The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-12-12
To do Away With 1t
Would be a Grave
Mistake.
WOULD ENTAIL GREATER EXPENSE.
Facts and Figures to Show
That II is tho Means OF Car
ing for Lesser Criminals
A Check to Crime.

Judge j. p. Fawcett, one of the d.
rectors of the Stark county work.
house, in discussing the criticisms OF
the institution and the demands made
from certain quarters that 1t be abol-
ished in the interests of economy,
said wednesday morning:
"The persons who are making such
recommendations have not gone deep.
ly enough into the question to under
stand just what they are demanding.
The sweeping charge is made that the
workhouse costs the county too much
to maintain it, and that 1t would be
good thing il 1t were abandoned al
| together.
81 say that this would be great
mistake and it will take only few
| figures to prove it to any one who is
not prejudiced. Stark county has a
large population and embraces sever
al large cities from which come the
greater number of the prisoners who
are committed to the workhouse. Dur
| ing the last, year there was daily
average of As Stark county prisoners
in the institution, with total sentences
Of 10000 days.
COST OF MAINTENANCE.
"The total cost of maintaining the
workhouse over and above it's earn
ings for the past year was in round
numbers $1,000. Those are the figures
that set people to talking and arguing
against the place. But let us figure
little. Whether we have the work
house or not, people are going to com
NIT crime, and without it there will
be more crime than at present, for
there is no doubt that the fear of a
workhouse sentence has salutary
and restraining affect upon a great
many of the lesser criminals.
Taking it for granted then, that
there will be at least an average of 40
prisoners daily the year round to
take care of, what are you going to
do with them? They cannot be turn
ed loose in the community. Send
them to Jail, some say. Others insist
that they be sent to the Cleveland
workhouse. Here is another place
where we must stop and figure the
cost.
AT the workhouse 1t costs the
county little less than 45 cents
day to maintain a prisoner. This in
cludes every expense connected with
the institution, the repairs, inn
provements and every dol
lar that is spent for light, heat, pow
er. superintendent. guards, etc.
THE JAIL PLAN.
"Let us figure what it would cost
to keep this number in the county
Jail for 365 days in the year. The
sheriff is allowed 60 cents a day for
keeping prisoners and 10 cents a day
additional for washing for them. This
tion to this, clothing and barbering
must be included. This cannot be es-
timated exactly, and the figuring can
he upon the basis of 20 cents which
Is absolute.
"This would make a total of $11,-
497 so, or over $4,000 more than under
the present system of maintaining the
prisoners. And that is not all. If
this number were added to those that
are usually kept by the sheriff, new
jail would be an absolute necessity
There are times when there are as
high as 70 Stark county prisoners in
the workhouse. II these were placed
in the Jail there would not be room
for the half of them. Twenty-Five OF
thirty would crowd the cells. A new
jail would cost 100000 or more, and
there would be the additional expense
of heating it and additional help.
EXPENSE AT CLEVELAND.
"Others insist upon sending them to
another workhouse. The one at
Cleveland is the only one available.
There they charge so cents LAY for
keeping them. and there would be the
railroad fare of the. prisoners both
ways. the fare of guard both ways
and the additional mileage of cents
a mile each way to the guard. gS
"The average sentence Of the pris-