Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-03-31
The Jail Question.

Jail. it will be the duty Of voters Il
cast their ballots for or against a jai
At the coming spring election fol
township officers. The present build
ing was erected about one-third of 6
century ago, and has long been on,
Of the worst prison pens in the State
When the last annual report Of the
Board of State Charities made an
impartial and truthful expose of the
character and condition of the jails Of
the several counties, none appeared
TO greater disadvantage to the people
Of any special locality than the mis-
cradle apology for q prison which We
have in Trumbull county. We have
been asked repeatedly by gentlemen
from different parts Of the State if the
description of the Jail Of Trumbull
county, as published in the report
referred 70, was really warranted by
its actual condition, and when assur-
ed that it wss. even worse, they have
uniformly expressed their surprise
that it should be so, especially as they
had understood and supposed that the
people of Trumbull county were
generally an educated, progressive
and philsnthropic class of citizens,
in sympathy with the upward and
onward movements of the age. But
the fact is that the existence of an
institution in our midst in the shape
and condition OF the old rookery of q
jail, is a serious reflection on the pro-
fessed intelligence and liberal opinions
of the people of the county, and
Trumbull is in consequence classed
among the backward, impoverished
and unprogressive counties. This
inference we know 10 be un~warranted
by the general condition and prevail
ing sentiments of the people, but it
must be admitted that on the question
Of providing a decent, suitable and
safe prison, there is 8 degree of in
difference and an mou of parsimo-
ny exhibited by no means fiattering
to the moral and peeunisry status Of
the county.
In every intelligent and christian
community the spirit Of prison reform
is operating upon the minds and in
the hearts of the people, and the idea is
rapidly obtaining that the vindictive
and Tetaliatory principle of the laws
Of a less enlightened and less humane
period should not enter into the re-
strsints of modern prison discipline;
that society has no more right to act
liz a purely reyengeful spirit than has
an individual, but shouldin all prison
punishment temper justice with mer-
cy, aiming to reform the offender
rather than satiate public vengeance.
Yet We find too many persons in this
goodly county Of Trumhull who e&-
use themselves for voting against
authorizing a new jail, on the ground
that the old prison is good enough for
those so unfortunate as to be consign-
ed TO its dark, damp. Unwholesome
cells. We do not believe that cruelty
immuring offenders, or perhaps per-
IONS innocent of crime, in filthy,
noxious, health destroying prison
pens, is consistent with christian
principles or the pretensions of any
enlightened, liberal community.
Besides these general considera-
tons, there are q Rumber of special
reasons strongly demanding a new
Jail. The present old structure is in a
decayed and nearly untensble condi-
ton and does not answer the purposes
of a prison, 1t frequently being
necessary to send persons who stand
committed in this county to the jail
Of an adjoining county, for security,
TO be maintained there at an extra
expense to U taxpayers. Unless a
constant guard is kept at the old Jail
prisoners find no serious difficulty in
making en- opening through the thin,
soft walls, and thus escaping. The
police force required to watch the
Jail, is also an item of considerable
expense, and we are assured that
these various extra expenses are equal
70 6 heavy interest on the probable
cost Of q new Jail.
The aggregate taxable property on
the grand duplicate of the county is
$14,6 $685. S3. A levy Of two and one
half mills would raise So, 6Ss, 32, and
each taxpayer weuld have TO con-
tribute but twenty-five cents on each
hundred dollars of his assessed vslua-
ton. As the commissioners propose
70 make the levy in at least two
installments, the tax would be so light
as to be hardly felt in most cases.
Three mills levy would give almost
forty-four thousand dollars, or three
dollars on each One thousand dollars
of your taxsbles on the grand dupli-
cate. The commissioners do not
expect TO expend over thirty-ive TO
forty thousand dollars in building a
Jail that will be in every way secure,
safe, substantial and ereditable to the
people Of the county. By reducing q
fraction of a mill on some Of the
local levies of townships, and perhaps
In the county, the aggregate taxes of
any taxpayer need scarcely be in
creased a dollar. Therefore in view
of the urgent need of a new Jail, and
the lightness of the burden on in
dividual Taxpayers, asa general thing,
what ~considerate taxpayer will not
consent to be taxed this small sum to
make q necessary public improve
ment, and one that can not be
possibly deferred much longer? Let
us settle the "vexed question" and
retrieve the reputation Of our county,
which Is now marred in the eyes of
all the State as having the "most
indescribably mesnj siIn to be found
in the lightweight counties.
~ Prof. Amasa Walkers letter TO
Hon. James A. CARTEL on the best
methods of resumption, is worthy of
specsaI attention. Prof. Walker is a