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Show A PRISON EXPERIMENT. MassEchngetta Will Try to Prevent Somtl Her Convicts From Becoming Hardened. An experiment in the treatment of convicts is about to bo inaugurated Iu the state prison of Massachusetts, at Charlestcwn, which may, as expected, be of much practical benefit in behalf of prison reform. It Is something like a return to the system of solitary confine-ment, confine-ment, although in this case the piisonei will be allowed to decide for himself if he desires that mode of life during the period of his incarceration. A convict doing this will see no ono but his keeper, keep-er, but will be given plenty of exercis and good, wholesomo food, provided with work and be kept in a comfortable coll. The evil after effects of he present gregarious method of keeping convicts will, it is believed, be prevented by tho new system. Many men who depart from the path of propriety and are made to suffer for it legally go to prison with a determination to reform and to lead good lives when their sentences expire, but they are thrown constantly into tho companionship of hardened criminal:', who will not fail to insist upon a continuance con-tinuance of the prison acquaintanceshlj after they get out. There are nuuerous instances on reo ord where a mail who has been released from prison and endeavors to lead ft respectable re-spectable life is forced back into crime by those who wero companion convicts with him and who adopt a system of blackmail and fhreats to compel him to enter into relations with thero. The Massachusetts mode will allow. veil disposed dis-posed prisoners to separate themselves from the other convicts and let them leave their calls when freed, ,nndismay-ed ,nndismay-ed by the f ear of meeting crim inala who know they also wore the stripes and will take familiar advantage of theif fcuovrledgo Washington Star. |