Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-01

system would be detrimental to the interests
OF the institution?
Alt depends upon what extent you abol.
ishit. think in all those prisons, both here
and in Europe, large proportion of labor,
such as have mentioned, is done by the pris-
oners. They get the trusty positions through
merit there. In the probationary prison they
would not be likely to take man just coming
in because of his connections, or because of some
influence, and put HMM the position of trusty.
He must earn it. They don't take man be-
cause of his capacity to be useful. And if
there is a number of good men they take
turns about ii.
Q-Who has the cutting of the clothing in
the English prisons:
A.-There is an eX convict that has charge
of the cutting department., and he has so
many men. The cutting department is a
large room in which he has so many men that
are told off, as they call it. to assist in
cutting. Now, if the cutter was removed or
discharged, and another tailor came into that
prison who was competent, they wouldn't
consider the skill of the prisoner or judge by
his previous record, and be likely to give him
that position because. / think. civil service
reform comes in there. There are always
men competent to take it, in large prisons
like that. 1t couldn't be otherwise.
A MODEL PRISON.
In Canada they have what 1 consider the
model of prisons. That is the best prison 1
ever saw. 1t is located just outside OF To-
ronto and to my mind is as good prison as
l saw anywhere. l refer to its construction
and its management and its discipline.
1t has an cctagon tower, large octagon
tower that rises in the center of the build
ings radiating out from it in the center. 1t
had four wings when l was there, but it was
constructed for eight, to look like a starfish,
you know. Separating out with great body,
in the center, and there in each of these
wings are three tiers Of cells, built in the
center of each wing, with the balconies lead
ing along in front of the cells with movable
iron stairs, not permanent, leading to each
balcony. The whole of these four wings are
locked by one wheel, the same as the steer.
ing wheel of ship. He, the Warden, stands
there in the center of this octagon BUILDING
and he can see the whole prison. He is
raised up on a pedestal, and then in each
of the wings there is a man in little
sentinel box up along the side of the wall
The convict comes in and pulls the
door shut, projects his hand, holds it
there, and at a given signal from these men
on the side of the wall in these little boxes,
LQ6 man Oh Ill6 OCldSOn lONGE iOOhS QOhu
each wing and takes hold of the enormous
wheel and gives it one turn and bolts every
cell in that p .ison. Then the Warden ad.
justs the stairs-they are adjustable stairs.
They are substantially locked by this i'm
mense great wheel. The object of that is
TO PREVENT BREAKS.
No officer has any connection with the pris-
oners until after those bolts are thrown, and
when they come in from the workshops. The
work shops are separated entirely from the
prison. There they build rolling stock for
railroads. There are immense machine shops
in this establishment. There are no terms
longer than two years in this prison. It is
for the lighter class Of criminals-frst
terriers and all that sort of thing. They
have got immense shops and build rolling
stock and freight cars and all that sort of
thing, YOU know. Fine machine shops they
have too, that are inclesed in large wall, the
different shops-regular machine shops
first-class shops, and they all coma out of
there with good trade-that is, such trade
as men can get in shop of the kind in two
years. and ought to be pretty good. Captain
Prince, who had charge of them, told me that
they endeavored to teach men all branches of
the business. They don't do that in ordi-
nary shops. They don't do that outside.
They put man on one class of work, and
keep him there until the day of resurrection /;
but there the Captain told me they endeav
ored to teach a man a first class mechanical
trade.
Q.-Would it be practicable in a pro-
stationary prison to work prisoners out
side and do it under the silent system-say in
the stone quarry?
A.-They do it at Charlestown they cut
stone there; they dress it. l don't know if
they work them in the quarries, but they
dress stone there under the silent system. If
this State was to adopt the system, and
make the Folsom Prison probationary prison,
and sentence them all there first, think
those men could be worked in the quarries
brought to them here, the same as it is at
Charlestown.