The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-31
gsJERSEY'S DISGRACE
Shameless Overcrowding of
the State Prison Con-
trarY to Law.
HEALTH AND MORALITY MENACED
One Million Spent on the State
House in Four Years, But Not
a Dollar to Remedy This
Great Evil,


rrba shocking state of affairs is due to
the overcrowded condition of the prison
not an accidental overcrowding. but one
+bat has existed for years. There is in
the nrison only cell room for 706 men ana
women in single confinement, ana yet INC
prison population at the present tiAiie a.
l,OS1.
This necessitates three and four men
in the larger cells in the old part ana TWO
men in the narrow or new cells, scarcey
comfortable for one. Out of this system
has grown many evils beyond the IN
namable crime. There can be no at
tempt at the separation OF the crlHnndis
according TO age or previous condltlon
of crime The young and old are hefu s
together. The accidental vioiator OF the
laws and the crooks MnoSe pe ceIImates' el
The ORIGINAL part of the prison contains
an old wing built about halL cetsurs s
ago. 1t is used ana oceupiea ny IN
IN thass wings arrangements are OF
such a character that 1t is almost mira H;a
Gle that the place has escaped as
astrous epidemic. The condltlons In
some places are SO crude and dangerous
that. were it not State INSTITUTION, the
entire management would be lnolcteo LOT
maintaining nuisance. -
The Door convict cannot turn even ~
the consolation of religion for there Is
really no place to pray Gnaplalh roseIs
and Moral Instructor Madooch4 are en- en-
ploye6 to minister to the spiritual Wei
fare of the conviets, but they nave no
chapel in the place. They take turns 1 oc-
cupying one of the corridors. Here tns
Catholic priest sets up an lmproVisea
altar and says mass, and the Rev. George
B. Maddox leads the Protestant con-
victs in prayer. ,r,-,17D,
There are imperative needs OF more
room for workshops, so that more men
can be employed and new lines OF laDor
introduced. All this exists because @ tne
State refused to appropriate money to I'M
prove the condition of affairs. Governor
Green and Governor Albeit, IN their
messages, called attention IN strong IAN
guage to what exists. The state Cndf-
flies Aid has condemned the whole affalr
and individuals have appealed lot a
change. LEGISLATION has been secured,
but it has been found imperative
In the last four years the State mas
spent for the improvement to the state
House and other institutions nearly one
million of dollars. 1t has not hao cent
TO remedy the defects in the prison or re-
move the cause that has disgraeed New
Jersey and made it a self-confessed Vio-
Fs3r e the lev and an absttor 10 I'M
nnoralftv and ti1e torttzrErs Uf cyIfig g FTslefi
RESEMBLES AN OPEN FAN.
VIII l..4 sAeieGon chart of the hVe
wards of the prison is laid out 1t re-
sembles an open dap hande me sptIe snd me rows s
of cells the bare ribs. The centre IS
fifteen feet wide. A row of Egyptian
columns stands on each SIDE. on the
south is Keeper Patterson's quarters,
and on the north side the general ONCE,
store room and the armory The real
centre is a half circle. It is beyond the
grated steel door and in the prison
proper The keepers can look up and
down the corridors with ease, and have
the entire family under their eye.
Near the desk is an electric annunci-
ator which is connected with every part
of the prison. The original building was
completed in 1886. It had 100 cells ana
cost $179,65 It was built Of red sand
stone from the Ewing duarries. The
original building consisted of the keep
er's- residence, offices and cells. Tne
prison has been enlarged since then In
other in 1852 at cost of $4,000. In 1850
the sum of sls,243 was expended for an
additional building, $4,000 was spent on
the workshops In 1869, and IN the same
year 9734 was appropriated to complete
the female wing. In 1871 the east wing
was built at cost of s10S.700 Before
1898 there was no State Prison.
Arsenal at Second and CasS streets.
There are 706 cells in the building. They
are divided as fellows:-North wing 27s;
south wing. SO; east wing, 176; west wing,
tIhe east wing is the latest addition
There are 176 cells. Here the new prls-
eners are placed until they are finally
located at some work and put permanent
= LIKE sARDINEs IN A BOX.
The first point inspected was the old
south wing, built in 1895. There are 81
cells in the hall and it has 2 tiers. It
is a relic of the earliest attempts. at
prison architecture The cells are in dou-
Die rows They are 6uilt Of brick aoa ana nd
doors. Those on the first floor are the
largest, being 8 feet wide, 10 feet high
and 16 feet deep. Four regular size cots
are to be found in each cell. There are
steam heat and flush closets. These cells
were originally intended to hold two and
four men very much overcroWd them.
four cots in the CELL there is scarcely
room to move around, necessitating one
or two of the men keeping close to their
cots.
fresh air, but there is no modern system
Of ventilation. The windows are opened
and draughts Of air are allowed to blow
through the cell, but in cold weather this
is a dangerous practice for fear of get
tjrg more fresh air than the steam heat
can warm. The cells down stars are
having three in them. Two double cells
at the end of the corridor have eight men
e THREE COTS IN A CELL.
On the second tier the cells are smaller
because the gallery platform issover the
ceiling of the lower cells, so that three
cots are placed in those on 4sle upper
fier. Here. is the most flagrant VIOLA
ton of the law, which compels all pris-
orlers sent to this institution TO be
placed in solitary confin ement -Four men
IN a cell together necessarily help to re-
move the tribulations of prison life by
their company. As far as is practical
the men brought together by assignment
ia a cell, are those who are best suited
ID Be together. If possible men who are
heing punished for accidental crimes,
such as assault and battery, murder, vio-
1ation of the Excise. laws, and crimes
4 that are either burglary or arson, are
classified together, but while it is the
intent of the management to sort out
the criminals, under the present arrange
rnerat ii is well-nigh impossible and that
phase Of prison discipline is very sadly
neglected.
The temptation is thrust upon these
men, thrown as they are, four in q cell
TO very liberal exchange OF ideas bear
iflg on criminal practices. More care Is
needed in watching the prisoners in this
wing than any other, because of the
fact that the men are unable TO have
free and easy communication with one
IN THE WEST WING.
In the west wing. which is the next
in progression, there are 1S2 cells. each
occupied by a single convict. The cells
are by 4 feet. There is narrow cot
and no running water Here the old
fashioned buckets are used, which have
been very generall- condemned as being
a dangerous method and thoroughly I'M
sanitary. The keepers of this ward say
that there Is little or no sickness. The
criminals. Fales, the Newark boy murd-
erer, has cell in this wing.
The most celebrated cell IN the prison