Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-10-13 | Page 14 | A. C. Pratt Heads Warden Association

i G, PRATT"HEaBS WARDEN ASSOCIATION Is Honored at Convention of Prison Officials in St. Paul. Arthur Pratt, Tvar.lcn of the Ftate prison, has returned from St. Paul, where he attended the meeting of the Prison Association of America. This association as-sociation includes members throughout I the United Slates, Canada and Cuba. Hs most important body is the Wardens' association, of "whk-h Mr. Pratt was unanimously elected president presi-dent last week. Another honor came to the Utah man in his selection by the president of the Prison association to act as chairman of the committee to oraDie'the next congress. This committee com-mittee will name the officers of the oou-ress oou-ress and make arrangements for the meeting, which was voted to Oakland as the result of a strong appeal made by Joseph E. Caine of the Oakland Commercial Com-mercial club and formerly of Salt Lake. At the request of Mr. Pratt Supreme Court Justice J. Prick was made a member of the committee on criminal i law and reform, a committee that em-I em-I braces in its membership a number of I the most noted lawyers in the country, i as well as university presidents and ; other eminent educators, i During the congress it developed that the honor system of dealing with prisoners is differently understood and 'variously put into operation in different i states. Warden Pratt had been assigned the duty of making an address on the general subject of "The Honor System.'' Sys-tem.'' Generally speaking, he supported sup-ported the' theory of the believers in this system, though he urged the necessity neces-sity of disrri mination in applying it, since, manifestly, a man could not be at war with society, be captured, convicted con-victed and placed in prison, and then immediately become worthy of full trust and credence by the prison au-1 au-1 thorities. 1 Mr. Pratt insisted that a wise application ap-plication of the honor system required ia growing trust and confidence by the J official based on the demonstrated desserts de-sserts of the prisoner. lu the discussion ! of his speech it developed, as stated, that the honor system was variously interpreted, and at the conclusion of the discussion a committee- was named, headed by Warden Pratt, which will report to the next congress a definition of the honor system, including a comprehensive com-prehensive plan for its operation.