St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-11
MINNESOTA JAIL SYSTEM.
Ably Discussed by Secretary Hart in
the Biennial Report Corrections
and Charities.
Existing Conditions and Defects Pointed Out
With Suggestions of Remedies Easily
Applied, From the Reformatory
and Humane Standpoint.

1t is acknowledged by all who have any ac-
quaintance with the subject that as a whole
the biennial report of Secretary II. II. Hart,
OF the state board of charities and correc-
tons, with its comprehensive tables GOVERN g
everything worthy of record in the charitable
and reformatory institutions of the state and
carrying the cost of the support of their every
inmate down to per diem rate as well as his
| thorough report as to condition, necessities,
etc, OF the jails, lockups, warehouses, poor
houses and poor farms of the counties with
valuable statistical information concerning
the same, is the most able document, as well
as the first OF its character, ever issued in
any of the state departments.
Added to all this statistical matter Mr.
| Minnesota which must command
a general and thorough attention from
the authorities and others in every
| portion of the state. We regret that we are
unable to publish this in full, but are obliged
| from want Of space to contne ourselves to
| the following abstract
THE JAIL SYSTEM OF MINNESOTA.
The Jail system of Minnesota does not
differ essentially from that of the older states.
after which it is modelled.
At the foundation of the system is the
municipal prison, the city or village lookup,
used almost exclusively for the temporary de-
tention of prisoners over night or over Sun
day, until they can be brought before mag
istrate. In few cases, as in the city Of
| Saltwater these prisons are used for the
further detention of prisoners sentenced by
the municipal courts. The buildings
used for this purpose are almost all
of a single type, varying in size and
number of cells. The building is set upon
| blocks without foundation. Floor and cell
| ing are constructed of two by four inch or
! two by six inch scantling, usually pine,
sometimes oak, set continuously on edge
and spiked solidly together. The walls and
cells are constructed in the same manner,
like the bins of a grain elevator The outer
door is usually of pine or oak plank, the cell
| doors being of the same, with grated open
ing to admit light, heat and air, or the door
is a rude grating made by the village black
smith. There are usually two cells, each
abont five or six by seven feet, and eorri-
dor about eight by twelve feet. There are
usually no windows in the cells; sometimes
a single pane; sometimes a transom sash
with three panes. The corridor often
| has transom sash six or
seven feet from the floor; some
times it has one or two ordinary windows
| The exterior is usually clap-boarded, and
sometimes painted. The exterior is usually
unfinished, the surface being rough scant-
| ling. sometimes whitewashed. the majority
! have fixed wooden hunks. Many have no
| sleeping place but the floor. The bedding is
generally dirty, often scanty and sometimes
| filthy. Some have chmneys, others have
none, but every such building is fire trap.
A spacious room for day use and cells of
stone or brick built against the outer wall.
| Such are the jails of Sibley and Brown coun-
| ties The basement jails of Anoka and Pope
counties, and the old portion of Otter Tail
county Jail, are of similar construction. All
such jails are very insecure, and expose the
officers in charge to danger of assault in dis
charging their duties.
Every public institution should have at
least three essentials: Cleanliness, fresh
air, and bodily safety for its inmates, how
| ever debased. Judged by this very moderate
| standard, not more than seven out Of the
! twenty-six lockups inspected are tit places
| for the detention of prisoners, namelI, the
lockups of Minneapolis, Saltwater, Maliato,
! Northheld, Fergus Falls, and the lookup pro-
! per OF Winona, and only the Saltwater lock-
1p provides suitably for the separation OF
prisoners II the cities aud towns OF Mime
! sofa could know what sinks OF nastiness
! these municipal prisons are they would not
! tolerate them. The cost OF suitable struc-
/ lures need not exceed 5000 to $3.50 per pris-
! I'D nj. lin ko a k,.
! suitable ordinance, as in Detroit, Becker
county.
! THE COUNTY JAuS.
Minnesota has ffty-fye county jails, de-
/ signed to accommodate 654 prisoners
| Twenty-Five counties have no jails. OF these
/ jails twelve are wooden structures, similar to
| the municipal prisons, and designed for about
| ffty-six prisoners. They are all unfit for
use and may be dismissed, therefore, from
consideration leaving forty-thrcc jll,s TO be
considered, designed to accommodate about
/ 800 prisoners.
The most primitive jails are built Of stone
or brick, with a spacious room for day use
and cells of stone or brick built against the
! outer wall. Such are the jails OF Sibley and
! Brown counties. the basement jais OF
/ Anoka and Pope counties, aud the Old por-
! ton OF the otter Tail county jail, are Of
! sin liar construction. All such iails are
! very insecure, and expose the officers in
/ charge 10 danger OF assault in dIschargin 2
| their duties variation Of the same plan
consists in having cells OF boiler iron built
| close against the wall, rs in Mower and
Freeborn counties. Such jals are a little
more secure; but the cells are dark and ven
tatlon imperfect. second plan consists
ia having an enclosed corridor Of iron in front
! of the cells, for the prisoners, separated
from the opposite windows by a narrow cor
/ ridur for the jailOr, the intention being 10
exclude the prisoners entirely from the jail
| or's corridor. Such are the jails Of Wash
ingion, NicoIlet aud Rice counties. This
differs from the fourth plan only in having
| the iron cells close against the wall third
plan is essentially the state prison plan, con
sisilng OF central block Of stone or brick
cells iu two rows, back 10 back, and IN one
or more tiers, With a corridor surrounds 2
the whole block Of cells. Such are the iails
of Ramsey and Blue Earth counties. In
GoUdhue and Stearns counties, the corridor
surrounds only three sides. fourth plan
IS sometimes known as The ''cage plan.n II
consists OF a cell. or block OF cells, or iron OF
steel aud iron. set In the center of a cell
room, and surrounded by jailrrs' corridor
Such are the jails Of Henuepin, Winona, and
in fact, some iwenty-three Of the forty abov,
mentioned. There are some fourteen such
iails in the state, all on the cage pan, il
Clay, Crow Wing, Henurpin, Kandiyoh, L.
Sueur, Martin, Mseker, Mobiles. Otter Tail.
81 Louis, Scott, Steele, Stevens and TOdt
counties
DEFEAT OF TIE CAGE PLAN.
In each Of these fourteen iails. the interior
Of the cage Is very dark. The only excep
ton Is the Scott county Jail. \ second defec
Is that. in al such iails, the whole cell ron