The San Francisco call., 1897-10-20
SAN QUENTIN A
PLEASURE RESORT
FOR CRIMINALS
Climate There Is Delightful, Surroundings Are Agree
able and There Is Little Hard Work to Inter-
fere With the Comfort of the Convicts

outside. The vigilance of the prison au-
thoritles has not been equal to the task Of
suppressing the traffic. The convict see m
to have every liberty desired except the
privilege OF walking out when the sojourn
becomes oppressive. The yellow htera-
ture, which is excluded from the Libraries
OF he land on account oil its corrupting
and demorallz!ng influence, is admitted
10 the prisons. Under such conditions it
is not surprising that the convicts regard
themselves as heroes out of luck.
Every cear-minded man who has given
como time TO the study of public affairs
has reached the conclusion that Cai!or-
MIA must change methods in the manage
ment OF State Institutions. The mum Der
of attaches on the payroll of every institu-
ton is out of proportion to tho general ex-
pense of maintenance. The Home Tor
Fee ble-minded, for exam pie. gets 500. 900
for support of inmates and $50, 600 for
salaries. For the support OF the State
prison al Folsom the Legislature allowed
$119,00 and for alaries 500 900 Every
institution has a standing army of at
taches, and the taxpayer must foot the
bills in seasons of adversity as well as in
seasons of prosperity,
THE fact that there are so many more
prisoners at San Quentin than at Folsom -
said Prison Director Fitzgerald tnis even
ing, "Is partly due to the request fre-
qIently made by prisoners to be sent to
the nearer penitentiary from San Fran
cisco. 1t certainly does not add to the
discipline at prison 20 have its inmates
TOO near their friends, and undou ubte edl y
San Quentin is too near San Francisco for
the enforcement of the very best discipline.
Under the circu instances, and taking into
consideration the great mum Der of prie-
oners and their character at San Quentin,
the discipline is certainly good. 1t Is II
mistake on the part of Judges to favor
prisoners in the matter of a choice OF
peaitentlaries, but IL is done and we are
unable to prevent it. We can, however.
| transfer prisoners at our pleasure, but thi,
iDcurs quite an expense for transpoTta-
ton for prisoners and guards. and is not
done except under unusual circumstances.
San Quentin is not a good place for a
State prison. and l have always expressed
this opinion. In this. think, all the di-
rectors are unanimous and San Qnentin
was referred TO in our report to the last
, Legislature as being very inferior to Fol-
som for prison. purposes. The rules gov
erning the two institutions are the same
with the exception OF orders made by
each warden. The friends of prisoners
are allowed to visit the m once a month b
and to write letter once a month, but
the warden has power to modify these
rules. There. Is no more freedom or privi-
lege at San Quentin than at Folsom, bui
cisco the visiting privilege is taken
| greater advantage of.
! There is no doubt in my mind that
Folsom is an ideal place for prison, and
ali the convicts in this State should bs
kept there. 1t would cause an immense
saving to the State to have one peniten,
tiary. 1t could be constructed at Folsom
very cheaply. because all the granite and
most of the labor is already there. In ad-
dition $1,000 per month would be saved fol
power alone. as at Folsom there Is unlim
! tied power and it costs nothing. To have
one large prison would also mean saw.
ing OF not less than $5O. 900 annually IN
salaries because it would not take a,
many guards to look after ] the prison.
ers in a modern-built prison as 1t require.
! at San Quentin. The prison at San Quen,
! tin is not the best place to Contjne or i'm.
inals. 1t is impossible to segregate the m
as should be done. They are all together
and cannot be kept apart as l believe they
| should be and, consequently, when there
| is a little trouble there i: spreads rapid Y
! but it is not the fault of the discipline. but
of the i'm mproper construction of the prison
itself.
II believeif the State were TO sell the
San Quentin property that there would be
more than enough realized to build
modern and adequate prison at Folsom
! 1t il too far from San Francisco to permit
Va ACHucHt ohb shAo "
course be great help in maintaining
discipline.
'At the present time there are 1925 pris
oners at San Quentin and 800 ut Folsom
Ballington Booth of the Volunteers, who
was here recently. tod ME that the sani
tary conditions al San Quentin are bette
than he has noticed at any other prison
In this country, and he said that ii was or
! account OF its iocalitv-one OF the bes
from healthy point OF view.
III the State should build one larg,
prison at Folsom it would be built OF
modern PRINCIPLES and in such a manne
that there would be no connection what
ever between different classes of prison