A MATTER OF SCIENCE

The Australian prison ship which poked its ugly prow from city to city a year ago was decidedly a success as a side show. For a paltry half dollar the most virtuous could experience the fifth and gloom and foul air handed out to eighteenth century culprits. But while there was much exclamation of horror and much averting of noses there was relatively little conception of the ideas upon which such punishment was based.

Nor is the reason difficult to ascertain, in those days, as indeed often today, the criminal was regarded as an evil does by his own volition Remedy punish the culpit until his tortured flesh makes his mind swear nevermore Humanitarian impulses gradually lessened the severity of this punishment, but the conception of the criminal as one who is mentally diseased or one who was made such by the cruel forces of social environment has but slowly gained acceptance.

The reports of the building of a more airy, lighter prison at Joliet are quite in accord with modern humanitarian impulses, but a more fundamental progress is revealed by news items in Massachusetts papers. All the county jails are to be visited by psychiatrists and social workers who will investigate the mental conditions of the prisoners. Yet a mere report will accomplish little.

Prevention of crime rather than cure of criminals should be the aim of public guardians of peace and order. The clinics which have been established in connection with police courts in many of the more progressive cities are a promising first step. But before even such a step can be generally taken public opinion must discard the notions which have survived since the days of prison ships and quarry dungeons.