Show PRISON FOR WOMEN EN an institution by influence instead 0 of f force tile the visitor to the little town of sherborn mass right eight miles from youth south framing framingham Fra mingham ham call see tho group of buildings known aa the reformatory prison for women it 11 is a state prison and was in 1878 at first it was considered a great experiment tho the plan of putting female criminals criminal under sunder reforma tor lory i instead n stead of prison influence but tirey soon proved that the e fieri ment was successful and tle institution is aloni ish lolling in iii everything but the number of its inmates that hat lit aps as fallen off since the first year a fact that is tho tha lest proof of 0 its c efficiency tho the average number of prisoners prison rs for tho the first 12 months was waa about 63 and tho the largest number there at any time liming dm ing that year was now tow there STO arc ices thau than SOO and by tile the record in tho last report thero there were last tall fall exactly inmates the specially unique feature of the prison is that it is ia entirely 0 officered by women I 1 men aro are employed I as en bagi 1 neen carpenters watchmen firemen farmers and gardeners and there is one electrician tho the buildings being 0 lighted by electricity but every person directly in charge of tho the prisoners is a woman there is a a physician and a chaplain and tho the rest are matrons matrona and deputy matrons matrona or assistant in ma arons tho the word keeper heeper is not used at sherborn prison prisoners are arc sent seat thero there for various terms none less than a year athirst at first short sentence prisoners were received but etwas it was found that sit at least a year was needed for the reformatory influences influence a to make much impression and as that was the main object of tho the whole plan the time was increased tho the crimes committed are many classified under three heads offenses cs 1 against person or property 2 against chastity 3 against public order good order is maintained not by force but by influence among tho the blue gowned women are all sorts of faces blank vicious stolid brutal and an bright all have the look that timo time spent in such euch a healthful healthy ua routine away from vice must give many bad but butin in many aredeen tho the big signs agns gns of au an awakening awakening awa kenin and a change these aro are tho the ones that will not come back again when once knoo out because they have a ato permanently reformed there thera is an organ on the chapel platform and when all are seated a hymn ahyme is given glac 11 out and some one plays each prisoner has a copy of gospel hymns containing words only and many join in the tha hymn tile reading of the Scrip scripture and theloris the lords prayer concludes conc lades tho the chapal service when a prisoner is sent to sherborn sho she is not allowed to mingle with other prisoners for awhile sho she is given work alone and sees only the kindly refined women who pro are her keepers end and is gradually instructed in tho the rules of the prison she is made to feel that those in lit c charge h at e aro are anxious to help her turn over a new leaf even in prison and that tile tho time sho she must remain and the advantages she can have depend upon hereon lier conduct act thero thera are ara four grades of prisoners grade 1 I is ia tho the lowest entering prisoners aro are put in prado grade 2 0 to work their way up or down in grade I 1 they have cells in the tha upper grades neat rooms ten credit marks are given each week to a well behaved prisoner by tho the law every such prisoner has three days corn coin muted from a 1 mouths months sentence een cen tence and 10 demerits will cancel one of tho the days commuted of course most of the prisoners try to behave the merit marks also effect promotion to higher grades and a rule that the women know well I 1 is s tile higher the grade the tha greater the privileges those it in grado grade 4 are allowed lilias lights in their rooms evenings at the end of tho the first month a now new prisoner is ia allowed to mingle with the tha rest while at work the women do all kinds of plain pili needlework especially shirt makin 9 laundry aundry work chat chair r caning domestic work etc there is a farm connected with wi th the file prison and tile best behaved beli aved Illson prisoners ers are allowed to do farm and dairy work vork all the tha products not needed there are sold A class for illiterates is held an hour each day it aims to teach women to read in ill the hope that they will bo be more likely to stay off the st treet street w when hen out of prison there is a good libraty aay for the uso use of prisoners chapel ex take place every day and on sundays there are regular services ices both catholic and protestant there fire are often christenings christen ings of children taken to tha prison with their mothers or born there and occasionally a burial service the hair is not cut but they at are required to keep it ne neat it their dresses are of blue gitig gingham hain a difference in tile check being between different grades in winter they wear fc houlder shawls but no collars or any sign of ornament I 1 ANNIE ISABEL WILLIS |