We gladly present the following facts which have been gleaned from interviews with Edward Wilson, Esq., one of the agents of this Board.
So far as prison labor is involved, the Board of Public Charities has been deeply interested in developing the possibilities of an Act which on their initiative was passed and approved in 1917. This allows the employment of prisoners on lands belonging to any county.
In 1915 Judge Isaac Johnson, in Delaware County began a system of employing prisoners which the Board desires to extend. In the year 1918, the receipts from the crops produced by the labor of prisoners amounted to $14,000, in addition to a large amount of vegetable products consumed at the prison. The net profit is near $7000. Report comes that Berks County will be able to supply the prison with vegetables for the winter. Northampton County employed fifteen to twenty prisoners on a small farm recently purchased. Dauphin County had a few prisoners at work on the almshouse farm. In Montgomery County from fifteen to twenty prisoners have been employed on the Poor farm. In Columbia County seven Italians are engaged in operating a war garden which it is said has been very profitable. In one or two counties with large population, there is no land available for such purpose. Mr. Wilson states that little or nothing has been accomplished in this direction in those counties whose jail population is small. At one time in the year 1918, there were 13 counties without a prisoner. In some counties prisoners have worked on the roads. A few counties have been willing for selected prisoners to be paroled to farmers.
Mr. Wilson is inclined to the belief that in some of our counties, the prevailing type of prisoner is too vicious to be allowed the freedom which belongs to the cultivation of the soil. From observations elsewhere we are inclined to the belief that the vilest man or woman, unless defective in mentality, will respond when treated with kindness and made to feel that he or she is trusted. Granted, however, that it may be considered unwise to send all prisoners without reservation to work on the farm, under the system proposed by the Commission to investigate Prison Systems, and whose Report to the General Assembly is found elsewhere in this number of the Journal, all the State Industrial Prison Farms are to foster some industry or industries aside from the horticultural and agricultural employments. On these farms there will be found opportunity for the employment of all prisoners, whatever may be their character or temperament.
Last year in a casual inspection of the prison at Wilkes-Barre, the secretary announced that he considered 46 out of the 75 prisoners would be available for an Industrial Farm. Mr. Wilson after a very careful study of the situation concluded that 11 could be sent to work on the outside. Now something depends on the viewpoint. If the State should own an Industrial Farm fully equipped for the permanent accommodation of prisoners with diverse industries, Mr. Wilson probably would add materially to the number which might be sentenced to the penal farm instead of to the county prison affording so little opportunity for continuous profitable labor. The secretary consents to some reduction of his estimates, if real employment with some remuneration can be supplied at the county jail. The tendency of this practical age is to give regular employment to all those whom we for a time exclude from community freedom, and to place over them officials who will direct these industries.
HOME OF INDUSTRY.
This Institution which we allowed some 30 years ago to pass beyond our control, perhaps to its advantage, has just issued a Report of its work for the year 1918. There was some honest difference of opinion in 1890 as to the value of this enterprise, but we believe the principal reason for the abandonment of the project by The Pennsylvania Prison Society was the lion in the way in the shape of a financial bugaboo.
During the last year this institution cared for 275 men, keeping them on an average of 32 days for each man. Their industries have contributed $9,422 toward its own support.
We have always thought that the institution should be removed to a farm. In 1917 some of the men did work on land which they secured and the results were very favorable. In 1918 they entered upon the same work with high expectations, but from a variety of causes the agricultural operations have not been prosperous. Labor went elsewhere. We hope for better results next year.
We recommend this Home as worthy of continued support.