The Elk Mountain pilot., 1908-10-22
STATISTICS AND ARGUMENTS
PRESENTED BY COLORADO
PRISON ASSOCIATION.
SUGGEST LEGISLATION
WOULD AUTHORIZE WARDEN TO
FURNISH CLOTHING AND Ex-
PENSE MONEY.

Denver.-Citing figures to illustrate
the commercial value of the Colorado
rison Association to the state, Secre-
tary w. E. Collett. in his third quar-
terly report, speaks of the good work
the association has accomplished In
aiding ex-prisoners and their families.
Reports for he year ending September
/, 1908, show total of 344 prisoners
from various institutions aided by the
association. or these ninety-six were
ex-convicts from the penitentiary and
the others were eX-prisoners from
other state and county institutions.
Employment was found for 237 per-
sons, 119 We're supplied with clothing,
63 were given transportation. 1877 We're
given lodgings and 1.463 secured
meals. The total expenditure for the
year was s5.14s.20. giving an average
Of $1i.S7 for each prisoner aided. This
expenditure is contrasted with the an
nual cost for the Iepredations and
prosecutions of each prisoner, which
amounts to $4,000.
Better legislataion is needed"
states the report "a bill authorizing
the warden OF the penitentiary TO fur
nish clothing. transportation and ex-
pense money to paroled prisoners who
are without means or friends, the
same as is done with men who have
served their full terms. should be In
troduced in the coming General Assem-
bly,. The fund for this purpose could
be added to the penitentiary appro-
nrfu IN pnTnlpI
prisoners are often unable to find en-
ployment Immediately and their cloth
Ing soon becomes unfit for wear. while
they have no money to purchase more.
THE penitentiary should own at
least a square mile Of arabic land, all
of which ought to be under adequate
water rights OF good priority. | am
under the impression that the institu-
ton now rents nearly that amount,
getting about one-half OF the crops
produced. hs Canon City extends
nearly to its borders. what the peni-
tentiary rents this year may be plotted
and sold for city lots next year. Years
ago Warden Cleghorn advised the
purchase of q tract OF land for garden
ing purposes. almost Immediately ad-
jacent to the penitentiary, and sufh-
ciently large to have raised all OF the
garden provisions needed in the insti-
tuition. The purchase price was then
about $500. The purchase was not
made: that piece OF land is now worth
about $4,000. and land is not growing
cheaper.
Inmates of our county jails ought
to be fed at the actual cost OF sup
plies; and the present per diem to
county sheriffs should be repealed.
There is no good reason why sheriffs
should be paid So cents to IS cents
per day for feeding each prisoner from
cents TO cents worth of food. 1t
costs the state Is cents per day
to feed the inmates of the penitentiary.
and 101a cents per day each to feed
the inmates of the reformatory and
the Industrial School for Boys. No
Jail in the state furnishes n more lib
cral meal to Its inmates, and the larg-
est jails in the state, even when they
were prepared for inspection, did not
feed so generously.
Estate farms for misdemeanants,
managed on self-sustaining basis. are
coming to be generally recognized as
the solution of MANY evils under the
present system of idleness for such of
tenders in our county jails.