New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-05-21
PRISON DISCIPLINE.

IN Vb,rh The uublic institutions were iOuhd az the uAe
Of Their inspection last week
The Grand Jury beg leave respectfully TO report
tas n addition 10 the discharge of tho duties specially
,,sed upon them they have OF their own motion ysu
% PEA ,oan9rcInent as carefully as their very limited
t,me and pressure of other engagements would permit
briefly 10 submit TO your Honor and the public ~ the
establishments which they have enser az az Pub
lac Charities and Correction, viz: Tie Cy fson linz
~ IH%shomse Infants Bureau of same PenitenuaIyi
Charity Hospital Work House. and the Speela Iorr nc
ont ~ Ie "Reminiscences OF Police, viz: House Tor the
Detention OF Witnesses, Police Headquarters anu '"
srS " will be referred 70 in the
IS, ,,Snulary known az the Tombs is disgrace 10
the metropolis and n0ne are more calnos' M Re in
gag II than The public authorities eharsea MIL enor
.safon lis accommodations for prisoners are uepods
bly insufficient Tho number that can UG PUIS av
confined there is $780, Ynd during te summer nI
nresSeJ TO 4sg 1--WE persons sometimes placed in
enc cen varying in dimensions from feet ny ieet
inches to by feet sinohes Inc moral ev o. suo5
condition Of things are as great as the pnysiCd' anu
both are shocking to dIate upon and almost 10 con
template. We unable 10 detect any want OF SS1 wi
attention upon the part OF the officers OF me piISG ~
dsng all that be done for comfort ana Sleanlness
under such urfavorabe circumstance The tault does
not he them but with the puDhc OF great city M
Soy The accommodation Of those charged Win cIlne'
The building, both from IT'S construction anu otoT
io.ntiOn. being built piles, over the pOnd OF water
rh oySer ie~ of ceIs is infested with rats which come
,nmeTons as have been represented sensational news
PAPER statements But have the testimony OF one OF
an ms 10 their existence and as 10 the I'M
puoceSsul efforts which have been made by inc ltI9
And vet we are unable to assert that the Tombs IS neces
tariiy unhealthy place OF residence; dne Me-
there last year only died, and the epidemics which
have swept the city have always spared TINS es,anS
,Inent us medical administration Is represented 10 ne
most excellent. The Jury earnestly Iecolied io Do
etucon of and adequate prison III some ohef par
,i c Iy eon!t9cton of the Tonbs was completed, 1885
was CO. me population Of the city was then only about
BOO COO In ls4Oit 3l2s52 The Five Points III the I'M
mediate vicinity Of the prison, was the center O cIc'
Crime in large and rapidly growing cities Is msrSsoy,
from where it was years 1t now probably west
e., Broadway Sg!%sge iSe " views Which we
have presented the construction OF a new prison
s Gs, |ecercv iegnTes that at least the aecommoda
ton Of the Tonbs I've extended and improved MS Tah
Mnele, ana N @ IL fcIed mai suitable rooms for the
g. of that CONT and the police magistrates OF the First
District are easily Obiainabe IN the neighb9rnood al
modeIate expense il the humane citizens Of New.NOrk
much longer permit the present dSgracenl CONDITION o
their city prison the responsibility and the shame WI" DC
theirs
uis relief to trn from the consideration Of such an
institution 10 that OF one presenting ID every pauei%
20 agreeable contrast to IL ~ does Bellevue H"Spi'd
We Doubt If any capital in the world can boast 81
snch admirably situated arranged ana mtnaSeu 'd5 ,
Hospitals as New York possesses Al Bellevue we mdn
ebtan our information exclusively from commissioners
physicians wardens NJ employ INT We c9hyeIseu pd,
ately and freely with the inmates we lh0t tt "o
carefully as possible about the lood allenoaCt
e.,
speak OF IN terms other than those OF praise Inc eAIcII
of the late war has caused the hlrUu'cu3h Oi many
as fhey are uplcahle 10 civ hospital, have been intro
sneod at Bellevue. The number OF beds here IS 1000 ana
smrgicaiy, about 5000 The halls, wards kitchens, &c
are kept most scrupulousy clean, and the atmosphere
throughout The whole establishment fresh and pure
the fastidOuS eehtlemans lfNale ftSloeh'e'
and yet is fl Of people who, Oh their entrance are
Feebng with every imaginable foulnesS The nurseries
Kandalrs Island are probably better known aha APP
Jecated by our citizens than any other OF our PUBIC III
sututions Everything connected WITH Them Is SO a2!
S.ble that they be spoken OF on Terms oer IMAM
those of the highest praise The system OF moral eaHc.
tOnal, and ply seal training seems 10 n ne'y leiIet,
sensbty, than that To andas Island, cannot he easily
cOnceived and make an due allowance ioi lhe TACT
The ne fmnetic ksyITm on Biackwens Island contains
about SEQ patients The budBg old one. and very
Inadequate 10 the accommodation Of so large number
s. experienced in obtaining sufficient heat and ventilation
the same time during cold weather We have no lea
,nane ana iudicious and reasonably successful
The Ansl0nsS q" ,d Nelson's i2capalc Of Work
sc det l. lSWeI than than at any OF The other pubh
establishments Tie number Of laupels was 1851 on I'M
Sist of March exclusive of cildr d. IN what is called '
iharify Hospital or these there 2lO Tie
hightfu mortality among these children ma "iie"Gy ~
smonc The fonndng was year large So 80 It
ing condition when received that The practice formerly
obtained Of sending them ont to nurse that the deaths
under This system numerous that change was
made and local employed that COWS were kept
lei with The milk 81 the same but that. notwith
standing all that had been done, the deathate continues
bndimnisbed II seemed to us that most OF me women
employed To bring Up these children on the bottle are too
and OF these expressed 10 us the Opln
lon that if employed the mortality
would not De great The subject j. certainly one IN
which humanity too deeply concerned AZ 10 arrest at
1ention. aud 70 call for more thorough investigation
than We have been able tOmake.
The Penentary Is model prison In construction,
cleanliness and ventilation. The cells seem small, but
we are informed that their dimensions the same
those the State Prison al Sing sing The discipline ap
nrars 10 be strict but not unnecessarily harsh Tie
pHm5er Of conyicts was in March 81 60 The youth Of
che number OF cOucs both here and IN our other
penal institutions, Is very Observable circumstance
Most OF them M under % of
OF the Charity Hospital we can speak in the same terms
of commentator. The most captions persons could
Oohing to mud fault with When consider the oah
Of the diseases Of most Of the patients the
abence Of anything offensive 20 the senses in any Of the
able The zeal and skillfuness Of the medical stats Of
charity hospitals appear TO be entitled To the highest
What has already been said Of the Penentisry may he
substantially reported of the WurkhOuse Persons
committed here for short terms for msdemeanOr prin-
Eipaly for drunkenness and disordeTly conduct. IL
very noticeable that the proportion OF females is nearly
double that OF males, while the number OF men who
init crimes larger than thar OF women. There
The hospitals FOR paraytic and epilepiics Randas
Island have been recently established They seem 20 be
well conducted, aud with that measure of
treatment that can be reasonably expected in the Of
these unOrtunaies.
In concluding this portion of the report the jury would
recommend that an the boys sent 10 the Island as cImi-
mails Migrants DE compelled 10 attend school pOr
zion OF the day and that n no school exists be estab
lished possible. Excellent provisions made
for the education OF the nursery children Randalls
Island by the school authorities OF the Twelfth Ward
and school has recently been established there for the
Tuition OF idiots which IS producing marked improve
- anent in Their condition.
. The Jury made a very careful examination Of the House
for the Detention Of Witnesses IN MulbeTy-st. They
found IL very ample ID respect OF accommodation. The
largest number inmates there at one time was
I2b The present number is II; nine males and two
females. All TESTIFY 10 the suihciency and the good quail
ity of the food The ventilation percepby very
.. relAeuleu