Jail reform

ONE of the most urgent of all reforms in India is the reform of the prison system. Much has been said on this subject during the last few years both in the press and on the platform, and a Commission has enquired into the whole question and submitted its report. The main features of the system, however, remain substantially what they were before the present agitation was set on foot. There is, however, no room for despair, when it is borne in mind that in England itself, prison reform has been a somewhat tardy process. The change that has now taken place in that country is thus described by the Daily Chronicle:– “English prisons used to be about the worst in Europe. They were farmed out to gaolers, whose prime purpose was to exploit criminals and debtors for their own profit. The death rate was appalling and those who were not killed were brutalised. Those days are happily long past. The Prison Bill of Health has for years been extraordinarily good. And of late, the Commissioners and Governors, who are their chief agents, have striven more and more to aid the moral recovery of the unfortunate men and women committed to their charge, Here, as in so many other fields, a better knowledge of psychology has inspired reform. The aim became preventive rather than punitive. Now, it is curative. Much is done to help prisoners to make good not only to wean them away from crime but also to make them independent, self-respecting and reputable citizens.” There is no reason why with persistence, vigour and determination, it should be possible to achieve the same result in India within a comparatively short time.