Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-16

County Board lin November 1894, the
county clerk, T. L. Rourke, read the
following notice he had received from
the State Board Of Control which
explains itself:
BASEMENT JAIL.
County Clerk, Wood County, Grand
Rapids, Wisconsin-DearS Sir, A recent
inspection of the Wood county Jail
dev. lcnes tkc g. .hat il 10 ~-ptment
Jail, dark and lily ventilated and must
be an unhealthtul place in which to
keep prisoners; that it is insufficient as
to room and is so constructed as to not
hold prisoners securely, with ordinary
vigilance on the part of the officer in
charge.
1t is the opinion of the Board that
the defects cannot be remedied and
that new jail should be constructed.
You are hereby notified that if with
in one year after the receipt of this
notice new Jail is not constructed, the
Board will condemn the present jail,
under Section 500 a, Chapter 2lS of the
Laws. of 1889.
BY the Board, }. f.. JONES,
Attest; ID. 5. CoMLEY, President.
Secretary.
This notice was referred to the Court
House committee, consisting of Geo. l..
Williams, of Grand Rapids, John
Schnable, of Centralia, and F. Phillips,
of Rudolph, to make a report on same
at that session. The Court House
committee made the following report:
To the Honorable County Board of
Supervisors of Wood County, Wis.
Al 4 Il NN-,
House Committee, to whom was referred
the communication from the State
Board of Control regarding the jail of
this county, beg leave to make the
following report:
rhey have personally visited and
inspected said Jail and living rooms of
the sheriff in the basement Of this court
house, and they fully agree with the
views of the said Board of Control that
the said "basement Jail is dark, lily
ventilated and must be an unhealthy
place in which to keep prisoners. That
it is insufficient as to room and SO
constructed as not 10 hold prisoners
securely, and that its defects cannot be
remedied." In this connection we
would suggest to each member Of the
present Board that he make pers Onal
inspection of such jail and of the living
rooms of the sheriff
The defects may be briefly mentioned:
First-As want of proper ventilation.
Second-Want of proper sleeping rooms
Third-Lack of sewerage. Fourth-In-
ability to keep prisoners separated-the
excessively bad from those who are not
confirmed criminals. Fifth-No proper
place for the confinement of female
prisoners. SiXth-No place in which to
contine insane persons, except with
other prisoners. SeVenth-Lack OF
sufficient room.
The law of this state now provides
that no Jail, police-station or lookup
shall be constructed in the basement of
any other building. Section 565 A, of
Sanborn x Berryman's Annotated Stat
utes, being Chapter 21S of the Laws of
1899, provides that whenever in the
opinion of the State Board any Jail is
dangerous to the health or life of
prisoners. or is so constructed as not to
hold prisoners securely with ordinary
vigilance on the part of the officers in
charge, or is not so constructed as to
provide for the proper separation OF
prisoners, it shall be the duty of the
State Board to notify the County Board
bv filing written notice with the
County Clerk stating the facts in the
case and whether in their opinion
the defects can be remedied by repairs,
or whether new Jail should be con-
structed. If within one year after such
notice being filed, the repairs are not
satisfactorily made or new jail cou-
structed according to the requirements,
it shall be the duty of the State Board
to condemn such Jail, and it shall be the
duty of the sheriff of the county to i'm
mediately transfer all prisoners then in
such jail to some other place of confine-
ment, and thereafter not to use said jail
as place for contining prisoners. 1t is
however, also provided in this Section
that such condemnation shall not take
effect until approved by the Circuit
Judge; and it is further provided that
the State Board may for good reasons