Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-06
MUST WORK.
No More Ease for Maine
Jail Quarters.
Only Half Of jaiIs in State Now
Have Workshops.
inspectors Order Others to Prov;a.
Something Of Kind.

counties of the Stltc must work ,h.;r
jail prisoners. The order has mt vat
been given ana when it is given il win
not be sweeping one to take efr,ct
at once but the commissioners arc RI h.,
informed that they must begin TO
make arrangements to provide svs-
| teina tic work for the men and women
| t0n!lned in the county prisons
1t is generally recognized that ,ber,
| ;Irr few things So harmful to a man ~.
Worlan either as to be locked UP in a
cell and allowed 10 remain there fo,
80 Gays on more with nothing TO do but
"eld the more or less bad literature
mat is furnished them by their friends
II they can read 1T all or have friends
or worse still to simply null and do
| nothing. Such a life as this is SURF, to
| make the criminals confined in the
jails wo, Sc morally than they were. be.
fore they were imprisoned and what
| indirectly amounts to the same thing.
| breaks down their health.
That all PRISONERS should work is a
| recognized axiom among those philan-
throrsts who have made study of
| Jail and prison life with Il View to bet
ttrlnG the condition of prisoners and
incidrntally of course humanity in gem
| er.l.
In about half of the county jails Of
! the STAT. there are workshops Whit
the others prOvid" nothing for their
| prisoners to do. Some of these coun-
| lies send their long term prisoners to
| JallS where there are workshops but
| the great majority Of those who are
! confined for 30 OF 80 days have abso-
| lutcly h,'thng to do except wait for
| the expiration of thtir sentence and
eat what the jailor or county commits
siontls III The Sordnc.-s Of their hearts
| may set before them. This is posi-
| tive evil tending to the increase of the
| criminal classes and it is this evil
which the inspector, propose to remedy
even if drastic measures are neces-
ssry III order 10 DO so.
In order to provide work for their
prisoners it will be necessary for the
COUNT. where there are no work
shops to provide something of the sort
but the inspectors do not think this
Will be very great expense. In most
of the jails there is room that could be
devoted to his purpose with very littlc
expense ard even if it is necessary to
| build, a costly building need not be
| provided.
OF course the kind Of work that is to
| be provided viii be left with the coun-
~ commissioners. but i'll the case OF
the men cutting heels and breaking
stone are suest stcd as the best adapt
| cd to the purpose. 1t requires no skill
10 do either "f these things. neither is
very hard but either occupation Will
keep the men busy at something dur
ing the greater part of the day ana i'll
ease of cutting heels at least enough
profit will accrue to the county to
more than pay the expense of the shop.
The inspectors have found when
they have attempted this reform in the
counties where reform is needed that
they have To meet the Indifference,
| which in some cases amounts to the
opposition, OF the county commissions
RS. This opposition is selfish and the
, inspectors think short sighted. If the
men work they eat more naturally. and
his Increases the cost of maintain
ing them. while keeping them at work
of course takes more or less of the
| commissioners time which the inspec
tors find is rather grudginsly given in
some cases.
In one jill in the State where the
inspectors ordered that the prisoners
be set to work breaking stone. the
commissioners bought 40 and A. pound
hammers which The men found it al
most Impossible to use. The result
was that Jail labor in this. county was
a failure as perhaps it was intended it
| should be.
The commissioners have been ordered
TO provide lighter hammers and it is
| expected that better results will fol-
| low.
The inspectors hav" talked the mat
ter over With Govcrno:-clect cobb aud
they will have his supper; in compell-
! ing the counties TO work their Prison
ers. The power Of the inspectors in
| the matter is absolute. fnr if any coun-
! ~ Jail is not run as they think it
should be run they have the power to
| remove the prisoners to some other
| jail and the county from which they
| are taken will have to pay the OK
pense of the removal and the board of
| the prisoners 50 long as tncy are con-
fined in the outside Jail. If there is
| any disposition to disregard the wish
IS Of the inspectors. they will not hest
| tate 10 1ltIl!N Tue ttl'tut W lltn tIt
law gives them the power to do.
The classification of prisoners is an
| other thing to which the inspectors
| ar. giving their intention and an eff
! fort will he made to bring about some
| reforms in this matter. In some of
| the tails Of the State the prisoners are
he-ded together without regard to who
| they are or why they are confined. In
one county which has a new Jail and
no workGhOp the cells are arranged
| about . single corridor 50 that the
prisoners can communicate freely with
! one anotn-l. The effect ON a young
hoy who might be locked up for some
petty offense for the first time in his
life Of being confined in a place like
this Of having to associate for month
or two with thieves and tramps can be
readily imagined. II the State should
set out to MAKE HIM confirmed crimi-
nal ii could not go about in surer
way.
This evil does not prevail in all ]alls
of course and in some that of Gum |
bertrand county for instance. great at