Prison

a place of confinement. Like enough, the first prison was a cave. The earlier prisons of which we have record were round, underground affairs, constructed not unlike a jug. The prisoner was let down through an aperture corresponding to the hole for a cork. The prison into which Cicero thrust his state prisoners at Rome was a cell of this sort. Modern prisons have grown out of the old underground dungeon of the medieval castle. In early days prisoners were confined in one or more large compartments, which were not unaptly stigmatized as schools of vice. It was almost impossible for a young prisoner to herd with hardened criminals without becoming worse rather than better for his imprisonment. John Howard, a philanthropical Englishman, was one of the earliest reformers to call attention to this condition of affairs. An excellent description of the English debtor's prison may be read in Dickens' Little Dorrit. In one or another of his novels he describes the noted criminal prisons of London.

A great improvement has taken place in the sanitary condition of prisons since Dickens' day. It is no longer considered civilized to confine prisoners in filthy, unhealthful quarters. Under the name of lockup, jail, workhouse, reformatory, penitentiary, and, if we may admit slang, the "cooler" and the "jug," a great variety of prisons exist in the United States. It is considered the duty of the grand jury to investigate the condition of county jails.

In state prisons, or penitentiaries, two systems have prevailed. Under the solitary system the prisoner is confined in a room entirely by himself, where he is required to work during work hours, to eat his meals, and to sleep. He is not permitted to catch sight of his fellow prisoners. He is visited only by guards and by those engaged in missionary work, but he is allowed books and magazines. This form of imprisonment is thought by many to lead to insanity. The other system is that of causing prisoners to labor together in large shops during the daytime. They march to their meals in large dining rooms. At night each is confined in his tiny cell. With the exception of Christmas or some holiday, conversation or communication of any kind, except with the guards, is forbidden. The slightest attempt at disobedience is punished severely.

Of late much attention has been paid to the study of prison discipline or penology, as it is called. There is an American association composed of members from the United States and Canada. There is a British association as well. New York state has led in the matter. The state prisons of Elmira and Auburn are considered models. Latterly the opinion has gained ground that prisoners should be sentenced for an indeterminate length of time, in no way to exceed a certain maximum fixed by the court. According to this view, imprisonment is regarded as a means of correction, of changing a criminal's views of life, rather than as a mere punishment. In many penitentiaries a convict is able to shorten his sentence by good behavior. If in all respects obedient to the rules of the warden, he is able to shorten his sentence materially. In most states and provinces separate institutions are provided for hardened criminals and for those that give promise of reform.