The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-02-11

/ for large number and degrees o
crime. Victor Hugo tells or the marks
on Jean Val Jean. and although ht
lived a model life in his more mature
years. he always had the dread d
someone discovering his early MARKS
of punishment.
/ When was a boy, there lived in
our town a man who always wore
his hair over the tops Of his ears
Rumor had it, (and rumor always
knows) that he was one of the forty
ainers in California. and was found
guilty of some minor crime the pen
atty OF which was having the ears clip
ped More serious crimes were pun
ished with Punishment or death at the
hands of Judge Lynch. In these newer
countries they had no time to build
iails and no provision for their main,
tenance.
A nations advance in civilization
is marked in no small degree by its
treatment of its criminals Ii we are
to rely upon the chronology of the
scriptures as worked out by Arch
bishop Usher, we find Joseph cast in.
10 a pit by his brethren A. d. 1929
which pit was doubtless a place OF
penal punishment by the Canaanites,
whose civilization was not of the high.
est order We find The same Joseph
fourteen years later in an Egyptian
prison, which from the records was
well ordered in every respect and in
keeping with Egyptian civilization.
The provision of places of detention
and punishment for criminals which
shall not themselves be schools of
crime has attracted much attention
among prison reformers for the past
twenty-five years. but it is still true
that the majority of county iails in
the United States are demoralizing in
their effects upon prisoners. The few
states which. like Minnesota, require
that plans be referred to state board
before jails canbe legally constructed
are among the states in which are
found the most satisfactory county
jails.
Jail and sheriff's residence should
invariably be constructed of brick,
stone or some other fire proof ma
terial The jail proper and the sher-
ifs residence should be made abso
mtely fireproof The essential quail
hcations for Jail construction are such
as will afford security, safety, class.
iiications, protection from fire, and
provisions for light. heat and sani
tation. Security against the jail
breaker may be obtained by the
strength and character of material
used and method of construction.
Underneath the first floor of the cell
room there should be from two to four
feet of solid concrete composed Of
such material as Is most convenient,
bound with a good grade Of cement
rhe ceilings OF the cell.room are to
ae made entirely secure with real or
Imitation stone Of steel plate.
All the windows IN the cellroom and
the iailer's office should be we'll pro.
tected with heavy steel bars, al least
three-quarters of an inch in diam.
ster. placed not more than four inches
on centers, and held by cross bars
not more than twelve inches on cen.
tiers. There should be sheet steel
door and a steel basket grated door
at the entrance of the cell rooms.
The doors from the sherff's office
to the residence should be of sheet
steel, for security and fire protection.
There should also be a grated steel
door at the outer entrance to the of
flee
II is means of safety If the jailer's
corridor lying between the windows
and the cells can be observed from
other portions of the iail by means oil
peek-holes. 1t is advisable that the
windows and doors to the furnace
room be barred SO that, II il be de
sired. trusted prisoners may safely
,are for the furnace.
A fine mesh wire screen should be
placed at the windows of the first
floor because contraband articles can.
not then be introduced without leav
ing clear evidence of their introdue
don The erection of steel fence
about eight feet in height, is recon
nended, about ten feet from the cell
building.
Safety for the jailer is secured
by eternal vigilance and by the sep.
arate confinement Of the prisoners
which prevents their conspiring and
combining against the jailer. No de-
vice for security or safety will take
the place of vigilance
Classification is of chief i'm.
portance. and should provide for age,
COY doorpo of crime for witnesses