The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-31

Secretary Hart, of the state board Of
Corrections and Charities, has COM
pleted his report upon the condition Of
the various lock-ups and places of de-
tention In the towns and villages Of
the state. This is about the last work
completed by Mr.. Hart prior to his de-
parture for Chicago.
take charge today and Mr.. Hart will
leave for Chicago tonight to take i'm
mediate charge Of his new office there
In speaking Of the Minnesota lock-
ups yesterday Mr.. Hart said:
"Out Of the $50 lock-ups which have
been reported to this office not more
than 10 per cent Of them are fit places
to keep human beings in. Although
the new law recently passed by the
legislature brings the erection of new
lock-ups under our direct supervision,
| making the approval of the plans and
specifications by this office requisite to
their construction, the old ones still
remain as nuisanceS to the cOmmuni-
ties In which they are situated.
Nearly every town and village In
the state has lookup or 'calliboose'
Of some kind or other, and only three
of these places OF detention which I
have inspected have been what nigh,
be called model institutions. The 10
per cent which are adequate, are for
the most part buildings which have
been built Of late years under the su-
pervision of this Office. The law re-
quires that they be fire proof and
makes many other desirable provisions
that have worked to materially i'm
prove their condition since the law
went into effect.
1--WE roast about one inmate in the
year in the lock-ups Of Minnesota. In
North Dakota three inmates were Gre
mated in a lookup recently. Crema-
ton has one advantage in disposing Of
criminals. 1t saves all further expense
for conviction and Imprisonment and
it is a sure preventative Of further
criminal conduct, but we have not yet
been able in our state to educate pub
lie sentiment up to it's adoption as q
permanent Psychological method. There
are sentimental objections to it and
some of our lawyers have claimed that
it is unconstitutional to cremate a
prisoner before he has had his trial.
"Jails are of two classes, city or viii
1age lock-ups and county jails. The
city or village institution Is Familiarity
called a cooler" or calliboose." These
city lock-ups are in very few cases, fit
places in which to keep a man over
night. They are usually built Of pine
lumber with innumerable crevices
which form an impregnable harbor for
faithful, can keep such a place in
clearly condition.
"They are entirely insecure; patience
and jack knife, with an absent watch
man, being the only requisites for es-
capes. Every such lookup is a fire
trap, exposing it's inmates to crema-
ton.
"a lookup is a public institution,
and it is not too much to ask that every
public institution should be so con-
structed that it can be readily kept
clean, wholesome and free from
vermin, and that it shall afford rea-
sonable privacy for women, children
and insane persons, even if it does not
provide for the classification of other
inmates, and that it shall not expose
it's inmates to unnecessary peril of life,
health or morals.
Judged by this moderate standard,
most of our lock-ups must be con-
demned.
1--WE are now preparing in this office
percentage of the nationality and Of
fenses and length Of incarceration of
the inmates of local institutions