Show IDLENESS SHERIFF YOUNGS YOUNG'S advocacy ad of or a prison I w farm for Salt Lake county has has a a great deal dealin in ill its favor Against the notion the usual o ob objection objection ob- ob ma may arise that its produce w would uld compete compete com corn pete with that of honest and taxpaying farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers and dealers in ill fruits and vegetables There is opportunity however to weigh economic loss against social gain For one thing purchases by hy the tIle county are arc made with taxpayers taxpayers' ers monc money That puts an entirely different light on the matter than if it were proposed that the county should operate operate operate op op- op- op erate a farm and compete with those who produce produce produce pro pro- duce for the market For another as the sheriff sheriff sherill sher sher- iff ill suggests it would present opportunity to separate hardened criminals from front youngsters who have haye made mad their first false step and other first offenders It would d be di difficult to belie believe c that confinement con con- with associations which arc in- in csc compares in possibility for regeneration regeneration regeneration re re- re- re generation with the more wholesome conditions conditions' Which could be provided even C on a prison farm Prison farms and camps commonly encountered earn condemnation or at least faint praise from socially-minded socially in individuals but there is no reason why intelligent direction ma may not them what they he should be It II Itis is quite evident that Sheriff Young has lias as in mind no farm worked b by prisoners in chains with overseers carrying g whips Regardless of economic factors which intrude intrude in in- trude trade whenever productive tive labor for prisoners is proposed society will ivill have to grapple with the evil of idleness in its penal setup No rea reasonable reasonable rca rea person with knowledge of what c commercialized corn com m- m pris prison n production would would mean mean to business and industry could ld thoughtfully propose propose propose pro pro- pose any program whereby prison made goods would be dump lumped dumped cd into the thc markets The valid objections to this are not even debatable Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent In In- facing of the problem of idleness among criminals should however produce a solution promising balanced social values The cost of crime in the United States is counted in billions of or dollars The monc money cost cot is far from the thc whole price The moral losses cannot be bc set down either cither in words or figures A A. major portion of this cost is chargeable to archaic notions of punishment which are blamable for a cr very large portion of the thc nations nation's nations nation's na nn- na- na tion's crop o of confirmed criminals Tile The list of such outdated ideas would be a long one Sher Slier iff Young points out some which are arc worthy of earnest study by the c county government He does not stress idleness but he lie and all aU others facing the man many problems of r prison administration adminis adminis- n agree rec that it is a prime cause for making mak mak- ing confirmed criminals especially specially amon among young offenders who stand not so much in need of punishment as of humane direction by those who know something about the human huma mind If idleness is the devils devil's workshop his Satanic Majesty has many journeymen and apprentices apprentices tices becoming increasingly skilled in all of crimes crime's crafts in Americas America's jails and prisons |