Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-01
LOCAL LEGISLATION.
Passage OF the Bill 10 Erect nn
Asylum for Convits.
Dreadful Condition of the Penitens
tiary Insane.

The Senate yesterday passed the Hous
bill to provide for the erection of an asylum
for insane convicts now confined in tn
Ohio Penitentiary, and 1t only needs tn
signatures Of the presiding officers to be
come a law. The bill appropriates $1,000
out Of any money in the Treasury not other
wise appropriated, for the purpose, and pro
vides that the building shall be erected OF
the penitentiary grounds, that is within the
walls, and shall be of sufficient capacity tc
accommodate not less than twenty -four Oh
more thirty insane convicts. 1t is to be
built under the direction of the Warden
and Directors of the Penitentiary, who are
required to advertise for sealed proposals
for labor and material in the newspapers OF
this and other cities. The bill is to take
effect from and after its passage. III
The attention Of the Legislature has been
called to the necessity of providing some
suitable place for insane convicts in al
most every annual report of the Warden
and Directors of the institution for many
years, but no measures were undertaken for
the relief Of this doubly unfortunate class
until this session. The number of insane
increased annually, until there are now
about twenty raving maniacs among the
other prisoners. The Warden in his last
report reminded the Legislature that the
courts, unavoidably, send to the pris-
on criminals who were made such
by insanity that habits leading
to crime, lead also to this disease |;
that latent insanity in many remains DOR
mant during life, ready to be aroused by
particular agencies; that the excitement Of
arrest trial and conviction, followed by
separation from friends, wives, children,
associates, society-enforced silence, with
the other terrible concomitants of prison
life, are such agencies; that these facts
alone give ground to expect what is found,
viz: insanity disproportionately prevalent
among convicts as compared with society;
that to such attacks, followed by lucid in
tervals, many persons are liable; and that
such facts seem to demonstrate the neces-
slty Of prospective provisions for SO miser-
able class.
The Warden predicates his urgent demand
for the means to properly accommodate the
insane convicts not only on the ground of
humanity, but because the present state of
affairs deleteriously effects humane discip-
line, instances of which he mentions. Ma
ny convicts to all appearance well and at
work by day, become frantic in the night,
tearclothes, bedding everything in reach
to shreds, and become, to the last degree,
noisy. Such, if left in the halls, disturb
from two to five hundred men, many of
whom cheer, laugh, shout, swear, and rob
all of tiff taken to the hospital, are in
tolerable to the sick. The cells are alike
to protracted confinement and
proper treatment. Thus, some are dis
charged from prison, to appearance, con-
firmed maniacs, whose cure might have
been effected, and others, while here, per-
mitted to wander about the prison. This
last practice, aside from the danger attend
Ing it. is open to another grave objection,
which is: the spectacle Of prisoners roam
Ing or skulking, without restraint and in
comfort is powerful induce
ment to Others to attempt imposture. To
this suspicion all new cases are SO liable
that tests are demanded, the severity of
which are only excusable on the ground of
necessity.
These are only part Of the reasons which
the Warden of the prison assigns for the
necessity Of erecting proper building for
The insane; and with these facts before it
The Legislature has passed the bill by which
t is hoped that the condition of the most
wretched mortals under the care of the
State may be in some degree ameliorated.