A Mother's Long Search Ends at the Penitentiary
After two years of searching, a Michigan mother locates her son—serving time for a petty theft in Seattle.
A Michigan woman recently wrote to the authorities in Seattle, inquiring after her long-lost son. Her persistent search finally yielded a result: he was located in the state penitentiary, where he had been sentenced about two months prior for the burglary of a coat and its contents. The young man has nearly four years left to serve. Sheriff McFarland has notified the mother of his discovery.
“A mother in Michigan... found him there, where he had been sentenced about two months prior for the burglary of a coat and contents of the garment.”
This brief account highlights the era's severe carceral response to petty property crime. While the 'burglary of a coat' might lead to a diversion program or a brief jail stay today, in 1892 it resulted in a multi-year prison sentence, illustrating the stark difference in sentencing philosophy regarding non-violent poverty-driven offenses.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.