The San Francisco call., 1898-11-30
NECESSARY REFORMS IN
 TIE PRISONS State Board Makes Recommendations. PAROLE SYSTEM APPROVED
CLASSIFICATION OF CONNECTS
 URGED.
Opium Traffic in California Pen1ten- tiaries Attributed to the Legis- lature's Failure to
 Act.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

nial report Of the state boalu Oi iiNOii Directors for the two years endlhs June 30. 1898, to which Director Wlklhs mas been devoting a good deal of tune anu careful consideration for several Weeks' was finished and forwarded to cover nor Budd to-day The document IS ex- ceedingly important in its nature ana supplies interesting reading, lnasIioch as attention is drawn to various re- forms needed at both Folsom ana san Quentin.
 The attention of the executive IS drawn to the fact that, while the olS- cipline enforced at the two prisons VIII conDare favorably with that or any similar institution in the country Varl- ous reforms are possible which cannot be put into operation under existing conditions. The chief of these, cIas- sffication of prisoners, IS spoken or as follows:
 Foremost among these is a careful classification of prisoners and the apsoiule segregation of the totally depraVeio io oinn5 arSd from those who are young Tn wee aila with whom there is reasonable nope oI final reformation. To carry out our views in this direction would 1nvolVe tne ;,'tyn- IUn- struction of new cell buildings. the intro duction of new industries and heaVy eA- penditure of money. Probably It IS d larger question from a financial stand point than the people are prepared to re- gard fayorably in their present mood
 In connection with the reformation or prisoners we call your attention 10 the parole law We have exercised the au- thority conferred upon us by this act with the utmost caution and have endeav- ored to expand its provisions to applicants worthy of our confidence. It is true that our Expectations have been disappointed in some instances, but on the whole the results have been most satisfactory. Fully so per cent of paroled prisoners are leading industrious and honorable lives, fact that should go far toward removing the remaining prejudice against proper exercise of this law.
 The opium traffic, toward which pub- lie attention has been frequently at tracted by The Call, the directors are frank to admit is still carried on III spite of the utmost vigilance on the part of the prison officials. on this subject the report reads:
 A mischievous and demoralizing factor with which we are forced to contend fs the prevalent opium habit among large bodies of conyicts. especially at San Quen- tin prison. Your board has made the most strenuous efforts to suppress the trafhc in this drug, in which we have had the hearty cooperation of subordinate offi- cials, yet we must confess that We have not been wholly successful. It Is due in a large part to the fact that our Legisla- ture has failed to make the introduction of opium into our prisons penal offense, though repeatedly urged to do so. Were a sufficiently severe punishment certain for those detected in the nefarious busf- ness, we would be in a much better posi- tion to deal with this great evil.
 The board earnestly advocates as question of pressing urgency proper ac- commodations for the care of the crim- inal insane and details the results of the conference with a committee from the State Lunacy Commission. Folsom a1 tI1A faF. cit to fnys HH construction of a ward for the criminal insane, because it offers the advantages of free light and water and because the granite QuarrieS there and the presence of a large force of unemployed conviCts will tend to make the cost of construc- tion comparatively small item.
 The indeterminate sentence system, as employed in other States more ad- vanced in the science of penology, is recommended for favorable conSidera- tion by the Legislature. It is asserted that in California men are released from prison daily who have learned no lesson from confinement or discipline and confessedly go out to prey again upon society. It is thought that in the majority of cases a much better result would be attained if sentences were not for fixed limit, but were made within certain limits, dependent upon evidence of reformation.
 1I6 JuIe IS mentioned as on a most satisfactory basis, but 5000 900 bags have been carried over on account of short crops. Enough have been marketed to fill the revolving fund of $100,000 and permit the retention of enough money for present operating ex- penses.
 The board regrets to be obliged to mention the fact that the rock crusher at Folsom has had so few orders that business may be deemed at minimum. The necessity of providing profitable employment for the prisoners is urged, and it is recommended that experience with a small tract of arable land dem onstrates that it would be a wise move on the part of the Legislature to pur- chase a large tract of land near the prison, the working of which would give the convicts employment and go far toward making the prison self-sup- porting. The board does not believe this would interfere with free labor, for such staple products could be raised as would not compete in price with any body.
 Nearly eight miles of the Tiburon boulevard have been completed by con- vict labor. The board Is especially proud of the showing made oa that road.
 The board takes pride in the fact that the prisons have been conducteI on lines of strict economy, so far as the best interests of the State would per- init. Not only has that body lived with in the appropriations made by the Leg islature, but it has saved enough to make a number of much-needed per- manent improvements, among which are mentioned the new kitchen, with modern cooking plant, and the new prison wharf.
 PARALYZED BY A DIVE