The Saint Paul globe., 1897-02-17

FOR ANOTHERBUI AT ST.
CLOUD -...
is NOT REGARDED WITH. FAVOR
Discussion of Che Subject by Those
Interested incthe W0rk-Other
So. Meetings to BE Held.

for another state Institution at st.
Cloud, but the ladies have asked but
little, and 1 think we ought to give it
to them if it is possible" .-A-
1t was in. these words that Senator
Allen j. Greer expressed himself and
the sentiment which pervaded the
meeting held last night, at the residence
OF Col r.. M NewpOrtafor the purpose
OF discussing plans for the establish
ment of state reformatory for women
IN Minnesota. There were present Sem
ators Stevens, Greer, Yale. Johnson
Ozmun, Sperry, Stockton, Thompson,
DR.. and Mrs. G. G. Higbee, Gen. and
Mrs j. W. Bishop, Mesdatnes .. H.
Ozmun, H. H. Stevens, Edgerton and
Z. o. Van 'CleVe, the latter of Mime
apolis; Miss ETaps, of NorthfeId; Drs.
Jeanette NcLaren and Helen w. Bis
sell. and Fl. H. Hart ."= .-.:
Senator Johnson, Who had already
introduced q bill in the Legislature for
the establishment of a restraining in
stitution for women and girls over six
teen, made a. brief explanation of the
plan which has been mapped out, ard
Which, according to the Hennepin SEN
ator, is badly needed at this time, there
being no exclusively WOmen's prison
in the state, and the facilities for the
care of WOmen" PRISONERS at the state,
county or municipal prisons being
wholly inadequate;Il He explained that
under the present. system the effect is
to disgrace and Thereby further de-
grade the Offender by the associations
thrown around her. He nOinted out
that when young girl takes her first
wrong step She is, either sentenced to
confinement with Older and hardened
female prisoners OF, owing to the Gus
tom in municipal courts where the
| judges will not sentence girls, allowed
! to go free, only,toreturn later STEPPED
more deeply inTTTyiee and crime. a @
! Senator Johnson called on DR.. Helen
| B1sSell, who was connected in an Off
| c1al capacity with the institution at
| South Farmingham, Mass, similar to
| the one it is hoped to establish here.
DR.. BisseH told of the manner of con-
| Quoting the institution where she was
assistant physician, and related some
! thing of the conditions surrounding
! women and girls who were restrained
There. The average number Of inmates
| annually was about 300, and out of
| those who Were given indeterminate
sentences and later released a surpris-
| 1ngly small percentage ives recOmmft-
|
| The girls were placed on their honor.
were given time for sober reflection,
and while there were taught cooking
| hOuseWork, sewing. and eYeGn farm
work, the report for last yeaf.v showing
! that some 300 inmates either earned or
! saved by raising farm and garden pro-
duce, etc, some S32, 600. 1t might be
urged, said DR.. BisseIl, that economy
| would be interpOsed as a reason for
not building this reformatory. AS an,
argument against this she cited the
fact that the net annual per capita
cost at this Massachusetts home was
$1C8.40 as against $175 for men. Enough
money could be saved in this way, she
thought, to make up any other dis
crepancy when the value of the work
was considered. The cost of keeping
women in county jails was, she said,
| three times the amount mentioned for
| Massachusetts. -.
| H. H. Hart, secretary of the state
| board Of charities and corrections, was
| present, and was asked to speak on the
matter. He related the utter lack Of
| proper accommodation for women in
the various penal institutions Of the
! state. In the st. Paul and Minneapolis
warehouses there were departments for
women offenders, but owing to the
| short sentences there was no opportu-
nifty for any refOrmatOry discipline. In
| the state prison at Saltwater, there are
| confined some 500 men and four women,
! and the expense for keeping the latter
was very great, owing to the necessity
! for women n1atrOn attendants, etc. In
| the state reformatory there was no
| provision whatever for female prison
| ers.
| The state reform school BOARD had
asked the legislature for $4,000 with
| which to- build a Women'S section to
| the school, but the board of corrections
| and Pho TitipC did no re +La
plan but thought that it was making
| a wrong start by standing in the way
| of an exclusively Women's prison. Mr..
! Hart believes that with good manage
ment an institutions of this character
can be run at not too great expense.
| and above all else urges that the in
! stitution be isolated so far as possible
! from any other state institution. AS
| reason for not having the reformatory
| conducted at or in conjunction with
| any Others and especially where there
were men confined, Mr.. Hart explained
that an entirely different sort Of treat
| ment was needed. He believed that
| about 5000 a year per capita would
| cover the expense to begin with Half
Of the nopulatian.Gf suchza reformatory
would be from st. Paul and Minneapo-
| lis
Senator Stevens, who has just re
! turned from a visit to that place. ex-
institution was~a model one in every
! respect. with it's excellent discipline
| and permanent improvements. No
where could complete isolation be Sc
cured, he said, and he seemed to favor
| some sort of joint arrangement by
which the big building and territory
| could be made to serve the present
need, for, he said: 1T seems to me
| that 1t would better to take what we
can obtain, even If there are objec-
tions, than to reach for an ideal which
| we cannot haVe.Y He estimated the
cost would approximate $15O,00O, if an
entirely new refortnatory should be
built, and spoke 1f the needed re-
trenchment by the State
Senator Johnson felt that the matter
should be dropped for the present any
way, rather than dblace- this new re-
formatory at orRaear any penal instftu-
! ton, and said 1T would be something
If the Legislatures only passed an en-
| abling act at ehisT Tlsession The sum
of SEE. 900 wouldJ in his opinion, be suf-
ficient for the purchase Of land and
the construction of9a restraining house
and, say, two cottages.
Mrs. Ozmun Iandl Miss Evans both
| lifted their voices against any prox-
unity to other Institutions, which would
! have a pernicioJfs effect in that the
| girls would be distracted and otherwise
| harassed and Vexed by the restraint
| thus made necessary.
/ Senator Greer suggested the coupling
of the training Of the girls at Red
! Wing with the reforming of women
at the same place, and added that. if
! the new reformatory was not to be at
Red Wing, it should be somewhere