Evening star., 1877-11-13
The District Iafl

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WARDEN.
Gen. j. s. Crocker, the warden of the jail,
has transmitted his report to the Attorney
General for the year ending Oct 3lst, 1877. BE
states that il is nearly two years since they
took possession OF the present building, AMI
that the work OF finishing Il up and of grad
ing, draining and improving the grounds has
been continued by prison labor; that the
building is now finished, is In excellent COL
ditiOD, and is admirably suited for the pur-
poses of q prison, the ventilation being most
thorough and mplete, ana that by enforce
Ing proper sanitary measures the apartme ents
are at all times free from odors, gasses aud
impure air The health OF the inmates has
been remarkably good aud no death has Oc-
Cured since the building was occupied, not
outstanding the location is generally COZ
siieIed as in a decidedly mia smatic district.
TIRE SYSTEM OF COSFISEMENT
is the separate or Individual system which,
as a reEormatOry, has many advantages over
the former method OF cOngregating tOgSt1er
an iLuiscrlmlna'e G mass OF boy charged with
crime, some OF whom may be innocent, 9th
els Just entered uPOD a career or crime, AMI
Others OF the most abandoned classes, har-
dtntd ana cebased by wretched life oi
criminal practices Toe moral tendency
among PRISONERS thus h3Tdei together il
always down ward TO the plane of the lowest
grade. the influence OF the DeSt beng over
come and lost before the more positive and
GebGsiug influences OF tine worst, while by
our system each prisoner has a separate
room free from the COTrupung influence of
others where he is respOnSi BILE only for his
own acts. He yields more readily 10 proper
discipline and moral cstraint, and is a d'LeT
subject in every sense for the full and free
operation Of TeformatOry Influences, hence
the moral tendency q, our System Is upwards,
not dOwnwards. The chances are tnaJ tue
prisoner goes out with his moral condition
improved, and with better resolutions than
when he came.
MISCELLANEOUS MENTION.
After LOticlng the Work abO1t the prem
ises, Gen. CIockeT quotes from his last
years report what he then said on the sub
ject of enclosing the grounds and erecting
workshops. There is no chaplain for the in
Stiiutlon, bat reiig ious exercises have been
he Id on Sundays by representatives OF the
Young Mems Christian Association and
WGmens Christian temperance Udio1, with
very decided and beneficial reformatOry re-
suits, IN many cases leading to r. lie Al
chSnges-a better Il fe and permanent reform
ailon. he speaks in high terms of hts Off 20
GERS; notes that be has transported los pris-
oners 10 Albany, 10 TO Baltimore, and II boys
TO the reform school. The total annual eE-
penditures were SG4 .9t9 90; daily average of
prisoners, 25S; highest number at one tima.
n, and lowest, iJj; total number during the
year, zi0l-2,1jl males aud 25i feiuales-25l
being in az the close OF the year.
IN REPORT OF THE PHYSICIAN,
Dr. Young, Is appended, and he says "there
has bzen presented the phenomenon OF a
building on the border OF ma rshes, rank with
vegetation, escaping any severe ma lariai
1LfueI ces having had but II cases amou z
ally average of 30, and e Of those most
probably brCUzht the seeds of disease with
them. He calls attention TO the small DIX
hospital, being only n few ro!s from the
building, and urges that IL be removed"