The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-02-14
NEW CASTLE JAIL.
A Sketch of This Strncture--Fhen it
Was Buiit-Lt,is Now Too small and
Consequently is Oyercrowded.

Consequently is overcrowded.
The first jail In this county was built
Ia 1877, and the permission of the Eng.
Iish Governor. Andross, for its erection
Of the building. stipulated that 1t
should be located in the fort, which at
that time stood IN the end of Now tas-
tie. and should be provided with a
dungeon underneath. In 1898 new
jail was built on nearly the same site
MS that new occupied by the present
Jail. In i195 complaint was made to
the Levy Court That the building was
insecure. aud that several prisoners
had escaped.
The building was then repaired and
iron bars placed undor the hearth, and
In the windows. Tint same year
it was ordered that the building should
lie prepared for work house, for which
purpose 1t was used until 1911, when
the Levy Court appropriated $4,000 TO
rebuild It, 1t was enlarged in 1924.
and again in 1926, continuing in use
until the present Jail was built in 1868.
At that time the population WAS not
more than half what it now is, and as
the increase OF crime has kept pace
with iheipcrease of population, ths
jail is now entirely too small.
A visit to the Institution last Satul
day convinced reporter that with the
overcfowled condition OF the jail it
must be difficult matter for Sheriff
Gould and his able assistants. War'iena
Dennison and Moore. to keep 1t SO
clean and in such an excellent SAM.
tary condition. At present there ara
14S prisoners, about 50 of whom are in
what is known US the bum cell, where
they are confined In default of the
{ ayment of fines and costs. This ls a
low number or prisoners. as during
Sheriff Summons term there was an
average OF 1Gn during The entire two
yelrs
The consequence Ia that frequently
there are four or five prisoners In d
single cell, that was originally intend
ed to accommodate but one. And yet
with all TIL >. thus far there has mover
been an epidemic in the jail, and at
present all the prisoners are in good
health, and speak In the highest terms
of the treatment they receive at the
hands of the sheriff and the wardens
Their food Is good and wholesome.
and many Of them, with the amount
OF food they receive and the lack OF
sufficient exercise, have increased con-
siderably In weight since their incar-
ceration. Therefore the only obiec-
tlonal feature about the place. is the
fact that it is entirely too small.
When 1t wds built, no such an in
crease in population as has taken
plfc, was thought Of, and II my one
would have said that Wilmington
would add 10000 in ten years to its
population, he would have been look
ed upon with II suspicion that his
M NHpne tn.uY n ftT I2.af n
know has been the ease and as crime
increases In proportion to the populn-
ton something must he doue and
that ere long to provide for the crimi.
nal class. Another evil of the over
crowding, is the fact that it frequent
ly brings young criminals who have
committed their first offence in con-
tlct with hardened criminals, and
from the association of these young
men with them ure much worse at the
end of their term than when they were
convicted.
Prisons we not only intended for
punishment, but also as a means OF
reformation, but under the present
system there cannot be any reforma-
tion. Eight of tie prisoners now in
Jail are serving life terms, while there
are number of others serving long
terms. Ex-Sheritf Simmons, who bet
ter than almost any one else knows
the condition OF affairs at the jail, is
having bill prepared, which he pro-
poses to submit to the Legislature,
providing for State penitentiary,
where long term prisoners from all
parts of the State could be made to
work and become self supporting.
That such an Institution is needed
h.,., N.,I lH
jails i'll this State will deny. At Dover
and Georgetown, the same as at New
Castle, the prisoners are kept in idle
ness, and 1t is an old, but no doubt
true saying, that IAN idle brain is the
DEVILS workshop" Therefore 1t fol-
lows that such an institution as is pro-
posed by ex-Sheriff Simmons would
not only be benefit to the communi-
ty by saying the tax payers the cost OF
keeping the prisoners but would also
benefit them by teaching habits OF in
dustry and to he seif-sustaining.
There arc very few men who have
spent five or ten years in idleness that
have any desire or inclination to 60 to
work when their period of idleness
ends, consequently they are apt to re-
turn to life of crime. Another need.
ed reform is that something should
DO done for long term prisoners when
they are discharged. At present the
majority OF prisoners upon being dis
are turned adrift without a
cent, and tho stigma OF having served
a term in jail hanging over them. Tn
der these circumstances 1T Is difficult
for them to obtain employment, even
If they are disposed to work where they
are known, and as they are without
means to go elsewhere, their future Is
indeed dark
These matters, that certainly would
be OF more beneiit to the great body
polite than partizan legislation. and
The passage OF. bills that should be en-
titled, "Acts to perpetuate the Demo-
Gratis In power" should receive The
carly and earnest attention of the
General Assembly. Some means
should be adopted to check these evils
and then jail will become what it
should be. an institution for the pre-
yention OF crime. aud the reformation
Of criminals.