The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1886-06-29
a Grave Charge--A HORRIBLE Place.

EDITOR GAZETTE Having had my attention
called to the prison of Waiuku took the trouble
to examine into the accommodations which the
Government has provided for the criminals ilgar-
cerated there. found a state o. .Iairs so shoes
ing and barbarous .hat .fl a1us of prison Ji.-
cluine in tLe liUgtegDtl gr4tf.v Iaii 20 present
tH- sgGai ~ 20 a4r Co4H.Eg. There arr from
y p lgTtT prisoners confined IL d building
'5 Css al 81. Jr 81 fr There are but seven
1t 1cegug1a'5 that ruuIbe' ~ tua. you witt
p. compulsory 20 eJEnne frlm four 20 SIX 90
.".. Ha csa- are seven icst bg eight aaG -sn-
&c Huau i've Ere placed 10 q ee.l which is
ot -rlas long, tho greaath of an ordinary
IN being 2 ilynes, they are compelled to
lie Co. ol each other. The ventilation is
wa s-eo u he extreme and most inadequate. A
small aenicIrcle cut in the Ioor and small grated
on uing in the wall near the top provided ali the
ventilation for from four to six pair of lungs and
the stencil from the walls is a record of the nightly
struggle for existence
The law requires that each individual sleeping
in an apartment shall have 800 cubic feet of air,
now as these cells but ten feet high any school
boy Will tell yol that room feet by feet by 10
contains only 500 cubic feet whereas for five occu-
pants there should be 800 cubic feet Bv what
right do the authorities break the law?
Again, when the prisoners are locked up at night
an uncovered iron bucket is placed in the cell with
them wherein to void their excrements and that
bucket must stand there until morning Is it not
truly horrible to imagine?
Because men are prisoners it is no reason that
they should be deprived of their right to breathe
pure ar ana drink pure water. Not only are five
human beings compelled to breathe the reeking
atmosphere of den barely large enough for one
but also the maisma arising from that horrible
bucket What | have depicted would make
Howard or Mrs. Fry of any of your readers and
enlist all their sympathes in behalf of the convict
who Is unfortunate enough to be confined in the
"black hole of Waiuku''
Again from lack of accommodation the crowdinc
together of prisoners of different degrees of crimf-
nallty, and of diverse nationalities, and mayhap
tue diseased and healthy, is compulsory. So it
would not be surprising to see a young convict
imprisoned for his first offense sandwiched in be-
tween Negro and Chinaman. In the most en-
lightened countries guilty men are imprisoned as
much TO improve them to punish them for
breaking the law. Evidently the former idea does
not maintain in Hawaii mel. IL is no fault of the
sheriff or turnkey that affairs are in IL condition
above depicted as they do their best to keep the
quartz elem and they do send off to Oahu prison
all excess Of prisoners above the number which
can be accoinndated at the rate of four to a cell
have no doubt that the prison is whitewashed
within and without at regular quarterly intervals
ms provided by Law, and the floor of the building
appeared clean.
hope the Legislature, now in session. will an
point committee to examine into the accommoIa-
tons of Waikiki Prison as well as any Others
which may be in a similar condition The build
ing is old and rotten, aud the requirements of the
district demand ne~ and large building with n
suthciency of cells TO accommodate at least forty
prisoners, and by no means should more than two
Mt any time be confined together.
T,,,,-. w f,.......