The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-01-23
/ The Maintenance Of Prisoners in the County
Jails
RIENzA, MISS, January 10, 1873.

The Maintenance Of Prisoners in the County
Jails.
RIENzA, MISS, January 10, 1873.
To the Editors of the Clarion:
AS Fetrenchment and economy are now
the order of the day and has become the
chief plank in the platform of the party
making the laws which govern the State,
and as that policy in these hard times be
carried out in every department of the pub
lie service, as well as in private ex penditures,
l beg leave to call the attention of our Leg
islature to one source OF expenditure which
bears heavily on the taX-pay eFs, and must
continue to do SO under our present laws.
[ allude to the expense of maintaining pris-
oners mi jail Our jails, at the present price
of boarding. prisoners, with turnkey fees
added, have become the best and most
profitable boarding houses, all things con
sidered, in their respective counties. speak
from knowledge of the facts when | assert
that such is the case, at least in this county,
and | presume it will fall below an aver
age for the State, as the class which mostly
fills the Jail in this county is not SO numer-
GUS as in most counties in the State. In the
city of Corinth, where our jail is located. as
well as in other towns in the county, board
with furnished rooms, lodging and fires can
be had from ten to twelve and One-half dol
lars per month in the best of families and in
driv ate clearinghouse. Forty cents per
day for board for prisoners, with turnkey
fee, Zone dollar each.) in addition, will ex-
coed the maximum OF these prices.
l would suggest that the turnkey fee be
abolished entirely and that the board of
prisoners be reduced to at least thirty cents
per dav. At the present low price of pro
visions this will command the services ioi
reliable and competent jailers, as the coun-
ties furnish everything else; or a still
cheaper plan would be to divorce The
offices of sheriff and jailer, and to give to the
boards of supervisors the control of the Jail
and its inmates as they have of the poor
house and the paupers, and make it their duty
to employ jaiier under suitable and proper
regulations, each county for itself. In this
county the poor are boarded at six dollars
and a half a month, including washing,
fuel and attention. They are in many cases
old aud indrm, diseased, lame and blind, anu
require a great deal of attention. The
overseer OF the poor in addition pays usual
rent for the Poor-hOuse farm, and still there
is no want of applicants for the place at
these prices, men too, of good character and
Can any good reason be given
why prisoners in jail, for offences against
the laws, may nor be boarded as cheaply
as the unfortunate class who find a
Judgement in the Poor-house, and whose
helpless condition appeals so strongly to
the symEathies of all good men? If jaiiers
were employed in the same way il would
result Ill a saving yearly of many thousands
of dollars to the taxpayers of the State,
Another important question suggests it
prisoners and make them to some extent, at
least, self-sustaining Under the pres nt
laws but little has been done in that direction
mainlY for the reason that except about
the public work upon roads, |
bridges and causeways is too remote from the
Jail TO employ snch labor with safety. To
this /, would suggest that law be
passed giving authority TO boards of super
Visors in their respective counties, to have |
erected at the cost of the county, strong
and substantial log houses, to be located at |
Dr. near the main crossingssof creeks and |
rivers, where expensive and important /
and bridges are to be kept up; |
hatsaid buildings be supplied with suita- |
Die tools and implements for doing the |
work required. When this is done prison |
RS can with safety be taken to different |
md remote parts of the county and made to /
aboF during the day, and at night be secur- /
d in such buildings, with but little expense
n the way of guards, thus utilizing their +
abor, relieving the road hands or tax-pay- /
re of the same aud securing good roads /
nd crossings where most needed.
W C. A. TAYLOR.