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26 Prison J. 132 (1946)

handle is hein.journals/prsjrnl26 and id is 1 raw text is: HOW PENNSYLVANIA PROPOSES TO MEET POSTWAR PROBLEMS IN THE FIELD OF CORRECTION' By HoN. S. M. R. O'HARA State Secretary of Welfare I am honored in being asked to speak to a Society which counts its history in terms of a hundred years. One hundred and fifty- nine years of continuous interest in, experience with, and searching for the answers to the problems of the penal and correctional field is one of the most valuable contributions that a group of people can make to American society. There are not many organizations that have had the same length of experience, and I do feel greatly honored in being asked to speak to the group. I feel particularly interested in the fact that on this occasion there is present a representative of the sixth generation of one of the founders of your Society. That, in itself, is extremely inter- esting. I found it more so because I believe in the power and the virtue of tradition. I remember one time I was in Antwerp. I happened to go into that city when it was celebrating the 50th anniversary of some incident, the 100th anniversary of another incident, the 200th anniversary of a third incident, and the 700th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of its cathedral. I can remember the very distinguished group of men who partici- pated in the ceremonies. First of all, I was impressed with the youth and the sense of intelligence and sense of obligation of the small group who apparently were the trustees of the church at that time and in the groups of citizens and visitors who participated in the official events. It was a great lesson in adult education. We are accumulating traditions of our own in these States, including those which William Penn laid down in this very com- munity. If we depart on occasion from the principles of our fathers and teachers, it is frequently that we may learn by experience the ills of such departure and return, wiser by experience. I was interested in the comments Mr. Fraser made about the statements of prisoners as to why the institution has not meant for them all that they had hoped it might mean, or all they expected it should. I was interested in one thing particularly because I subscribe to it; that is we should take the idea of mystery out of our institutions. A prison is like any other public insti- tution in which you citizens may have a very distinct interest. You should feel free to make your contribution both by observation and recommendation, and you cannot do this if you feel that once a person has been classed as an inmate of an institution, he there- after belongs to a class apart from society, to be segregated in an institution whose operation remains mysterious and unknown to the public and to you. 1-Address dlivered at One Hundred Fifty-ninth Annual Meeting of the Prison Society

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