Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-11
OUTLINED IN HIS REPORT
Present Conditions at Institution
Regarded as Shocking.
SUGGESTS AN APPROPRIATION
Recommendation Extending Powers
of Juvenile Court-Schools of
Training for Juveniles.

graceful conditions i'll the District Jail
shall be speedily terminated. Attorney
General Wickersham recommends in his
annual report. submitted to Congress to-
day. that an appropriation be made at the
earliest possible moment.
1t is also recommended by the head of
tie Department of Justice that Congress
shall confer Jurisdiction upon the Juvenile
court to hear and determine charges of
VOCATION Of the law making it a misde-
nle..laor to abandon or Tillfully neglect to
pro.,ne for the support by any person OF
hi, vile or of his or her minor children.
TIE report presents severe arraign-
menl of the conditions in the local jail.
The attention of congress has been
called by the reports of my predecessors
during d period of at least six years. -
says Attorney General Wickersham, ito
the shocking condition OF the jail In the
District of Columbia.
Present Needs Urgent.
Following a message from the Presi-
dent OF the United States to the Congress
Js nuary IL. 1909. transmitting the report
of the commissioners appointed to inves-
tigate the condition of the Jail and the
workhouse. Congress enacted a law for
the acquisition of property on which to
erect reformatory and workhouse. No
action. however. was taken with respect
to the present condition of the jail. \
personal inspection made by me In the
early part of June brought sharply to my
attention what the President character
lied in his message to Congress as the
really outrageous conditions in that in
stituton. A careful! consideration of the
arrangements for feeding the prisoners
led me to direct an expenditure, which
was within the available appropriation
Of an amount sufficient to provide d din
ing hall. so that the system of feeding
the prisoners in cells could be done away
with; and this new system has now been
put into effect, and prisoners are taken
from their cells twice daily and given
their meals out of their cells
But the Jail itself is reproach to the
national government. As was said by the
commissioners In the report above re-
ferred to:
Legislation Imperatively Required.
The wardens have done their best
with the means at their command but
the obstacles are insurnountable with
out Che aid of legislation. In the cells
there is no running water and there are
nowhere any water closets for the pris-
oners. but in each cell is a bucket which
emptied twice a day and disinfectants
are used
Such a system maintained in the Capt.
tai city of the country ought not to con-
tinue. The jail should be a model in
stitution of it's kind and should afford
an object lesson to all the states.
Il am Informed that 1t is entirely feast
BILE to reconstruct the cell block of the
Jail with modern improvements and a
perfect sanitary system without putting
the Jail out of commission during the
process OF such construction, and l most
earnestly recommend the making of a
sufficient appropriation for this purpose
at the earliest possible moment, in order
that the present shocking and Disgrace
full conditions shall be speedily termi-
mated
Juvenile Court Powers.
Recommending that jurisdiction be con-
ferred upon the Juvenile Court to de-
sham says:
This amendment is made necessary by
reason of two recent decisions of the
Supreme Court of the District of Column
bia holding that such jurisdiction does
not exist under the present act. 1t is
believed that Congress intended that the
Juvenile Court should have jurisdiction
over this class of offenses. The ma
chinery provided for in the act creating
the Juvenile Court is peculiarly adapted
for handling this class of cases, and
prior to the decisions referred to. upward
of $1,000 week was collected through
the process of the juvenile Court from
delinquent husbands and fathers and paid
over toward the maintenance and sup
port of those dependent upon them
Other Institutions Considered
The Attorney General outlines condi-
tions in local institutions over which the
Department of Justice exercises a super.
visory jurisdiction.
The new wings of the administration
building of the National Training School
for Boys. he says, are nearly completed,
and it is expected they Will be. ready for
use In the early winter. The general
health of the inmates of the school has
been good and there have been no deaths
| The report of the board OF trustees
shows that there were confined In the
school on June 80. 1909 :,5S Juvenile Of
tenders. OF the 1875 committed during the
ysaF. lf' were from the courts of the
District OF Columbia and 81 upon COM
mitment by United States courts The
average number of prisoners confined dur
| ing the year was 1913, as against 3Os for
the fiscal year 1908. The total amount
expended during the year was $1O5, 16l 70.
School for Girls.
| The report of the trustees for the re-
form school for girls shows. he ex-
plains, the daily average to be 70. This
IS the full capacity of the school The
report shows that the health of the in
mates has been good
The board, he says. again calls at
| tentlon to the necessity for new
| building, an appropriation for witch
has been recommen nded in the annual
reports for the past hve years
| October 81. 1909 the date when by
/ law the report Of the warden of the jail
| in the District of Columbia is submit
ted. there were confined in the jail 497
prisoners. as compared with $40 on Oc-
/ tober 81. 1908. There were received
during the year 3.529 prisoners of all
classes. and there were discharged
1902. The largest number in confine-
ment on any one day was 624; the
smallest number on any one day was
/ 419. The average daily number was 521,
as compared with SAT last year
/ October S. 1908, it became necessary.
| due to the overcrowded condition of the
| Jail, to order the transfer of 1O3 of the
4 nj IN hA