The Portland daily press., 1883-01-18
MAINE STATE PRISON.
Abstracts from the EAnnuaI Report-Con
dition and Needs of the Institution.

From the forthcoming report of the officers
| OF the State Prison, it appears that the large
debt which in 1880 hung over the prison, draw.
ing per cent. interest, has been ascertained,
audited and large portion paid The manu-
facture OF boots and shoes has been discontin
ued, and only carriage and harness making is
now carried on. The manufactured product Of
the prison however, is not as large, neither at
as low cost of production, as 1t would be if
power and machinery equal to the demand
were introduced in the several shops needing
the same, and the inspectors state that they
know no reason why the same economy of time
and money should not be exercised in the
management of State as of a private manu-
featuring establishment. In answer to the
question, ''What has been the cost of the pri-
son to the taxpayers of the State the past
year?'' careful inventory of the property of
the prisons at the cash value of the same, taking
into account every item of expense, including
salaries Of all officers excepting iuspectors),
SHOWS that the expenses exceeds the earnings
for the year ending November 80, 1882, $14,-
1926; for 1881 it was $16,754,42, being re
duction in expense to the State this year over
last year of $2012.16. In the report of Novem-
Der 80, 1880, appeared notes and accounts due
the State to the amount of SOL 1880 Of the
appraised value of 500, 964.94. OF these $685.
1850 have been collected and from the bal
ance can be collected probably $1,000 more.
The general appearance of the prison has
been improved, but not to satisfactory ex-
tent, for want of funds appropriated for that
purpose. The $1,000 appropriation for this pur-
pose was expended mostly for material, and
the convicts did the labor. But so long as the
Warden is obliged to employ the convicts out
side the prison walls, attempts to escape will
be made and perplexing questions will arise,
and it is believed by the Inspectors that it will
be for the interest of the State to appropriate a
sum equal to the running expenses of the pri-
son and employ the convicts inside the walls
The articles Of food entering into subsistence
are good, and each and every prisoner has all
that be desires There has been decrease in
the number of cenvicts during the year, and a
large per cent of it from the able bodied pro-
ducing class while nearly all of the non-pro-
ducing force is left, and many of the same
class have come. during the year, thus
reducing the class of prisoners that help paw
the expenses of the prison. The decrease in
the number of cOnvictS during the past four
years has been as follows In 1879 there were
zUo; IN 1861, IVY; IN 1851, lo4; In 1882, 147.
Three convicts adiudged insane according to
law yet remain at the prison, though the Gov
ernor and Council have been duly notified of
their condition.
The recommendation made in the report of
1880 is renewed by the Inspectors. Some law,
they say, should be passed inflicting further
punishment than is now known in the law, for
the crime of murder or an attempt thereto by
convicts upon the officers of the prison. Since
the abolition of capital punishment the per-
centage of life sentences is annually increasing
The only purpose in life these men have is to
get out. Some of them will not hesitate to
commit any crime to accomplish that object
They know well how the law stands toward
them-that there is no more punishment for
them than is contained in the sentence under
which they were committed. Radical defects
exist in our criminal laws. Highway robbery
may be punished by imprisonment for life; add
murder and the punishment is the same. This
is inconsistent and irrational for the reason
that it makes an offence against life no greater
than against property. In closing the Inspec-
tors recommend an appropriation of $136966S
to enable the Warden to pay all the bills out
standing against the prison. The following
tabular statement shows the financial condition
of the prison.