The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-13
THE NEW WORK-HOUSE.
How the Prisoners Time Will Be Employed
What the Commissioners Expect.

Yesterday the reporter, eonversing with the
County Commissioners, cleaned the following re-
garding the new work house: ''The work house, y
said one of the board, Twill probably be opened
between the 10th and 18th of October We are
now having stable built for the horses that will
convey the prisoners to the work house from the
city In Black Maria I believe that is the
name given to the conveyance. That will be
ready in time for our grand opening"
AS now completed, the buildings will hold
sixty women and two hundred and forty men.
The male and female departments will be entire
ly separated. The commissioners will elect a
superintendent, secretary and matron for the
prison There will not be more than eight or
ten employees. all told, including guards cooks,
etc. The superintendent and his family will live
there, and no other family will be allowed to re-
side on the premises
The problem of employment for the prisoners
has not been worked out, though the commits
sloners have returned from Cincinnati with some
good ideas and others that may not suit this
locality. For the first month or so there will be
work enough about the place. cleaning up, white
washing, ETC., to keep the prisoners employed;
beside the surroundings will need to be improved
| aud put in shape. AT the Cincinnati work
house the prisoners are hired out at thirty
cents each day. One hundred and forty-one
are now paid for at that rate. Others are in the
stone-quarries getting out stone for street work
ana other purposes. Others are breaking stone
into small pieces, which finds a market for gar
den walks and uses of that kind. Some such
work Will probably be done here Our prisoners
VIII Also 1t is likely, be brought out to work
| upon the streets
Work will certainly be found for them today "
| say the commissioners, 'but we will be careful
that their labor shall not come In conflict with
that OF our workingmen. The future will de-
| velop policy"
The commissioners have not yet agreed upon
superintendent or the other officers, or as to
| what their pay shall be. They think the run
ming expenses as to salaries can be kept as low
as "a, 5O0 year and yet afford all the help
| needed.
I'VE Cannot give high wages. This is expert
ment and we intend to run the establishment as
| cheapy as possible"
The Cincinnati workhouse has $40 men. 1t is
much larger than this, but the arrangement of
| the Marion county work house is in some re-
| to keep law-breakers This county now
| pays 40 cents day for feeding each person in
| JAIL They can be boarded at the work house at
a much lower figure. That will be one way in
| which money will be saved. The work house is
necessity 1t was built because the JAIL years
ago crying nuisance, was daily growing worse
and more and more insufficient to meet
| the demands for space by the increasing
number of criminals. The work house costs no
more than good Jail and we shall receive some
| benefit from it. 1t will lessen crime. 1t will
not be place of idleness for the law breaker as
the Jail is 1t will not afford a picnic for the
committer of misdemeanors. The coming law
breaker will have to work