St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-17
CRIMINALS AND POOR.
Reports on the Various Institutions to the
State Board of Corrections and
Charities.
Some are in Good Condition, Others
Not Fit for Criminals to
Live In.
The Board Favors New system OF
Securing Financial and General
Statistics,
Similar to Those in Certain Other
States--The Mower County
Jail.

A regular quarterly meeting OF the state
board of corrections and charities was heio
at the capitol yesterday. The members OF
the board were all present, as follows:
Gov. l.. +. Hubbard, d. c. Bell, Mime
apolis: C. H. Berry, Winona; w. NJ. Camp
bell. Litchield: DIR. NJ. MEG. Dana. st.
Paul; G. Vivian, Alexandria; II. p. Wells.
Preston: II. II. Hart. secretary. st. Paul.
The secretary presented for the considera-
ton of the board plans for county jail and
city lookup and submitted his quarterly re-
port which was approved.
The report OF. the secretaryi is comprehen-
sive and valuable. During the quarter
forty visits mere made in all parts OF the
state A system OF blanks for reports from
jails, poor houses. lOck-ups, ETC., has been
prepared and sent ont and has met with
gratifying success and favor. The system
is uniform with that of Wisconsin, SO that
valuable comparisons can be made.
The expenses of the board for the past
six months were S2,287.50, leaving avail
able a balance of S2,712.50.
The state prison has been much improved
by the completion Of the steam laundry.
When the new cells now being built are
completed the limit of the capacity OF the
prison will be reached. At the Reform
school the boys department is becoming
DvercrOwded. The superintendent states
that there were number of small boys
there who never should have been sent
there The school for the deaf has new
gymnasium for both boys and girls. new
shops and an enlarged and improved laun-
dry and printing office.
At the First insane hospital decrease in
the amount of restraint used and defective
ventilation were noted.
The Second hospital is full and the mems
side Oyercrowded. 1t is doubtful whether
the detached wards to be built this season
can relieve the pressure until the Third hos
pital is ready for use. The st. Paul work
house contains about 100 prisoners. Under
the new superintendent, Mr.. Fitzgerald,
there has been a general tOning up of the
institution. Twenty-Five knitting machines
have been purchased, and the manufacture
OF stockings has begun on the city's ac-
count, with no contract system.
PoORHoUsES AND JAILS.
The Anoka county poorhouse is run BY
Mrs. Della Starkey III her own house, at
81 80 per week for board, lodging and to-
baccO. The Blue Earth county has in
mates. the Chisago county poorhouse is
in bad repair. The Oyerseer gets $3.50 a
week for board and clothing, and his wife
spins for the inmates. Paupers and the
Oyerseers family eat at the same table and
fare alike.
Thirteen iails were visited and reported
upon. The AnOka county jail remains a
nuisance and disgrace to the county. The
Blue Earth county Jail is exceptionally well
kept. but insecure. The Faribault county
Jail consists of brick cell-rOom 2lx27 feet,
containing two iron cells, each 6XS feet.
The Hennepin county jail contains about
thirty prisoners. 1t is an admitted fact that
the prisoners do not and cannot keep free
from vermin as they are now kept. A pris-
oner from Wright county was recently con-
fined eight months awaiting trial in this Jail.
During this time his wife and child died.
When brought up for trial the judge
promptly dismissed the case, saying that he
should never have been indicted.
The Isanti county jail is of pine and con-
tains two cells 6X8 feet The cell doors are
of wood and the jail is surrounded by a
stockade of tamarack posts ten feet high. 1t
is entirely insecure and unfit for use. The
Mile Laos county Jail is built of 2x6 oak
scantling. Jail dirty. insecure, without
sash in the windows, not heated and unfit
for use. The MOBILES county Jail has but
one secure cell, 7X9 feet. 1t serves also for
the counties OF PipesUone, Murray and
Rush. Nine prisoners have been found in
it at once. The Todd county Jail was neat
clean, ventilated, heated and supplied with
plants.
The st. Paul Protestant Orphan asylum
was especially commended in the arrange
ment of the building and the management
Most of the children are sent to the public
schools. The secretary also submitted a
report on a uniform
SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL STATISTICS
for the Institutions of the state, which was
approved. State Auditor Braden and Public
Examiner Knox were present by special
invitation during the consideration OF the
report, and gave it their approval. 1t was
voted to unite with the auditor and ex-
ammer in calling a conference of the
officials of the state institutions,
looking to the adoption of tie
features recommended in the report
The report gives a lengthy review of the
workings and benefits of such uniform sys-
TENS in other states. The law establishing
the board provides for the collection of
statistics from the several institutions SUBJ
ject TO its supervision and that the board
may prescribe such forms as it may deem
essential The statistics 50 far collected
have been of great value in reducing the ex-
penseS of many institutions without i'm
pairing their efficiency. So far no forms
of registration and report have been pre-
scrbed for state Institutions. it being
thought best to decide definitely at the out
set what the board might attempt in the
way of statistics. The finances of state in
stltutionS are subject to supervision from
three sources. in addition to the several
boards of trustees, the state auditor, the pub
lie examiner and the board of corrections
and charities The examination of the az
counts by the state auditor is confined to
the legality of the expenditures and the cor
RICHNESS of the computations The SUPER
vision exercised by the public examiner re-
lateS to the correctness of the accounts and
the methods of keeping them, but docs not
include the collection of statistics. He has
repeatedly expressed a desire that the
board carry out q system of statistics
such a system doubly valuable, too, when
it is uniform with the system pursued in
some other states. The board of state char
tiles Of Massachusetts adopted a uniform
classification twenty years ago. The boards
of New York and Pennsylvania adopted
the same system later on, so that the ex-
pense of institutions in these states can be
compared. The institutions of those states
are built and managed on a more expensive
scale than those of the West, SO that it
would be advisable to adopt the system of
some Western state. The most thorough
systems are those of Wisconsin and Illinois,
the latter of which is recommended in the
report.
UNDER THE ILLINOIS SYSTEM,
statement is furnished by each institution
at the close of each quarter and tabulated
statement for all the institutions is issued
within twenty days thereafter, enabling
each superintendent and board of trustees
to compare their own expenses with those
of previous quarters and with the ex-
penSeS of other institutions. The animal