The New York herald., 1872-09-09
BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.
The Report Of the Committee on the Reorgani-
zation Of the Penitentiary.
The Faults Of tho Old system-How the New
Thing Works-Two Deputy Wardens
and More Keepers Appointed.


ment Of the Blackwels Island Penitentiary have
caused healthy reaction in the management.
Matters had got to very bad pass on the Island.
Laxity among the Commissioners had caused con-
sequent laxity In the keepers This feeling had
very naturally extended to the prisoners. Escapes
were OF almost daily occurrence, and there seemed
to be no way or manner Of stopping them Warden
Fitch exerted himself to the utmost, but without
any improvement. Wherever he was present mat
ters went WELL but once his back was turned there
seemed to be hardly any discipline left. Battles
were frequent between the keepers and the con-
victs, and generally resulted in an escape or two.
AS Mr.. Brennan observed, the Penitentiary began
to be looked upon by the bad classes as a rather
JOLLY SUMMER RESIDENCE.
All 1t took was q short swim when they wanted to
get away from It, The escape mania had risen to
thirteen in one day.
1t was plain some radical reformation was needed,
when the HERALD articles appeared and reused the
Commissioners to extraordinary activity. A spe-
cial meeting of the Commissioners was held and
committee was then and there appointed to inquire
into the state OF affairs at the Pententiary. The
committee consisted Of Mr.. Frear and General
Bowen, one democrat and one republican. The
committee made some investigation and found that
the trouble at the Penitentiary was just what the
HERALD had said-too few Keepers for too many
prisoners. The Pententiary it was reported, was
quite inadequately guarded and offered many ready
facilities Tor the escape OF prisoners Tie wall,
extending around the Island was unguarded on any
side except by four boats, which were liable to be
tations to the conyicts to ATTEMPT escape without
the guard boats the keepers Oh the Island were
TOTALLY POwERLEss;
| and where they had charge OF 80 many men, two
keepers often being given fifty men to take care or
1t often impossible TO even note an escape TIL
| the man was subsequently missed from his gang
fOund
was largely OvercrOwded, the number of men IN
carcerated being something like two hundred more
than had ever been in &C any one time before. An
other cause OF complaint was the small amount Of
work done by the convicts. The committee stated
idleness when they should have been doing good
work. In relation to the building Of workshops on
the Island the idea was found to be q useless one.
Where criminals were incarcerated as they were in
the Pcnitentiary on short terms averaging two to
three months, the establishment of workshops
where any skilled mechanical trade should be per-
formed would be useless as the terms were
too short to allow the prisoners attaining
Proncsncy in their work workshops would
could learn trade in their time of service. OF
these there are too few to permit the expense of
racter of the keepers was inquired intO and the
committee found that the general character was all
that could be desired. Among some OF
THE OLD KEEPERS
who had been dismissed character was sometimes
wanting, though the statement that some OF them
had been In State Prison appears to have had no
foundation in fact. The story rad probably obtained
currency from the prisoners themselves who would
naturally do all they could to damage the character
OF the men placed over them. One other matter
appeared to the committee to merit its atten-
tion-the visitors. 1t appears that friends
and relatives Of the prisoners, being allowed
to wander around the Island almost as they
pleased, often succeeded In finding out the where
abOuts OF their friend or relative, and would man.
age to drop them notes and letters without the
knowledge of the Keepers These notes would con-
tain instructions as to the plans matured for their
escape, telling the time and hour, &c. This, OF
course facilitated escape and was naturally fatal
| to discipline.
On the reception of this report the Board EN-.
powered the committee to act as 1t best saw fit to
remedy the existing state OF affairs. In accordance
with this Messrs. Frear and Bowen began their du-
ties OF reorganization The first thing done was to
resolve upon two deputy wardens, at a salary OF
81, 200 to reside on the Island, and, BESIDES to ap
point two extra keepers. 1t was thought that by
this means
BENEFICIAL RESULT
would be obtained. The idea OF appointing two
deputy wardens to Mr.. Fitch was that they might
have power over the other keepers and
see that they made the prisoners do their
the two Keepers was OF course In accordance with
the vast increase of the prisoners Thus far only
one deputy warden has been appointed-J. I.
| COuenhOpen-whO hitherto has been attached to
| keepers have not yet been appointed, but will be
| in day or so.
| Already, however, the new system Of discipline
and the energy shown by the Commissioners have
he went to Randall's Island and saw gang OF the
Penitentiary men at work, though neither the
keepers nor the convicts saw him. The men were
doing all the work tnat could be expected Of tnem
and eXerted themselves In very different manner
from the old way. Mr. Brennan had no doubt that
when the new arrangements were finally perfected
matters would 90 on to the satisfaction of every
body, and particularly to that OF the Commits