Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 268, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1911 — Prison Warden’s Novel Experiments [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Prison Warden’s Novel Experiments

•TOPEKA, Kan.—A new plan, intend--1 ed to give Kansas convict? a new Idea of life, has been put into effect at the Kansas penitentiary, according to the report Of Warden J. K. Codding to Govemo/ Stubbs. Every man that Is sent to the prison Is given six work on the farm just previous to his release. The men get out In the open. They are tanned and sunburned, have more liberty, less discipline, get close to nature and leave the prison with the hatred of men and laws gone and really wanting to try to live better lives. Since the new system has been tried not one released convict has (tome back. Warden Codding believes that through this system Kansas may gain a record for a minimum number of second-term

men which will be lower than that of any other state. Many years ago an Island in the Missouri river was sold to the state by some political sharpers, who made a Iqt of money in the deal. The island has never been used, and the lands owned by the state around the prison have never been used to any great extent for farming. Warden Codding began work two, years ago, and the first thing he did was to give the prisoners half an •hour’s liberty each day in the prison: yard, The men can do anything they wish during'that half hour. They can talk to each other and and the guard, play ball, pitch horse shoes, play croquet or a dozen other games. The prisoners had been morose and sullen, and there were 22 insane prisoners In the hospital and a half dozen tuberculosis patients. The plan was adopted to see if the Insanity and tuberculosis could not be stopped. Not. a new patient has developed in 14 months, and there is not a single prisoner In the tuberculosis hospital at this time.