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


of crime. and leaving the prisoners
worse instead of better as a result
OF their confinement: third. as a pre-
yention Of escape. and a protection
10 the Jail officers against the com
bined assaults of prisoners. which are
frequently made in the effort to
escape; fourth. as a means of whole
some discipline to many vicious pris
oners who escape all other inaiction
fifth, as a means OF protecting the in.
diyiduality of the better class of pris.
Oners. who do not wish to associate
with the vile and deprayed. 1t IS
recommended that, while in the sher-
IFS custody, insane persons be placed
in room rather than in cell, and
that an attendant of the same sex
be constantly present
The heat should be either steam or
not water. and the radiators should
be so placed that any one of the
Jail classifications may he made com.
Portable without heating the entire
floor or the entire cel-room. as is now
the case in old iails.
The necessity OF good light in a
jail seems to he almost entirely un-
appreciated. Except Jail be well
lighted. classification is practically i'm.
possible. The dark jails are almost
invariably the ones from which the
escapes are made Light is not only
\ essential to health, but the absence
Of light has discouraging and demon.
alzing effect on the prisoners. All jails
should be so constructed as to have
a good.sized window opposite each
cell, and the portion of the cell toward
the window should be made of such
material as to permit the entrance
of the most light consistent with Sc
! curity The use of wire glass is
recommended by good authorities. be-
! cause il prevents the PRISON. seeing
out, and it throws an increased
I amount of light in the cells. In or.
/ der to secure sufficient light as well
! as adequate ventilation, it is desirable
i that the first floor be at least nine feet
in height and thee second floor be at
least eight feet in height The Jail
should he provided with the safest
and most economical provision for
( artificial light which the county seat
affords, electric light preferred.
There should be a plentiful supply
of pure water for drinking and cleans
ing purposes. Cleanliness is prime
essential in Jail administration. Each
cell should have cupboard for the
use Of night bucket. and this cup
board should be ventilated by sep
arate pipe extending into the main
ventilation fiue. There should be a
!
system of ventilation in which foul
lir is forced Tor drawn from the room
by heated hues or pipes. 1t is import
mt that thesystem adopted be so sim
lle as to he easily understood by
| every iailer and it should be such
Is to be practically selfopperative.
Wherever possible. yentlating lues
should be built in connection with
smoke flues All sewer and waste pipes
should be trapped and thoroughly
vented. The floors should be 50 con.
structed as to slope toward a floor
drain, to be properly trapped and con
nected with the sewer The cover 70
the drain should not be easily de-
tachable, else ii will be used as a
weapon
The Importance of cleanliness is not
Appreciated II is as important that
the prisoners be obliged to keep their
bodies clean as that the administra-
ion keep the jail clean. If there be
force in the saying that Cleanliness
IS akin to Goodness" there Us no
place where the application of this
principle is more important than in
the Jail.
But when you have built your jail
and provided it with all the modern
appliances; made il secure with the
best of tool proof steel, do not sit back
md say we have a jail from which
no one can escape; we do not need the
services of a jailer to watch our pris-
lners. Remember no material Dor
levice for security or safety will take
The place of vigilance. ft
There are in general two classes
sf steel used in jail construction
First, special grade of Bessemer or
Open. hearth steel, known to the trade
as mild steel. and for an ordinary
jail where an inspection is had daily.
and where a constant watch is kept Of
The prisoners, this makes a frst-class
Jail And second. what Is known as
Tool Proof Steel" which consist +
alternate layers of high carbon steel
md iron For fiat bars and plate
there are five layers three of iron and
tr,n of hirh carhnn steel Enr hars