Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/591

 THE AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

VOLUME III MARCH, 1 898 NUMBERS

CHARACTER BUILDING AT ELMIRA.

MANUAL training, at the New York state reformatory, was introduced in the fall of 1895, to meet the needs of men espe- cially defective among the general abnormal reformatory popu- lation.

The courts commit men under the indeterminate sentence sys- tem (although maximum sentence is fixed), leaving the period of "parole" commission to be determined by the board of man- agers. This board declares that to obtain a parole men shall have passed successive examinations in trade school and depart- ment of letters, and shall have a sustained perfect demeanor record for four months preceding their appearance before the parole board. When a man has fulfilled these conditions, he is considered fit to be temporarily and experimentally returned to socictv, and the permanence of his release the man alone decid<

Our crowded condition demanded additional reformat measures in order to increase parole release. For those whose long residence in our community brought their stay quite up to the maximum commitments the evident causes were failures in trades, department of letters, or demeanor markings.

It was early discovered that deep physieal and moral can were fundamental, and that the restoring means must op< directly upon the sensory organs, and that the man must be additionally influenced by developing activities.

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