, for the imposition of shorter sentences or for a prison policy amounting to “coddling” of law breakers. It is rather 2 plea for stern enforcement of law hand in hand with common sense and the application of scientific knowledge to the problems of the restraint and punishment for crime. Such plea is not in the interest alone or even largely of the incarcerated man. It is in the interest and for the benefit of soclety as a whole. * K k% T is estimated that more than four hundred thousand men, women and children leave the jails, penitentiaries and reformatories throughout the Na- tion every year to take up their resi- decnce mostly in the congested centers of population. It is a fact, susceptible of proof, that many of them leave these places of confinement more em- bittered toward soclety, more a menace ‘to their fellowmen than when they entered jail doors or prison gates. If they have been under a bigoted, self-advertising, stupid or-corrupt war- den their minds are seething foments of hatred, rebellion, craftiness, vengeance, cupidity, lust—all intensified by the seftled conviction that so-called “re- spectable” society has no place for them. Their power for damage and evil has been vastly increased by re- sentment against favoritism and by the schooling of those older and more ex- perienced in crime, That “samething must be done” with the lawbreaker 1s the only point of agreement of legislator, prosecutor, pub- lic, prison official, social worker, psy- chologist and judge. But, disagreeing as to what that “something” is, we have appropriated year after year larger amounts to capture and restrain the enemies of society than to rehabilitate and care for prisoners. But all of the appropriation made annually for the whole Department of Justice, including the courts, investigation and prosecu- tion of lawbreakers, and all penal and correctionsl institutions, amounts to less than the cost of a modern battle- ship. We spend much less for prisons, probation and parole than we do to fight the boll weevil, to check hog cholera and to prevent tuberculosis among cattle. g Lo 'HERE are many violators of Fed- eral laws who are not in Federal prisons or reformatories. -The Gevern- ment during 1928 paid State and local tate Them. BY MABEL WALKER WILLEBRANDT. Assistant Attorney General of the United States in Charge of Prison Administration. N his inaugural address of March 4 President Hoover designated as one of the most pressing and immediate problems of the that involving the enforcement of its laws. “Crime is increasing. Confidence in rigid and s is decreasing. * * * To consider these evils, to find their remedy, is the most sore necessity of our times. * * * To re-establish the vigor and effectiveness of Iaw enforcement, we must critically consider ation Said Mr. Hoover: edy justice justice, the redistribution of its rocedure.” This is a matter of first institutions for the maintenance of a dally average of nearly 8,000 Federal offenders. These were sentenced for short terms for misdemeanors or were defendants awaiting trial. Over the care and management of these pris- oners the Federal Government can exert no direct control. It only re- quests and suggests. And State and local prison wardens and jailers often ignore suggestions for betterment of the condition of the prisoners. Some of these institutions are mod- ern and properly conducted; many are not. And in some that are not, local oir~ials who are perfectly willing to co-operate for betterment are unable to do so, not only for lack of funds, but for lack of interest and understanding of the local public. To mention one city or State as the possessor of a disgraceful jail or prison is simply to discriminate in favor of hundreds of other cities and of other States maintaining similar or worse places of detention, and, furthermore, some of the institutions cannot be de- scribed or pictured. In the language of one of our inspectors, “They have to be smelled” to be fully understood. There are some cities and several States where an alert civic spirit stimulates the maintenance of jails and prisons conforming to twentieth-century Amer- ican standards of civilized treatment. including cleanliness of building and beds, contact with consecrated, high- type officials and daily labor, with ‘wages paid for it. But we still have far too many city and county jails which are in effect relics of the Dark Ages when criminals were dealt with by studied cruelty and brutality. Within them are thousands of cells’into which the light of day never enters and which are not even illumi- nated by electric or gas lights. Many are below ground, their floors covered with the slimy filth of ground seepage or defective plumbing. Their walls, floors and bedding, if there is any bed- ding at all, are infested with myriads of vermin of every variety, which appar- ently thrive on infrequent applications of disinfectant and exterminators. Sewer rats invade the cells and scamper across the prostrate bodfes and the faces of sleeping prisoners. Into cells originally designed for one occupant are crowded four or five prisoners or even more. Drug addicts are confined with non-addicts. Tuber- cular prisoners and those suffering from loathsome and contagious diseases use the same bedding, the same tin drink- ing cup, the sdame dishes and the same wash-and-bath tub as healthy inmates. For the most part, the prisoners in such antiquated institutions are main- tained in deadly, soul-destroying idle- ness. They have little to read. Their food may be and often is nothing more than bread, water and soup. Two meals a day, the second consumed at noon, may constitute the only fare. This is often the case where the sheriff or jailer operates the place of confinement on the system under which the county or city pays 50 or 75 eents a day for each prisoner fed and the sheriff is allowed to pocket whatever surplus exists above actual cost of food Turnished. "“EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO PRESERVE, NOT TO CRUSH, TH E SELF-RESPECT OF THE FIRST OFFENDERS.” It is small wonder that a man who, as an inspector of prisons, visited ap- proximately 1,500 jails and penal insti- tutions in the United States, summed them up as follows: “I say that 95 per cent of the jails of America, however widely separated, are driving with uniform efficiency toward | one great end—the making of hardened, viclous and abandoned criminals.” And, if we seek further evidence on this point, we have these words from a report of a committee of experts ap- p&inted by the American Prison Associ- ation: “It is a fact well known to all who have given careful study to the subject that the county jails of the United States are breeding places and schools of crime, and that there is no more prolific source of crime.” And let it be here remembered that giving short sentences will not avoid the exposure of defendants to such crime contagion, sihce long-term institutions are uniformly better than county jails, which are mainly used for misdemeanor sentences or for temporary detention. Failure effectively to tackle the jail problem in the United States is a blind and self-destructive negligence on the part of society, for during the first few days of incarceration of a law breaker, when impressions, sights and sounds and contacts are fresh, is to be found | the greatest opportunity for society to reach his mind and heart and purpose. On the other hand, during that same time, by improper handling, he can be further fixed in a lawless attitude of self-justification. Every effort should be made to sur- | round ‘the newcomer in prison or jail with wholesome cleanliness and contacts | designed to preserve, not to crush, his self-respect. This should be done at first, even if he must later be moved to a less desirable place. And in urging this I have no purpose of providing criminals with “de luxe” jails and prisons. I do appeal for decent | places of confinement, where a real and ! enlightened effort is made to diagnose and correct the lawbreaker's physical and mental maladjustments. ‘To removeg all of our Federal prisoners from local jails and State institutions is to remove them, and for the Federal Government to parallel State and county institutions all over the country would needlessly multiply institutional expense. It is more practical and sensible to focus public attention on the jail problem as a | part of our general crime reduction |campaign and for State and Federal Government to work together for im- provement in the institutions already being maintained. The United States Government main- | tains penitentiaries, under ths super- impractical. There is no place to which | vision of the Department of Justice, at | Leavenworth, Kans.; Atlanta, Ga., and | McNeil Island, Wash. At Chillicothe, Ohio, using an old Army camp as a temporary base of operations, we are making brick and building an industrial reformatory . intended for boys and young men convicted of first-offense felonjes. At Alderson, W. Va., within the past year, the Federal Government has completed a penal and correctional institution modernly equipped and main- tained with the constant aim to em- brace the best features of the best insti- tutions of its kind in the country. It compares favorably with any in the world. It is known as the Federal In- dustrial Institution for Women. ‘These five institutions are used to confine practically all the so-called “long-term” prisoners who have violat Federal laws. The average number of inmntes ‘was nearly 7,800 a day during 928. For the last 10 years the Federal prison population has increased at an average rate of about 10 per cent a year. A special committee of the House of Representatives, of which Representa- tice Cooper of Ohio was chairman, did valuable work this Winter in investigat- ing the housing conditions in Federa! prisons and ascertaining whether proper | worth Pederal Penitentiary now has | within its walls more than twice the number of prisoners it was intended to accommodate. The normal capacity of the Atlanta Penitentiary is 1,712, and upon the day the committee visited it tution. Hundreds of men were sleeping in dark, ill-ventilated basements ant corridors. ‘These overcrowded conditions are not, as has been often charged, the result of prohibition enforcement.. As a matter of fact, one-third of the Federal prison population at the close of the fiscal year of 1928 was incarcerated for vio- |were in the Federal prisons in 1928 twice as many drug offenders as liquor offenders. And there were more pris- oners confined to the Government pen- itentiaries for violating the national automobile theft law than for prohibi- tion offenses. Furthermore, there were practically as many men and women imprisoned in the penitentiary for vio- lations of the Federal postal and bank- ing laws as for prohibition qffenses. * X ¥ X | T i the purpose of the Department | | tion of its prisons up to a level that employment was being furnished. This shall not only meet the standards es- |l committee pointed out that the Leaven- | tablished in States where prison condi- | | there were 3,107 prisoners in that insti- | lation of the drug or narcotic act. There of Justice to bring the administra- | operation—Asks for Pri | tions are best, but to a place where the Federal Bureau of Prisons shail be a | model for the entire country. | This cannot be accomplished by | adopting “fads” in prison management. | The attainment of this high aim rather |lies in a quiet and steady advance along | three lines. | Of course, it involves providing more adequate facilities as to and | physical equipment. That is always the | eastest thing to do. Committees of Con- |gress and other investigative bodies, | and, indeed, the most casual visitor ob- | serving the present overcrowded condi- 1tlona, join in recommending the estab- lishment of new institutions to take care of the ex: population. I.hol never again Congress permit | enlargement of & penal institution above | 1,000 inmates. Massing 3,000 anti-social {minds in such close quarters as has |been done in two of our institutions | makes the problem of rehabilitation too difficult. The second phase of improvement in Federal prisons is compietely to re- organize the personnel of officers ad- ministering the unit and the institu- tions under it. Salaries must be paid more nearly commensurate with the high social value of the service ren- dered and sufficient to attract men and | women of vision. The outstanding qual- | ifications requisite for prison officials |and guards include a real interest in | human beings, a reasonable amount of | education and much practical common sense. | ‘The third step toward our goal is in | the establishment of enough industries | in each institution to give every prisoner | eight hours’ constructive labor a day | under normal conditions, including the | payment to him of a nominal wage. Desire to live by wits, not work, leads | more often than anything else to crime. | Keeping such a man in enforced idle- | ness for a_year or more fastens the | anti-social habit upon him. | For six years we have worked to ob- {tain new industries in each -prison. What we have repeatedly asked is the organization of an industries depart- ment under the superintendent of prisons with power to use the surplus from established industries to develop new industries and teach trades. | The Federal Government can never manufacture commodities to be sold on | the open market in competition with those produced by free labor, but it does now and should to a much greater degree manufacture articles used by | the Government. There is consequently an almost unlimited field. The recent | survey committee appointed by Con- | gress has also recommended the estab- lishment of new industries with con- solidated working capital. The pas- sage of such a bill by the next Congress H M’l be a great step in advance, * k k% | AT the last session of Congress the creation of two Federal narcotic farms was authorized. These rehabili- tation hospitals will be equipped to take care of drug addicts now in prison. The transfer of such addicts to hos- pitals will afford a large measure of relief from overcrowding in Federal penitentiaries. Another means of re- lieving the prisons lies in the enlarged use and a wiser application of the pro- bation law. A section of paroles and probation should be set up under the superintendent of prisans. In spite of red tape and governmental inertia, much improvement has been brought about in the Federal penal sys- |tem in the last five years. Women sentenced in Federal Courts, whether beginning of our Government, been obliged to serve their time in local jails, frequently under introlerable econdi- | tions mentioned above as prevailing in local jails. The establishment and equipment of for long or short terms, have, from the | Proposes Treatment of Problem as Part of General Crime Reduction, With Fed- eral and State Authorities in Co- Decent Places of Confinement, Better Pay for Of- ficers and System of Industries soners. the Federal Industrial Institution for ‘Women at Alderson, W. Va., is a direct result of intelligent co-operation and the hard work done by the general Federation of Women's Clubs, the W. C. T. U. and other organizations inter- ested in having a Federal penal insti- a model for the rest of the country. The best features found in the best State institutions have been combined in its plans, structure and management. The women are housed in cottage type buildings, each accommodating 30 in- mates with a warder. There are In- dividual sleeping quarters made to look more like rooms than cells. Medical treatment, hard work under wholesome conditions and an actual study in mental maladjustment of entrants to the institutions by a staff of highly trained officlals consecrated to their duty are some of the institution’s best features. At Chillicothe, Ohio, the Department of Justice took over 900 acres and sev- eral million dollars'’ worth of unusea property left from a war cantonment, for the establishment of a reformatory for first offenders under 30 years of |age. Young men are now temporarily | housed in the old Army barracks; a {brick kiln has been erected, brick is | being manufactured and the first comers | are engaging in making the brick and | erecting the institution, which is to be jof reformatory type without walls. Trades will be taught and schooling provided. | " In Leavenworth Penitentiary, where we have 3,000 prisoners, a shoe factory affords employment to approximately 400 men. In 1928 this factory manu- factured 82,000 pairs of shoes, but, ac- cording to Department of Commerce re- ports, the Indian Service and other branches of the Government bought 875,000 pairs of shoes. Much expan- sion of this industry is, therefore, pos- sible. The breom factory at Leaven- worth Penitentiary for the first eight months of last year put out 6,700 dozens of brooms and 2.000 dozen brushes. At Atlanta Penitentiary, also housing more than 3,000 prisoners, a textile industry | gives employment to something over 700 men. Duck, from which mail bags are made. is manufactured, and canvas for the Army and Navy Departments. In all of these factories a nominal wage is paid the prisoners. * k% % IN spite of these encouraging advances in the system of administration of Federal prisons, represented by the Al- derson and Chillicoihe institutions and by the establishment of shoe and broom factories and the enlargement of the textile mill, thousands of men incar- cerated under the flag of the United States are still in idleness, which breeds bitterness and destroys the prisoner’s self-respect. They are a weight on the conscience of every official connected with the prison management in the De- partment of Justice who views his re- sponsibility seriously. This idleness breeds criminal states of consciousness. ‘These mental states are contagious. Im- provement of penal conditions is an in- tegral part of any effort toward the re- duction of crime. I appeal, therefore, to every fair- minded and patriotic man and woman to study the local jail conditions, make them wholesome and the treatment of prisoners humane and rational. I ap- peal particularly for support of the Fed- eral Government in discharging its re- sponsibilities to men sentenced under Federal laws. so that prison overcrowd- |ing may be ended, trained officials em- ploved and industries established and enlarged to give work and & wage to every incarcerated man. Intelligent prison administration ean and will help solve the problem of |achieving effective and enduring law en- forcement. Lincoln Pew in Church Here Is Memorial to His Devout Spirit BY E. W. DAVIDSON. JXTY-FOUR years ago the world was shocked by the news of the assassination of President Lin- coln. On that fateful night, Friday, April 14, 1865, within the twinkling of an eye, deep and lasting sorrow fell upon an entire Nation. Lincoln had been in particularly high spirits that day, it is said; happy at the near prospect of firm and durable peace at home and abroad. He had that afternoon, as was his usual custom, gone for & ride with Mrs. | Lincoln, returning late in the afternoon. ‘The intervening time between his rrival home and the dinner hour was pent in his office ‘with friends, laugh- ing, joking and reading aloud. The ' ;Ielndlng was a pleasurable pastime with im. : 1t is known that Gen. and Mrs. Grant were to have been guests of the Presi- dent and Mrs. Lincoln that evening at Ford’s Theater to see Laura Keene, the great actress, in the play “Our Ameri- can Cousin,” but t at the last moment they decided to start North, and two young friends of the President and Mrs. Lincoln were invited to take their places—the daughter of Senator Harris and his stepson, Maj. H. R. Rathbone. Had Gen. Grant been a guest that , evening in the President’s box another 17 tragedy, it is believed, would have been enacted. It is history that there was a plot to assassinate those high in power and to overthrow the Government. It is not at all difficult to visualize the entrance of the presidential party into their box that evening—the audi- %EE 3 il o 8 G g L = " 36 7, E ] feet, limped across the stage, stopped and shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis.” The spell of horror was broken as| some one called out: “It is John Wilkes Booth!” Pandemonium reigned. People scram- bled down aisles and over the backs of seats, some in the direction of the van- ishing Booth, others in the direction of ; u‘n: box in which the tragedy had taken | place. Not until then was it learned by the audience that the President of the | United States had been shot. A phy-| sician was quickly helped over the bal- usigade and others soon followed. The shot had entered the President’s head back of the ear, the bullet bei bedded in the brain. He breathing, but unconsclous. down the stairs and out of doors, he was taken across the street into the house which is now known from the plate on the outside as the house in which Presi- dent Lincoln coln ered through the night, passing to the great beyond early the next morning, A Only 56 short years of crowded with pain and sorrow, as well | as with honor and glory! ‘The body of the martyr covered with an American fig) ried from the house in whic! i Hi i i Impressed His Associates by Simple Act of Quietly Occupy Door Slightly Ajar—Believed to Have Intended to Join New York Avenue Church! ; ing Pastor’s Study and Watching Prayer Service With THE DEATH BED OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. R EPRODUCED FROM AN OLD ENGRAVING. the White Ho magnificent funeral car and, ‘was da, coffin was. placed catafalque. After a simple left and the nt remained of soldiers was | The next morning, at 6 o'clock, after a prayer by Dr. Gurley, the remains of President Lincoln, under military escort d accompanied by members of the g‘mnet. Senators and Army and Navy the following hymn: “Rest noble martyr! Rest in peacel Rest, with the true and brave ‘Who, like thee, fell in freedom’s cause ht to forth his devoted love in compostfon of officers, were taken to the railroad sta- | The Nation's life to save. tion and on the train which was to convey hiffi to his last resting place. | “Thy name shall live while time en- A great throng gathered at the station dures, and. stood in silence, with -uncovered| ~And men shall say of thee, i heads, until the train moved on. “He saved his country from ts foes Filled with sorrow over the untimely| And bade the slave be free.' death of his beloved friend and “These deeds shall be thy monument; They leave. thy fame in BIoFy's light, leave 8l Unrival'd and alone! “This_consecr: To_Freedom ever dear; And Freedom’s sons-of every race and worship here. God! before whom we in tears Our fallen chief Grant the cause for wi he died Shall live for evermore. . ‘The God whom we adore, Be glory, as it was, is now, And shall be evermore.” This hymn was shown to Mrs. Lin- coln, who expressed the desire to have it sung at the vault. From a little sta- | tion they were approaching it was tele- | graphed ahead, and upon the arrival of | the funeral train copies had been print- | ed and Mrs. Lincoln’s wishes were com- plied with. The flag which covered the coffin of Abraham Lincoln on its journey from ‘Washington to Springfield, Iil, is now carefully preserved in a glass case in the office of the Secretary of War, in the State, War and Navy Building—a + precious relic of the Nation. | * kK X MANY differences of opinion have been expressed as to Lincoln's ltlllldz toward religion. jstant attendant at the New York jAvenue Presbyterian Church. His pew {is now pointed out to visitors. A silver ! plate marks it, and a silken cord pre- {vents any from entering. 'Only by in- vitation is it occupied. On the Sunday previous to Lincoln's birthday an invitation is always ex- tended to the Presidént of the United . States and the First Lady of the Land i to attend divine services, at which the i silken cord is raised. i On other occasions foreign Ambas- of this ! sadors and various. dignitaries {and other countries have been invited ' pew. The Minister, a short time ago, reverently occupied this pew | formerly belonging to Lincoln. Lincoln’s life, a fact which room |and through a door leading into a hall- One evening two young men occasion to leave the meeting and men near the door which opened direct- ly into the meeting room, one [sm.ln‘ d the other, with i the door slightly ajar. il Mymmnldle‘uttm. mmmmg twhan‘:nuu had oeeum,fimr the close of the meeting, again to go into the m.uzyvmmmflndhmm same two men, lgrenfl!. sitting in the same position, one front with guhnd bent - forward listening at- e et B SR mmflmfldme%mmwm But théy m’mm‘mtm ‘The snow had been falling and as the young men siarted out of the street door near to Dr. Gurley's study they saw fresh footprints, and one ex- claimed: “One of those men was Abraham Lincoln!” “How do you know?” asked the other. “Look at those footprints! Abraham Lincoln has the biggest feet in Wash- ington, and those are his footprints.” R | THE young men hurried in the di- | rection of the White House, reach- | ing there in time to see President Lin- | coln and'a Secret Service man enter- ing the grounds. They rushed back to Dr. Gurley, who was still in the church, and asked in great excitement if he knew that President Lincoln had | attended prayer meeting that night. | Rather perturbed, Dr. Gurley inquired as to how they knew. They told their story. He then very earnestly requested, upon their honor, that they keep to themselves what they hed learned. He told them he had been aware of Presi- dent Lincoln's presence in his study each Thursday evening and had ar- ranged, at his request, that his visits be kept secret. These young men prom- ised, and kept their promise. The pres- ence of Abraham Lincoln at Thursday night prayer meetings, seated in the study of Dr. Gurley, near the partly opened door, where he could hear the services without being seen, was never revealed to the general public or to those attending the meetings. There had been some rumor about that time that President Lincoln might join the church. In reply to two church members who asked Dr. Gurley if it were true—notwithstanding a remark which had been made by some minis- ters that they wished they could build a church which Lincoln could join— he said, with a smile: “When President Lincoln is ready to become a member of our church we will be quite ready to receive him.” Dr. Gurley, always very reticent con- cerning anything connected with the President, to whom he was very close, did not choose to say more. Dr. Sizoo, the present pastor of Lin- coln’s church, is perfectly satisfied in his own mind that had President Lin- been spared he would in a very ords reveal this. —e Junior High Schools. i | tution for women which can serve as.