The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-02-22
THE PRISON SOUTH.
Sanitary Condition of the JefrersonviIIe
Penitentiasy-A Card from
the Directors.

the Directors.
To the Editor of THE SENTINEL.
We have seen a newspaper state
ment, PurportiDg to be a part of
the report of the State Board Of
Health, in reference to the sanitary con-
dition of the State Prison South, in which
it is stated that in order ITO make the pris-
on place At to keep human beings in, it
will be necessary either to rebuild ii en-
tire or to renovate it to such an extent
that the cost would be about the same"
The Board is also made to say sit is una
bic to ind q single modern sanitary ap-
pliance" in the prison.
1t is true the Southern Prison is an old
one, but it is in good state of preserva-
ton. Its buildings and other sanitary
applisnees" are not modern, but we think
this statement going the rounds of the
papers is calculated to give wrong i'm
preston concerning the true sanitary con-
dition OF the institution. In order TO cor
rect this erroneous impression, and to allay
the fears of the friends of the prisoners
who are confined here, We desire to give
the people, through the columns of your
paper, some OF the facts in regard to the
health of the prison, as taken from the
monthly report OF the prison physician
IL
In the first place, however, We desire to
premise that at the date of the last annual
| report made on the 31st day of OctoSer.
| 1887, the physicians report shows that
| there was not q single person in the prison
| sick of an acute disease, and only one with
serious chronic ailment. The monthly
reports for the past quarter, as we'll as for
the etire year OF 1887. show that no cpl
| demic occurred in the prison, and that
| fhQrQ NJ q IF ivy
fever. For the month Of November, 1857,
| there was an average loss of time for Zach
| prisoner, on account Of sickness, of but
| one-half OF one day for the entire
/ month. In December the loss OF
/ time for each prisoner was 74.1C0 OF
one day. and for the month of January.
| 1888, the average loss amounts to 7T-l00 OF
| of one day. This is the exact truth as taken
from the physicians reports, and we sub
NIT that it shows as good results of the
! sanitary appliances" used in the Southern
Prison as can be shown in any institution
in or out of the State, though they may not
be modern" in the sense used by the
Board of Health. Theoretically, ii may be
the Southern Prison is not eft to keep hu-
man beings in" but practically we are sure
4 it is all that need be desired, and we can say
to the people of the.Stste thst the health OF
the prison iis now, aud has been, during
| Jul CaiunA W buo OtSL
aged institutions of the kind in our State
or country.
The reports of the physician show that
! there was but one death during the qusr
ter, and that there was only loss on &C.
| count of sickness of all kinds to each con.
vict of less than threequarters of one dsv
| for a whole month. Or, in other words, the
convicts were able to perform over twenty
five and one-fourth days labor out of TWEEN
ty-six, and but one death in three months
out of an average number OF over $50 pris
oners. This We submit shows an extreme
ly small amount OF disease. Or, in othel
words, it shows results versus theory.
JOHN HORN, !
G. W. DEMO-, Directors.
| C., DOANE,