Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-20
In FILTH AND DIRT
How Kent County Prisoners
Fare i'm the Jail.
A DISGRACE TO The COUNTY
The Board Of jail Inspectors Report IN
Regard 70 the unsssoEy Condition
of the County Bastlle.

At the meeting OF the board Of super
visors yesterday morning the report Of
Judge Perkins, County Agent Hatna-
way and the superintendent OF the
poor, composing the board OF jail in-
speetOrs Was read. The inspectors
made their examination OF the county
pastiie October 10 and found the FOL
lowing condition of tn ngs During the
past year there have been s-o
prisoners confined IN the jail
of wnom lilo were females. The Of
fenses charged number hfty-elght.
Drunkenness leads with 35s. Then
larceny claimed lao; drunk aud dlsor-
DERBY, 100; vagTancy, So; dlsorderiy. 90;
breach # the peace, 80; assault and
battery, 10; insane persons, IL; assault,
II; trusney, Is. Each of the other
charges claimed iess than ten victims
each. There are now forty-one IN
Jail. Twenty-one are held for trial,
nineteen are serving sentence, Two are
under IL years OF age, and three are
awaiting commitment. Only such as
are under sentence for violation OF the
city ordinances are required TO per-
form manual labor.
Vile and Unciean.
The condition of the bedding 10 re-
ported TO be unc.ean and insufficient,
the cells not free from vermin, the halls
unclean aud the water closets IN bad
condition. Prisoners under 10 years OF
age are, owing 10 the crowded condI-
ton of the jail, permitted TO rningle
with the older prisoners. this also
applies to prisoners held on civil pro-
cess. Male and female prisoners are
kept separate. The report states that
the Jail is antiquated and altogether
too small. The sanitary arrangements
are extremely poor, and the provision
for females, children and insane per-
sons inadequate and insufficient and
without remedy owing to the construc-
ton and arrangement OF the Jail.
The inspectors recommend that the
rear or cell portion be torn down and
rebuilt on an enlarged and modern
scale. AS now constructed the jail is q
disgrace TO Kent county, a menace 10
tie health not only OF It's inmates, but
source of public peril IN times OF pes.
| thence.
Routine Matters.
The protest of the Krltzer Milling
| company against all assessment on the
Casanova elevator was reported ad-
| versely by the committee on rejected
taxes. Adopted. The same committee
reported tavorably on the request OF
| c. l.. Harvey that the sum of S36.2s
excessive tax paid by hum be refunded
and the report was adopted.
The committee to whom was re.
| ferred the application of the township
| of Lowell for the tax which A. J
Bovine paid to the city of Grand Rap
| ids OH stock which he owned in the
Lowell bank reported in favor of al
! loving the claim and the report was
adopted.
The committee On justice, sheriff
and constable bills reported the allow
ance of $4,5l4.26 on those bills. Sheriff
Mcqueen was allowed S4,343.35 of thi!
| amount.
A bill of $709.65 from the city for tn.
| care of patients with contagious dis
eases was cut down 10 $4l2.O7 and al
| lowed.
The clerk was instructed to draft 8
| petition asking that the alley south o.
| the court house he paved with asphalt
and that a committee IF three be ap
pointed t. circuit the petition.
was made special order for today
and the board adjourned until thu
| morning at 9 O'Clock.