ESTABLISHMENT OF MILITARY JUSTICE .

76 5
.of the prisoners in control, subject to the supervision of the officers, wa s
created . The lawless and antagonistic element is placed at a disadvantage.
The association has its rules and regulations and its tribunals for trial .
Privileges are the reward for good conduct and punishments are the penalt y
for misbehavior. Every new arrival is met by a member of the Honor Associa-
tion . Previously, the disgruntled and antagonistic element was the first to
approach the newcomer. Recently the honor committee notified the commandan t
that the organization was having some difficulty with its offending members ,
who preferred trial by the prison court instead of by the honor court . Recom-
mendation was made that the punishment prescribed by the former be mad e
equal in severity to that of the latter . The commandant reported as follows :
" It is possible, and has happened, that prisoners sentenced to serve upwar d
of 20 years have been restored to the colors in fewer months . In fact, it is
possible for a prisoner with a life sentence to be restored to a regular organi-
zation in five months . In the case of numbered men, recommendations for their
release have been made for various reasonson account of youth, mental in-
feriority, inadequate personality, nervous instability, and the financial condi-
tion of their de pendentsso that in the case of these prisoners, as well as th e
battalion men, the sentence really cuts but little figure . This practice of recom-
mending prisoners for release, as outlined above, was the general policy of this
Institution months before the present clemency board was appointed .
"As a matter of fact, we are confronted by a much greater administrativ e
problem by the short sentences now imposed than by .the longer ones. Men wit h
short sentences are generally apathetic as to restoration . Six months' sentence,
with good-conduct time deducted, releases a man by expiration of his sentenc e
in five months, too short a time for the corrective and disciplinary measure s
applied to him to become sufficiently effective to warrant restoration. A
shorter sentence than six months, and some are shorter, practically preclude s
the possibility of extending restoration . * * *
"No man shall be sent to the disciplinary barracks for a shorter period tha n
one year. Men with longer sentences have something definite to work for ,
which is not the case with shorter-term men . The longer sentence awaken s
the prisoner to a healthy, laudable endeavor, while the shorter sentence stifles
ambition . The short-term prisoner sits back and waits for the end of his term ,
appeals to work for restoration fall on deaf ears, and the morale of the institu-
tion is, in consequence, lowered . "
The Honor Association of prisoners concluded a recent review of" the objects
and results of their association in the following language :
" We owe a debt of gratitude to the officials of this institution for the assist-
ance they have rendered us in accomplishing our ideal, and we sincerely hop e
that the facts and conditions as described in this article will serve as an in-
spiration and incentive to the inmates and officials of institutions of simila r
character throughout our beloved United States . "
The location of the United States Disciplinary Barracks is at Fort Leaven -
worth, Kans ., to which in far the greater number of prisoners is sent. One
branch, the Atlantic, is situated at Governors Island, N . Y. ; another, the Pacific,
is established at Alcatraz, Calif. The number of men restored to duty durin g
the 12 months ending April 17, 1919, at each place was as follows (Exhibi t
149) :
Original length of sentence and number of men restored and average tim e
actually served to restoration .

Fort Leavenwort h Atlantic Branch . Pacific Branch.

Barracks.
Year.
Number Average Number Average Number .Averag e
restored. time . restored . time . restored . time .

Months . Months. Months.

1 to 2 190 6 48 7 E9
2 to 3 93 7 51 8 3i 9
3 to 4 10 9 43 8 11 P}
4 to 5 1E3 8 8 8 2 10
5 to 10 111 70 7 23 9
10 to 20 51 8 6 6 4 11
Over 20 32 8 1 5 1 1