Evening star., 1897-03-27

the slightest attempt to prevent 1t. Then
again. II was noticed that prisoners meet
ing in the corridors Of the cell houses and
III the yard and workshop freely conversed
with one another, a thing which is not al
lowed at Albany and other state prisons.
Enjoy Many Privileges.
At the Albany pententiary smoking is
not permitted, save when the days labors
are over, while at the New Jersey prison
the convicts smoke at any time in their
cells. Then. too, at Albany only long-term
men are allowed to have lights in their
cells. while all are allowed lights at the
Jersey prison. Indeed, the inmates of the
latter institution enjoy many privileges
VI hich are denied those at Albany. The
main cell house of the New Jersey prison
was built in 1896. and while the cells in I
are unusually large. the one window in
each cell is hardly more than a small sky
light located so near the ceiling as to pre-
vent view by the prisoner of other than
the sky. The doors OF these cells are solid,
SO that their occupants can neither see nor
be seen. Cells in another wing are similar
to those of the eastern penitentiary of
Pennsylvania, where the system OF soli-
tsry confinement is practiced. A new cell
house. but recently occupied. is a modern
n odel affair. The cells. while smaller.
have every sanitary convenience. They are
OF steel, with no opening. save the gratef
door and ventilator. and in each there is n
gas jet, table and STOOL
Inc ten cOnH1ctS iioiii '''i'
Increased the number in the New Jersey
prison to LOST, of whom but twenty-nine
were women. Every convict is required to
labor every day save Sundays and certain
holidays, the men making clothing, shoes,
brushes, mating and mats. while the wo-
men are engaged in sewing and in the pris-
on kitchen. Those men who work in the
mating and mat shops perform the hard-
est labor, especially those who work what
are called the tread-mill machines. II was
the work or these machines which gave
rise TO the rumor that at the Trenton prison
the men are required to spend SO much
time every day upon treadmil, system
of punishment employed in certain English
prisons. The convicts are required to work
from early morning. with a hour at noon
for dinner, until about dark, when they
are marched back TO their cells for the
night. They are given three meals day,
the food comparing most favorably with
that provided at Albany. Indeed. 1t ap-
peared from glance to be somewhat su-
rerior to that set before the cCnvictS in The
New York prison.
Modes of Punishment.
The convicts, or Father their labor, Is
leased from the state by manufacturers of
the various articles they make. and they
are required to perform certain set
amount of work every day. At times, how
ever, the materials run short, and then the
men are forced to spend their time in their
cells. That they very much dislike, pre-
ferring to be at work than TO be locked up
in their cells. The modes OF punishment IN
vogue at the prison are few, the most ef-
fective perhaps the dark cell, where man
is confined in utter darkness and upon
bread and water. 1t is very seldom. how
ever, that it becomes necessary TO keep
man there much longer than twenty-four
hours. Another very effective mode of pun
ishment is that of standing man before a
clock in the rotunda of the prison, in such
a way that he is compelled to keep his eyes
straight before him on the face of the clock,
while the weary hours slowly pass away.
Then the loss of privileges, and if neces-
sary, the loss of goodtire communication Of
the sentence, are also employed as punish
ment.
In one respect the New Jersey prison diff
| fers radically from that at Albany, and
that is in the amount of time deducted
from sentences for good behavior. At AL
| bany two months deducted from the
| first and second years. four months from
| the third and fourth years. and five
months from the fifth and every subsequent
| year Under the New Jersey law the keep
| er Of the state prison is required to keep a
record of the behavior of every prisoner,
| and also of the character of the labor per
| formed, whether satisfactory or otherwise,
| to be presented to the inspectors of the
| prison. For every month of faithful per-
| fcrmance Of assigned labor, the inspectors
| remit the convict two days of the term for
which he was sentenced; for every mon. h
| of continuous orderly department, two days
| ard for every month of manifest effort at
| intellectual Improvement and self-control,
| to be certified to by the moral instructor
| (chaplain), one day. On the recommcnda-
| tion of the keeper and moral ins.l uctor.
! an additional day per month Is RENTED to
| every convict who, for twelve months pre-
| cedirg, shall have .nerited the same by his
| continuous good conduct III the particulars
| mentioned. and for each succeeding year
| of uninterrupted good conduct, this relnis-
! sion is progr essively increased.
| Longer Time at Trenton.
| Such rules of deduction for good time re-
| suit in much longer sentences at the Jer-
sey prison than at the Albany institution
! That is. the time actually spent in confire-
ment at the former is materially longer
| than that at the latter. This difference is
| apparent from the following table of de.
| ductions. made at the Trenton prison:
Terms ., Som .g. s.g. e