JUSTICE - EMILE ACOLLAS (La Châtre 1826–1891, legal scholar, - Lot 320

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Lot n° 320
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JUSTICE - EMILE ACOLLAS (La Châtre 1826–1891, legal scholar, - Lot 320
JUSTICE - EMILE ACOLLAS (La Châtre 1826–1891, legal scholar, one of the founders of the Peace League, friend of Georges Clemenceau; an avenue in Paris is named after him) / Correspondence consisting of 11 signed autograph letters from 1891 regarding the reform of the prison system, addressed to his friend Maurice (presumably the deputy Maurice Berteau): on Millerand (“Is he really the man of energy and resolve that people generally believe him to be? For my part, I very much doubt it”; “Ah, my old friend Maurice, it didn’t take much intuition on my part to guess that you were going to be the rapporteur. You are, which is all the more reason for me not to let you off the hook”; “My dear friend, as discreetly and confidentially as possible, the Minister is absolutely terrified of you; I heard it straight from his own mouth. As for H. [Herbette, the director of the Prison Administration], he’s had enough of it—take my word for it [Secretary General at the Ministry of the Interior]. In the meantime, and following the incident I told you about—whether because of that same fear or for a reason I can’t quite figure out—he’s stirring up a conflict between the General Inspectorate and H. that can only escalate to extremes. Let’s get to work; that’s best. Come by sometime in the middle of the week, whenever it suits you. Either at your place or mine”; “My dear Maurice, I did not go to see you this morning in Paris because I understood from your letter that you would not be there. Moreover, not only the broad outlines but even the specific terms of your report were, it seems, already settled. I have no doubt that you have remained entirely faithful to our two or three fundamental points of view: the transformation of central prisons, the issue of cell-based systems—which, from a financial standpoint, you can never speak ill of enough; I have just been convinced of this once again during my tour this year; and finally, the reference regarding small district prisons to the increasingly urgent need for judicial reorganization. Regarding children, the transfer of administrative authority from the mayor of the municipality—as in Belgium—back to the courts for those covered by Art. 66 (nothing that bears the appearance of a conviction) is an arrangement that restores to them—or rather, establishes for the vast majority—family life. I reiterate to the ministers of religion and to the doctors the opinion I have expressed to you. For my part, I would conclude by calling on the administration to draw upon the evangelical spirit of the former and the very real benevolence that animates the latter, with a view to persuading both groups to forgo any form of compensation. We could reward them for their selflessness. Finally, we must not consider eliminating the canteen, even in small prisons, for the chief guards are unanimous in saying that it is the only incentive to work. There you have it, my dear friend, the foundations of a general report that I myself am currently drafting; for although the subject of penal measures now holds only a passing interest for me, and although I aspire to return in every way to the studies that have been my life’s work, I will continue what I consider to be the just cause of reforming our prisons. And already, during my tour, following my second article, several of our directors—and not the least important ones—have written to me offering their support”; etc.
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