The sun., 1889-02-17
THE AWFUL 1DIENEss At SING SING.
Our State Prison System as Seen by an
GnHIIsh Inancctnr of RrisnnA

N"po1 tobHNESS III SiN6 oiN6.
| ou~ s.. r- -
FnuI,.b Tnsnsn,or ar 1.,...,.s
..,,.c-,n,,,
,,S. az '',ur , uilliVns' one Oh her MAJESTY
inepoo.oie -, vi PRISONS In England, Is now In
s.,.' 'y oI uiiei "slt' parity tor piehsure ana
. patuy ior business. 80 lar as time would per-
LII, n',' ne nas uoen looking at our prison system
,.s III no Ainu'y eonsenlou 10 state LOT The DUN
",e nis' IMPRESSIONS Ma)or driiilths sald;
uo " .no ouJeo,s Vi my WISH was 10 inspect
S,.io - y, i.'n .ae'itu'iohs' AS am 80 CLOSELY
49, wiz p'i1on administration III my
.,,t..,,S -, -o' Nv nus Oven =" fa.iei 'o'u. =
n..., ~..',i on y, ieon eupJec's' IL was eus
d,nan.Ia s' I,Ii, svo "'t l eoulu III 'h"1 @
.t ~ - 81 i''too iiOs' VI 'iie tauiopo"'
"u y ,i,o loi .mohly years nus peeh
y. 80 ,,. WIN IN p'iooh 'h".'efS,
,,o ,hn,,. ~ "i'E sIns % 'oM u"ys
aSo;na u .. Is nls 'n,.9.i'a1eu ''io s'uto VI
81. ....o. " - ,0u "sN i''' "n". l 'n'nh " vi
", w. s,o'oni, oi' nioIe o&"c'iy' upsciSo
or,,ost ~ ,h 80. no ,iia' was poi
,ntar.,,oI ~ auiS D w, /" iSt.' u" "a, "i'. "a.
,nao M nus "ilsea out ol 'he ia.se olii. IL
ii0 ono ~, " wy nus. niona'ious "nu'
ro 'as, s,.,sa ". VI spoahlhE pureiy uS u
D.so,, ~ seo s,'"I ei1i' , hiaSs VI
"Th. ,.o,.., a.. .,'-.'.s,o "Ioouto.s ,u1o'
,,. 80. a.. ~ vi p.'son ilnnaso- atl'N..-
n,,oae - . "ueuunto ,, ahu ooi uous
' Vi .no eii,ninai9 "noso 'iuoi'io'
nave peen ior1elted through their oionoes
against the laws OF the land. At Sing Sing l
,%,asa u t,oov ou p.''on',s ea.'"s '.e oieau 81
iuieness' making no return to tho honest.
hard-working taxpayers whom they have al
ready heavily mulcted by their donredations
and who will now bavo ~ n,t ,hoir pands Inon
in their pockets to pay the charges,of this vast
prison,
1T nm told thot ,ho yotos b,u ros irtroarcod
uin tolu that inc lates Dill was introduced
and passed in obedience TO the demands OF
labor committees. It is not easy, nor would it
DO seemly Tor me as stranger TO pass any
opinion upon your political institutions. ! can
only speak Of what saw. only saw the idle
ness. serious consequences OF that ldloness
will soon be sharply felt in tho expense which
nuss o oe on.aiieu upon 'ne pubic purse. hu'
what struck mo as especially painful was the
'hese PRISON Innate themselves.
From what l had read of the American
,va tho rro,,d hoast - ,o,,r ,,rIsr,
was LIZ piouu poas' Vi your prison
tho labor available from tho inmates of
vour nrisons wns d;rocton into such neofnl
spul pfisohs was uiroc.eu in'o sucn uSelul
channels that the individual prisoner was
enormously benefited; that tho man himself
learned some bandicrntt from which On his "a.
lease. he might earn an honest livelihood; that
mis- unremitting daily toll gave him habits OF
honest Isd hnmnneiv sneakSg Ti f9urn was ss
distinctly improved.
What viii! be the consequence now? Tho
will return to thieyipy again. having learned
nothing during his enforced absence from So
damn tbis dpplnrahIe n6nnre IN vnmr sVstem
There are others which seem CONVINCING to my
mind. 1t is simply Impossible to keep prison
time, whether employed or unemployed IF YOU
have no work Tor your prisoners outside they
must remain in Their cells This
on their moral and sanitary condition.
Alter patient trial in ENGLAND the rule
was absolutely arrived MT that no prisoner
could iboar to be continuously in his cell from
day to day for more than n wear. 4 physicai
and mental break down invariably showed
itself nj the end Of TINT time Rnt with Mr.
Yates's law unrepealed with mems sentences
ranging from three years upward YOU are pre-
Is easy to perceive that you will soon arrive at
q most disnstrous-pos n fatal climax
unless the law is speedily repeaind
The Sing sing prison is not designed
upon modern lines, The cells are Satisfactory
in themselves, but they date back to a time
derstood as it is at present. The dimenstons
fall far short OF the accepted size on our side.
to be old fashioned must say, rs an expert.
that if tho Sing Sing prison cell was brought
S4 ss0pe in the 5a rs of nos ssa a S
pancy, should unhesitatingly condemn it as
unfit for longer occupancy than eight or ten
hours in any one day"
Have you, in England. been met with
similar demand from the trades unions 10 that
which resulted in the Yates bill 2"
inGqential persons representing Interests. OF
tho question has been raised akin to that which
led to the Yates bill. Protest has been made
in England against the APPLICATION OF prison
labor TO the Manufacture OF goods which might
This has been especially the case with ref
erence to the manufacture of cocoanut mats
and mating, al one time u very large prison
Industry. Tho complaints made wera in a
measure justified and il was plain that our
lines Of labor were directed too exclusively
OF England, under the old admiristrati"n Of the
local authorities, machinery and other appli-
and free labor was sometimes undcrsod This
was n very plnus ible and uroper complaint and
it was mot by us as soon as tho State replaced
the local authorities In the management, Which
happened about ten year, ago.
Steps we're taken to reduce Immediately
the OUTPUT OF mats and to divert the use OF ma.
chinery into other channels THIS brings mo
naturally TO what | would suggest as a likely
remn3v for the eix sting state of afYnjrs In the