The morning call., 1894-09-10
PRISON REFORM.
Not Much Need of 1t in
This City.
Chief Crowley's Answer to the Sug-
gestions of the Union for
Practical Progress.

Chief Crowley was seen yesterday in
reference TO the open letter addressed tC
him, the City Hall Commissioners, the
Mayor and The Board OF Supervisors by
the committee on prison reform of the
Union for Practical Progress. which ap-
peared in yesterdays CALL
The Chief, without criticizing the So
cety or lis objects, thought it had been
wrongly advised on certain points and had
made stateme1t1 and charges which were
not borne out by the facts.
"A request made by prisoner" said
the Chief, that an attorney designated by
prisoner shall be notified, must be com
piled with at once. is invariably carried
out l am not aware that police officers
solicit business for any attorney II any
such case were brought to nv attention
and it was proved that pllice officer did
such thing he would lose his position.
Il have nothing TO do with tile question
Of ventilation; that lies with the City
Hall Commissioners. l fail TO see, how
ever, how it can be said that the ven IL
laJiOu in the Women's ward is so very bad
The widows face on the street and the
air from the outsi lie is as pure there as it
IS anywhere else in the city. 1t is absurd
ID say that for the short tine the women
are detained there that the ventilation is
liable 10 breed disease, and To make those
subject to such conditions a charge up0i
the community for all time if tntir health
is ruined by disease contracted In badly
ventilated cells.
The sewerage system of the prison is ar
other matter over which | have no control.
Ii is true that sometimes the seepage from
the closets runs out upon the floor of the
cells, but that is caused by some prisoner
choking the connection with the sewer
min Of -Af,fo
out OF pure mischief. As soon as the de-
feet is noticed plumber is at once sent
Tor and the obstruction Is rem owed.
Il can see nothing wrong In requiring
the prisoners TO remain 10 their cells and
wards willie the flushing is done The
suggestion Of the society 10 transfer tn"
prisoners 10 other cells during the flushing
is impracticable. In the first place " e
would require duplicate cel>, (which We
have not. Then as any one who visits
the p lSon knows, the prisoners are class =
fed, and to transfer them To other cells, if
we had them, would cause endless confu-
sion by the prisoners getting mixed Up.
The flushing is done at O'Clock eacn
morning and all prisoner is required TO
do is 10 stand upon the bench while it is
being done. or course. the cell is damp
for short time after the flushing, but the
City Prison is not the Palace Hotel. There
must oe some little Inconvenience.
lit is absolutely false that the people,
who are retained as witnesses, are re-
Qnired to submit to contact with envir on
ments and persons who are filthy and
alive with vermin.' On the contrary they
are kept as clean as possible in the bOspi-
tai In the old City Prison and have their
food suppl d to them from a restaurant.
'There may be a little vermin in the
cells, but how can 1t be prevented when
some men are covered with vern!ia when
hrn NJ inO 10. hen L.
that the prisoners be required to take a
bath and have their clothes fumigated
That would be all right in the County
Jail where prisoners are undergt lug a
seDtenre, but it is impractieable in the
City Prison, where they are only tran
sisnt. There are over $4,000 prisoners
brought into the City Prison every year
and how could we expect to give eaen
bath and fumigate his or her clothes. Il
is too absurd TO be seriously discussed
would have no objection TO the blankets
being fumigated weekly instead of
monthly if the city will bear the extra ex-
pense.
81 do not know what they are driving at
bv talking about not subjertiDg innocent
persons to degrading conditions. The law
gives us the right to make an arrest when
ever we have reasonable cause for De-
lieving that the person arrested has COM
mitted felony"
IL Is generally admitted by YISl tors to
the City Prison that il is in every respect q
model prison, and nowhere else is more
regard paid TO The comfort and reforma-
ton of its inmates.
ITO say that our City Prison in regard
to cleanliness is not on a par with other
Cities" said well-known detective. sis t.
display an ignorance that is lamentable.
l have seen most of the Irisons in the
State, and many of them would kill you
in very short time. Oakland prison is
badly ventilated and so dark that it is diff
fcult to make your way through il. l have
seen the prisons in Eastern cities also, ana
San Francisco's is a palace compared to
most of them. There is not one of them
that can approach it in ventilation, clean
linaSS or ANYTHING else -