GOVERNOR WEST’S PRISON POLICY
By Rev. O. A. Stillman
[The prison policies of several governors have lately attracted attention, notably those of Governor West of Oregon, Schafroth of Colorado, Foss of Massachusetts and Gilchrist of Florida. The following article, written by one closely in touch with Oregon prison conditions and published in “Lend a Hand,” is a useful outline of Governor West’s work in Oregon for prison betterment.]
There has been much comment in the papers and magazines lately regarding Governor West’s prison policy; some of which has been written in a friendly spirit, some of it in a spirit of criticism, and some of it, while undoubtedly written in a friendly spirit, has, because of insufficient information, had rather the result of putting the governor and his policies in a false light.
Some of these writers, probably with the best intentions, have given the impression that Governor West’s policy flashed upon the unmitigated horrors of the Oregon state penitentiary like a flash of lightning out of a clear sky, without any preparation or previous warning. If this had been true, it would probably have resulted only in disaster, as far as the policy is concerned, and in making the governor appear rash and inconsiderate, if not ridiculous.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Governor West knew perfectly well what he was doing, and, so far as I have been able to judge, he has been eminently wise in his reforms. He has not entered into this work without having given a great deal of study to its problems, and he seems to have a large fund of information regarding the conditions he is trying to meet.
The fact is that the change in the prison policy began in the spring of 1903. At that time conditions were just about as bad as they have been pictured. The generosity of the people of the state of Oregon did not go to the length of furnishing the prisoners in the penitentiary even such common necessities as socks and underclothing. Flogging was common, and the hose, no less terrible as a punishment than the whip, was considered a necessity in the government of the penitentiary. There was no common dining room, and the men lived, slept, cooked and ate in their cells. An exceedingly limited and coarse fare was provided by the state, but the prisoner who had money could send out and purchase provisions, which he could cook in his cell over a small oil stove. The prisoner who had no money had to content himself with dry bread and bean soup flavored with the smell from the cooking of his more fortunate neighbor. Sanitary conditions were shockingly bad, and at one time resulted in a large number of cases of typhoid fever. The spirit of the inmates was exceedingly dangerous, as witnessed by the fact that the officers of the prison considered it unsafe to go among the men without a guard. The Tracy-Merrill outbreak was a fair sample of the spirit of the institution at that time.
On April 1, 1903, C. W. James as superintendent and Frank C. Curtis as warden, appointees of Governor George E. Chamberlain, took charge of affairs at the prison. They proceeded cautiously, but with a marked advance in their treatment of the prisoners.
The striped clothing formerly worn by the prisoners was abolished, except as a mark of disgrace for infraction of the prison rules. Flogging was abolished by act of the legislature. Necessary underclothing was furnished the prisoners. A dining room was built and cooking in the cells was stopped. The sanitary conditions were improved. An orchestra and band were organized among the prisoners. A parole officer was provided, whose duties were practically that of chaplain. A prisoners’ aid society was organized, which looked after the welfare of the prisoners, both before and after release. A printing office was donated by the prisoner’s aid society, and the publication of a small monthly paper by the prisoners and in their interest was begun. This paper was known as “Lend a Hand,” and has now a circulation that reaches across the continent. An innovation worthy of special mention was the permission of baseball games between clubs of the prisoners, which the prisoners were not only permitted to witness, but they were allowed to cheer and “root” to their heart’s content. These and various other reforms which were inaugurated during the eight years previous to Governor West’s inauguration laid the foundation for the success of his policies.
Great as had been the changes before the term of Governor West began, they had been spread out over a period of eight years, and while awakening considerable opposition, had not attracted much notice. When Governor West came into office, notwithstanding what had already been accomplished, he found plenty of room for improvement, and he went at it in characteristic fashion. His “honor system” was put into effect and with surprising success, if one did not know of the care with which the cases were selected to whom it should be applied. The indeterminate sentence law was passed by the last legislature, and provision was made for a parole law and a parole board to have oversight of its administration. Various advanced methods of treatment of the prisoners were adopted, prominent among which were plans for giving the prisoners a portion of their earnings. The contract system of employing the prisoners has been practically abolished, or will be as soon as the work now begun is completed.
A new auditorium has been built entirely by convict labor. A weekly moving picture entertainment is furnished the prisoners and various schemes for the improvement of their condition have been put into effect, all with the result that the burden of expense has been lightened, and the inmates have come to feel more as if they were still considered human beings. The details of these improvements are too well known to need repetition here. It but remains for me to say that, with the unusual opportunities accorded me as manager of the printing office and “Lend a Hand” to observe the effect of his policies in the working out, I am impressed not only with the spirit of Governor West, and the scope of the plans which he proposes to put into effect, but even more with the wisdom he has shown in the reforms he has undertaken.
The fundamental principle of Governor West’s prison policy appears to be that “A man’s a man for a’ that.” While he believes that prison sentences are primarily for the protection of society, he also apparently believes that the protection of society will be best accomplished by helping the prisoner regain his manhood and self-respect, and that is the keynote of his policy. I asked an “old-timer” the other day to tell me how the spirit of the inmates of the prison now compared with that of the time before these reforms began. He said: “There is no comparison; they are as different as heaven and hell.”