The true northerner., 1885-11-19

at least earn, while in prison, his daily
bread. Discipline in Jail cannot be secured
az long as sherifs are made the custodians
Of jails without fee or compensation, or
means of securing the services of turnkey
or guard to be constantly in attendance. The
sheriffs' many duties call them much from
home, and frequently they are compelled to
leave their jails in charge of their wives, and
the prisoners in their custody TO themselves.
They cannot be expected to hire turnkeys at
their own cost, yet a board of supervisors
could not, under the present state of affairs,
be found which would audit bill presented
by the sheriff for such purpose. jail
system should be adopted which admits Of
such changes and reforms as the jail inspec-
tors have suggested IN their report, and
have no doubt but that the time is not far
distant when the people will see it to be to
their best interests TO compass such reforms.
/ suggest to the authorities that the Jail
should be so improved as to prevent any
person or persons from holding any commu-
nications from the outside with prisoners
confined therein. This can be done at small
expense, and should be attended to at once.
The Jail should be at once placed in such
condition'as as to render it impossible to hand
anything from the outside to prisoners
within. This also should be at once attended
to. order that no person or persons be ad.
mitted within the county jail to view prison
ers therein charged with or convicted of
crime, except counsel, or such relatives or
friends of the prisoners as in the discretion
of the sheriff or Jail inspectors it is deemed
proper to admit. And order that counsel
have at all reasonable times free access to
their clients confined in Jail, and that prison.
ers be allowed freely at suitable times 10
consult with counsel of their own choice. !
further order that prisoners be not allowed,
under any circumstances, to engage in card
playing or to indulge in the use of obscene
or profane language in the Jail, or to commu-
nicate with any person or persons outside
the jail, and that no boy be, under any cir
cumstances, placed in any part of the jail ad-
mitting of communication by him with adult
prisoners or by adult prisoners with him."
The opinion of the state board, the advice
of Judge Mills, and the report of our own
jail inspectors all coincide with the idea here
tofore advanced by the NoRTuERNKR, that
some system should be adopted for the bet
ter management of prisoners confined in our
jails, and for the correction of the many
abuses to which the present system is pecu-
liarly liable. Some system should be adopted
by which prisoners convicted before magis-
trates, should be sentenced to hard labor in
stead of enforced idleness, as is now the
case. Working on highways would be much
better than no work. Many men consider
it little if any punishment to be confined in
jail where they have comfortable quarters,
good food and nothing to do. If they knew
conviction meant so many days hard labor,
they would be much more careful about vio-
lating the law. Many man, for instance,
who is convicted of drunkenness and sent to
Jail for ten days, would be very careful about
getting drunk, if he knew the penalty would
be ten days breaking stone or other hard
labor on the highways. BY all means let us
have some kind of reform in this matter.