Act No. 409 provides “That the Governor is hereby duly authorized to appoint a commission of five persons, two of whom shall be learned in the law, and at least one of whom shall be an active official of a correctional institution within this Commonwealth, to investigate prison systems and the organization and management of correctional institutions within this Commonwealth and elsewhere; to recommend such revision of the existing prison system within this Commonwealth, and the laws pertaining to the establishment, maintenance and regulation of State and county correctional institutions within this Commonwealth, as it shall deem wise, and to report the same to the General Assembly at the session of 1919.” Another section of the Act provides for the appropriation of the sum of Five Thousand Dollars in order to meet the necessary expenses of this commission, incurred in the performance of their duties.

The Commission has been appointed and has already begun the work of investigation. Two of the members attended the sessions of the American Prison Association at New Orleans and by interviews with penological experts, both administrators and students, derived valuable suggestions in regard to the special features of penal management which should be carefully studied in other States. The Commission aims to proceed with great caution, being aware that what may have been successful in some States may be unsuited to conditions in other States. While its members have authorized no statement of its aims for publication, it may be safely stated that there is no desire to effect a revolution in our present system, but to modify and add to the present regulations so as to attain the highest efficiency consistent with right and justice. The Commission is unanimous in the belief that employment must be found for all prisoners in the State and county prisons. There are some conflicting elements with regard to the question of prison labor, and it will be the aim of the Commission to devise some system of employment which may as far as possible be helpful to the prisoner, when he is discharged, which may teach him self-respect, and the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, and which may reduce the administrative expenses to a minimum, even to the extent of making our penal institutions self-supporting. To accomplish this desirable purpose, the law of 1913 providing for the manufacture of articles for State-use must be greatly strengthened; and the establishment of two or three industries for the manufacture of articles or the production of material for State-Account must be seriously considered. We are aware that the relations of prison labor to other labor must be thoughtfully and considerately observed so that the interests of all parties may be conserved. We submit that when several thousand men are thrown out of employment or are detained in idleness, the entire community sustains a loss. On this subject the Commission will welcome any suggestions from officials or any persons interested in this important matter.

The Commission is composed as follows:

Fletcher W. Stites, Chairman, Crozer Building, Philadelphia. (Attorney and Member of the Assembly of 1917).

A. E. Jones, Attorney, Uniontown, Pa.

Mrs. Martha P. Falconer, Superintendent Girls’ House of Refuge, Darling P. O., Pa.

Louis N. Robinson, Professor of Economics, Swarthmore College, Pa.

Albert H. Votaw, Secretary The Pennsylvania Prison Society, Philadelphia.

State-use System.

Several bills were introduced in the late Assembly designed to strengthen the Act of 1915 in regard to the manufacture of articles by prisoners for the use of the public institutions, but we regret to report that, save the reference of these bills to committees, no action was taken.