Milford chronicle., 1895-02-08
The Proposed wOrkhOuse.

A bill providing for the creation
of "The Board of Trustees Of the
Delaware State Workhouse" has
been prepared and submitted to men,
bers Of the General Assembly for
consideration. The bill is the out
come of the prison reform agitation
upon the part of the Delaware Union
for the Public Good. The idea Of
those interested in the matter is to
provide employment for prisoners
and to separate, so far as it is possi-
BILE, the men, women and youthful
inmates who may be sentenced to
terms of imprisonment.
The bill provides that the board
of trustees shall consist of nine per-
sons, two men and one woman from
each county, to be named in the bill,
and who are to serve without COM
pensation. One member from each
county is to serve one year, one two
years and one three years, their sue
cessors to be appointed by the gov
ernor, each new appointee for a three
years term. These trustees are to
have full control of the management
of the workhouse, just as the trus-
tees of the Delaware State Hospital
have full control of that institution,
and they are to make reports to the
governor at times specified in the
bill. For the purpose of inaugural
ing the work the State is to borrow
-On bonds paying a rate of interest
not to exceed four percentum a year
mot more than two hundred thOus-
and dollars. These bonds can be re-
deemed any time after the first day
of January, 1905, and interest is to
be paid semi-annually. With the
money thus raised the trustees are
to procure the necessary ground and
erect a suitable building or build
ings.
After the workhouse is completed,
which must be within two years after
the passage of the act, the sheriffs of
the several counties are to remove
the term prisoners under their charge
to the new institution, in which every
inmate is to be employed at work
for at least eight hours a day, the
proceeds Of their work TO go toward
meeting the expenses of the work
house. Each county, however, is to
pay so much a year for each pris-
oner sent from such county, but the
earnings of each prisoner is to be
credited to the county from which
he is sent. Prisoners awaiting SEN
teuce are to be confined in the reg
ular county prisons, although the bill
does not say so. After conviction
and sentence to fixed term prison
ers are to be removed to the work
house, those upon whom corporeal
punishment is imposed first receiv-
ing such punishment at the hands of
the sheriffs. The workhouse and its
equipments are to be in full charge
of the trustees, whose books are to
be open at all times for the inspec-
ton of the state auditor, who is ex-
pected to audit the accounts every
three months. A remission of SEN
tence, from FIVE to ten days-for each |
month of sentence, is provided, based |
upon the behavior and good conduct
OF the prisoners. For all overtime
the prisoners are to be paid, the
money so earned being either sent
to their families, expended for their
own benefit while in prison, or left to
until the expiration of
their terms, then to be paid in lump
sum upon discharge.
These are the main features Of the
bill, which seems to lack some de-
iails in order to make it complete
is no provision for the disposal
If any surplus money which may be
neither is there any
provision for supporting the work.
,ouse in the event OF it falling TO be
unless the per capita
upon each county is to
,e made sufficient. Another feature
which will have to b0 considered is
hat IN reference to the future salar-
Is of sherifs, in the event Of the
vorkhouae being erected and put /
nto operation. Under the existing /
Avs the sheriffs are paid by fees
btained through civil suits and
rom the per capita allowance forthe J
oard Of prisoners. The matter OF .