Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-18
Vermont Daily Transcript.
ST. ALBANS, VT.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER Is, 1865.
Our State Prison.


From the report of the Senates special
committee on changing the site of the
State Prison, submitted to the Senate,
on the 18th, we gather some facts that
cannot prove otherwise than interesting
to the readers of the TRANSCRIPT. Our
State Prison is far from self-sustaining.
that the Prison, from the year 1909 to
this time, sixty years, has cost the State
S213, 7l2, 90 in excess of its receipts. This
sum does not include Directors salaries
and some contingent items of expense
which have averaged about $500 per an
nun and amounting in the aggregate
to $4,000. The total excess of expendi-
turesaOver income for sixty years is 1921,
ZIP, 00-being 1851 per annum. Dur
ing this time, the Committee find that
the average number of convicts has been
sixty-five per year, and that the aver
age loss to the State on each convict has
been $16O per annum.
The committee give statement con-
corning the financial condition of the
Auburn IN. " Prison for Is, 3 which
compares very unfavorably with that of
our own. The receipts for labor IN the
Auburn for 1865 were $ll9,3l2,74. The
total expenditures, including officers
salaries, &c, were S1O3, 1873, 7O-the in
come of the Prison exceeding the eXpen-
ditures by 15,43i ,O4. The number of
convicts was about $500, and consequent
~ each convict earned the State SO ,O4
in excess of the cost of his Keeping
The other two prisons in the State of
New York are not selfsustaining, if the
salaries of Officers are included in the
expenditures.
For the year 1868 the expenditures of
our State Prison were 81 ,464, 70, not in
Guiding Officers salaries, which amount
ed to 81, 754,75, making the total expen-
ditures $12,2l9,4S. The income of the
Prison for the same period was SO, SOC ,O6,
leaving balance of expenditures over
receipts of S6,4l3,4 Al, or, ex Guiding OFF,
GERS salaries, of 81 ,66s,66, or about S25
for each convict. For the past four
years the expenditures have been grad
ually increasing, and have averaged
nearly 81 200 per annum in excess OF in
come.
The committee are of the opinion
that the contract system" has operat-
cd adversely to the interests of the Pris-
on and produced this drain upon the
Treasury. They say 1.-THE system OF
contracting the labor of convicts has
had thorough trial in our Prison for
period of nineteen years last past, and
after due examination, the result seems
convincing that it is no longer worthy
OF the extraordinary support it has re-
ceived." No opinion is expressed by
the committee on the location of the
Prison (Barre) mentioned in the bill,
but believe it should be located where it
can be made self-sustaining beyond all
possibility of failure and thus relieve
the State from any further expense for
its maintenance.
1t will be seen by our Legislative pro-
ceedings that the bill to change the site
of the Prison came up in the Senate
Tuesday forenoon as special order
and was passed by a vote of twenty-five
to eight. The bill, we believe, provides
for the appointment Of a committee who
shall make careful investigation and
report at the next session of the Legis-
lature.