Penology

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the treatment of crime. In primitive times it had but one meaning, the extirpation of the criminal by the death sentence. In more modern times the object of penology has been to reform the criminal, and to make the punishments vary with the extent of the crime. Transportation has been ployed by France , England, and Russia, but is now absolutely abandoned by England and Russia and not frequently employed by France. Imprisonment in some of its forms is at present the only punishment for crime outside of the death penalty. Because of their crowded and altogether neglected conditions the prisons of the world up to 1776 were instruments of torture more inhuman than many devised by the famous Inquisition. About that time John Howard, an English gentleman, began his effort to improve the conditions in the English prisons, and since his time imprisonment has ceased to be so inhuman. The modern penologist is now not so much interested in reforming conditions in the prison as he is interested in making these conditions such as will restore the prisoner to society as a useful member. Crime, it is held, is a disease, and the prison should be a hospital for those infected with crime. Under this principle there have developed three ways of treating a prisoner while in jail, the first, keeping him entirely separate night and day from all the other prisoners; the second, keeping him separate only at night, the third, a system in which the prisoner holds converse with other prisoners in proportion as he is seen to improve in conduct and attitude. It is claimed for the first method of keeping the prisoners separate, that it prevents his continued association with other criminals, gives time for reflection, and enables the influence of his teachers to have some effect. The objections to the system are its expense, its failure to teach the prisoners co-operation, and its bad mental effect. That it does have some effect in preventing criminals from again relapsing into crime after they have been released from prison, was the general opinion of the last International Prison Congress . The second method, of having a common workshop by day and yet keeping in separate cells at night, has been ch chiefly practiced at the Auburn Penitentiary in New York, and its financial success, because of the ability to turn out a considerable amount of goods from the prison factory, has led to its adoption in numerous other places. The third method begins with cellular con- "good" prisoners association is permitfinement, then among a certain class of ted and finally leads to the release of the prisoner on his parole. fied themselves with the movement to Many modern penologists have identi. have put in force the indeterminate sentence; viz., the judge fixing the maximum prison authorities permission to release penalty for the crime but allowing the the prisoner, keeping him under watch all the time . It is claimed that it would be just as ridiculous for a doctor to prescribe a certain amount of medicine to be taken by the patient , regardless of how it for a certain number of years regardless affected him, as it is to sentence a man of his progress during the period for which he was sentenced . Under the method of the indeterminate sentence the jailer can after a few months allow the prisoner liberties , and finally release him on parole. The fact that the conduct of the prisoner in the outside world is the sure test of the sincerity of his reform has given this method considerable popularity among penologists. It is also tion more possible between the prison auclaimed for it that it makes co-operathorities and the prisoner . Pacific Ocean, lat. 9° 2' S.; lon. 157° 35' PENRHYN ISLANDS, a group in the W. They are densely wooded and populous. The British flag was hoisted on the Penrhyn Islands in 1888. land, England, in a picturesque and_fer-