was not conceded, it was agreed that it was for the interest of the state to give him gratuities. As a matter of fact, the system of allowing the prisoner a portion of his earnings obtains all over the Continent. Half of the amount thus earned may be expended by him, under supervision of a director, or may be applied to the relief of his family. The other half is retained until the time of his discharge.
In Europe the cellular or separate system of imprisonment prevails much more extensively than in this country. Indeed, our only example of such a prison is that of the Eastern Penitentiary of Philadelphia. The reformatory system as developed in this country and illustrated by such institutions as those of Elmira, Concord, and Pontiac was ably presented to the congress by General R. Brinkerhoff, President of the National Prison Association of the United States, and by Mr. P. W. McClaughry, who, having had experience as chief of police of Chicago and as the head of several prison institutions, is one of the highest authorities in this country on the treatment of criminals.
Discussion on the treatment of the criminally insane brought out different points of usage in different countries. A large amount of information was gathered. Some questions were formulated for the next congress, among them the following: What rule should be adopted to insure the possibility of a permanent medical control over the mental state of prisoners? How should asylums or quarters for insane criminals be organized so that the necessities for treatment may be combined with the idea of repression? In the case of irresponsible delinquents and those who commit crimes under temporary aberration, the congress expressed the view that special asylums or quarters should be provided for them, that they should be committed by judicial authority, and only released upon the concurrence of a threefold authority namely, the authority of the court, that of the administration of the institution, and of its medical council.
Under the head of "Preventive Means" were considered those influences not only which would keep men out of prison, but those which would tend to prevent them from becoming habitual criminals. The whole treatment of the subject of discharged convicts received serious consideration. It is somewhat surprising that Europe is far better organized than the United States for the care of the discharged convict. There are but four or five really active societies of this kind in the United States. There are ninety in England alone, and fifty in France. They abound in Holland and Denmark, and are being developed in Germany, Austria, Russia, and Italy. In Spain, work of this kind scarcely exists; in Switzerland, it is seen at its highest degree of efficiency. In a country but half the size of the State of
