Litchfield enquirer., 1875-09-02
A New Jall ?

The Representatives adopted very ju- dicious course at their last weeks meeting regarding the jail question. The propo. sition to appropriate &, 900 for the repair of the old jail was voted down without a division. and committee was appointed to estimate tho expense of new jail, to select Q location, to find what the old site can he sold for, and to estimate the ex- pcnse of putting the present building in good repair.
 A new site is offered by the citizens of Litchfeld. The expense of a new build- ing, according to plans offered last winter, would be somewhat less than $40,000. Commissioner Cleveland thinks the edi- fee proposed more expensive one than was needed. He is confident that mill tax. which will bring in about $28. .000, in addition to the amount that can be realiz- ed for the old building and site. will be sufficient for the purpose. We judge that the present jail will sell for at least S7.OOO (Arr. Cleveland estimated it at from 5000 to S10,000). This would give $35- OOO for building and fitting up new jail, and we imagine that amount is ample.
 As regards repairs, MT. Huntington stated that the Representative Committee who examined the matter last winter (of which he was q member) estimated the necessary expense of repair and enlarge ment at from sS. 900 to S1O,O0O. Perhaps additional cells could be built for that amount, but the result would still be un. satisfactory. The building would be . make-shift, the location bad, with no op. portunity to put prisoners at profitable work.
 This matter of work has always seemed to us the most important of all. As now managed the jail is a heavy expense to both state and county. Worse than that, it is high school of crime. The prisoners are herded together without any steady employment. The more vicious teach the less vicious all the tricks of their trade. What they should have IS steady work, outdoor and in, as the best means of reformation, as well as the best means of bringing in revenue to the county. To make this practicable we need the appli- ances for setting the prisoners at some steady work indoors during the win. ter months and bad weather; and there ought to be enough land connected with the jail to give them employment during the summer in raising supplies which would go a good way toward keeping them through the winter. This outdoor work would probably be more profitable than any employment to which they could be set within doors, as we'll as more health. ful. A jail should have. also, large sup ply of water, for cleanliness is as hard to teach ''tramp" as godliness, and they should have a thorough schooling while in jail. No sufficient supply of soft water is practicable at the present jail. and in selecting q new site no doubt the commit tee will have due regard to this important matter.
 Whatever conclusion our Representa- tives may reach, We hope they will not for. get that little reform is worth more than great deal of punishment. Afellow who is sent to the State Prison is at least out of harms way for good while. Not SC with the prisoner in the common jail. A  few months throws him back on society asain-if punished merely, worse man if reformed. a better man. Let him al least work and be clean all the while he is in jail. -...f