Evening star., 1896-10-28
GIRLS REFORM SCHOOL
Annual Report of the President of the Board
of Trustees.
GIRLS.
Accom- III OdntiOns Insufficient to En-
able the Institution to DO the
Greatest Good.

Mr.. VIM. C. Endicott. jr.. president of the
beard Of trustees of the Reform School for
Girls of the District, submitted the fourth
annual report of the board to the Attorney
General today Since the submission Of
the last report there have been five differ
ent superntendents of the school. including
the incumbent. OF the number one died
and three resigned.
Since the Opening of the school on No
vember t. 1888; siXty-two girls have been
eceived at the institutions: in lS.3-4. thlr-
ty-eight; in 1S4-5, fourteen. and in lSo-6.
ten. From the opening of the schooi unui
the present date eight girls nave escaped,
al, of whom have been returned to the m
sttution: four girls in 1854, one girl N
! 1S95 and three girls in lS.G. During the
same period forty girls have either been
released from the Institution as reformed
or else have been apprenticed. and of this
number only five girls have been returned
to the school-three by the board of chill
dren's guardians, to whom they were turn
ed over by the trustees, and two by per
sons to whom the girls were apprenticed.
Two girls who set fire to the building IN
April. 1885, were indicted for arson and
sent to The Albany county penitentiary by
i the Supreme Court of the District OF Co
| IL mbia for the period OF hVe years. one
girl who was apprenticed escaped IN April,
| 1886, from her employer and was married
Record of Some Inmates.
Since the opening of the school," says
Pr esident Endicott, twelve girls have
! been turned over to the board of childrens
gl, ,ardians. OF this number three girls had
a record altogether bad and were returned
| to the school; three girls have bad rec
ord four girls have ali exceptionally good
| record, ard two girls are doing Well VI
the three girls returned to the institution
one has been returned to her father owing
| to her good behavior and the other two
! are at present at the school and are among
the best ard most trustworthy girls in the
| institution. 1t is quite probable that
| Of
| provided, it Is a noticeable fact that
the girls who have been released 10 their
fl miles or relations have in no case been
returned to the school, and as far as IS
known by the trustees. with one exception,
the girls have done We'll
| Doing Excellent Work.
There is no doubt that this school is
| doing excellent work. 1t is far too small
| to be run economically. The school IS built
| in such a way that it will only accom-
modate tWenty-Seven girls The trustees
tried the experiment of placing two girls
in one room and several girls IN large
| room, that at one time there were
| thirty-Six inmates, but this scheme was
| found to be extremely demoral:Zing and mad
| to be given up. In comparison with other
| ir stitutions in the country 1t could well be
| said that the school was run on very ex-
| travagant scale, as each inmate costs in the
! peighborhood of $500 a year to support,
| while statistics Of other institutions show
that the average cost per prisoner IS ABOUT
| S12o year.
School Too Small.
| .Ther. is a general impression that this
| school is a colored girls reform school.
| Under the la,, it is a school for the ac-
commodation of white we'll as black
| girls, but unfortunately the building Is
constructed in such a way that 1t would be
| impossible TO separate the white and col.
| ored girls. 1t is also a fact. much to be
| de piored, that it is Impossible under ex-
| isting circumstances to separate good from
| bad girls Some girls who really are good.
and have no home and are in danger OF
| being brought up to lead a vicious life, are
| committed to the institution and associate
at once with criminals. If the institution
| 125 or 13O girls, the same force at present
at the school, with the addition of two
| teachers would be sufficient, and the sch,ol
| would be run economically
| Increased Appropriation Needed.
ION behalf of the trustees of the school
| l desire to emphasize again the necessity
| of obtaining from Congress additional ap-
| propriations in order to increase the eff
| cheney of the school and enable the trustees
| to run the institution upon more econ
| omical basis. If Congress will appropriate
| SJO,OOO, ninety or more rooms could be
| added to the school, and if this is done
| additional force would be necessary to run
| the school, except possibly two teachers.
| The experience OF the past year has shown
| that the present force though it may seem
large tC care for the present number of in
| mates is absolutely essential in order to
| oversee the girls properly in their work
and to prevent them from escaping from
| the institution. The present building could
| be much improved upon reformatory
| institution. In the District appropriation
| bills the Girls Reform School of the Dis
| trct of Columbia has been placed. since
the fo,Seding of the school, under the head
| of charities and corrections, while the
| BOYS Reform School has been placed under
| the head of reformatories and prisons. AS
a IN h<,
| same footing, 1t is desirable that the Girls
| Reform School should be placed under the
| head of reformatories and prisons, over
| which the Department of Justice has con-
| troll
The estimates for the fiscal year ending
| June 30, 1893, aggregate $63,625, of which
| $5025 is for salaries, 5000 for general
! maintenance and s52,600 for improvements,
| including addition to the main building,
I painting. cementing cellar floor, etc.