Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/330

 PRISON LABORATORIES.

AT the meeting of the National Prison Association of 1899 a committee was appointed to consider and recommend a plan for the study of prisoners. This committee reported at the recent meeting of the association, and its argument and con- clusions are here printed :

The subject of inquiry set for your committee was this : Is it wise to recommend the experimental establishment of laboratories in a limited num- ber of prisons and reformatories for the study of the physical, psychical, and social facts of criminal nature and life ; such laboratories to be directed by specially trained investigators and under control of wardens or superin- tendents ?

We may cite experiments already made in this direction which throw light on the subject, e. g., the Bertillon measurements. These are physical, and for an immediate practical purpose the identification of adult convicts. They are auxiliary to the detective machinery of police. The measurements are not usually taken by men of scientific training, and yet some of the records have considerable value to the student of the phenomena of crime. It is pos- sible that, with additional assistance and direction, this system might be extended and rendered still more accurate and valuable. Care must be taken, however, not to load down the system and burden busy police with complicated and delicate measurements. The immediate practical object must be kept at all cost in strict control.

In some of our prisons and reformatories physical measurements are already taken for the practical purpose of directing the selection of suitable gymnastic exercises for the cure of defects and diseases, for the development of the body, and for the choice of the kind of employment. All agree that such measurements, even if without instruments of precision, have great value in reformatories for youth and undeveloped young men. The records are coming to have some scientific value also for the criminologist. It would not be difficult to extend these measurements and make them still more accurate and complete ; and the plan we shall propose will include all that is valuable in the present physical tests.

With or without such measurements the superintendents and wardens make shrewd observations on the physical and mental strength, character- istics, and tendencies of prisoners. In some cases these impressions and judgments are systematically recorded and become the basis for valuable statistics. The direct observations of physicians and other officers are sup- plemented by police and court records, and by information secured through