davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
HOW JAIL IS
FILLED AND WHY
The report then continues:

The report then continues:
las the Police Court is without author
ity to sentence to more than a years i'm
prisonment, and as no person can be sent
TO a penitentiary unless his sentence ex-
ceeds one year, that court cannot SEN
tence its prisoners to the penitentiary, but
must sentence them either TO the work.
house or the jail. Between the work
house and the Jail it has, as the statute
row reads, only this strange choice.
If the sentence is six months or less
1t may be TO either place If it is more
tnan six months II must be to the Jail.
The consequence Is that great numbers
have been sentenced by the Police Court
TO the Jail.
Although that court is prohibited from
sentencing for longer period than one
year even where there are cumulative
sentences against the same person. yet it
Las happened not infrequently that there
lave been in that court against the same
person. for different offenses, several
sentences. which have been held not to be
cumulative in a legal sense. resulting in
the prisoner being confined in the Jail for
eighteen months or more.
Offenders Who Like Jail.
When we shall see the condition of
prisoners in the jail the evil of this prac-
iice will be more apparent. Most of those
sentenced by the Police Court have been
found guilty of small larcenies or dis
orderly conduct, sometimes involving as
saults of a minor character, of vagrancy
and the like.
Such offenders do not always object
TO steady abode. with warmth and
shelter and plenty of food and especially
with nothing to- do, even though the
place be called "a Jail, and do not hesitate
To commit some offense that will secure
them such winter quarters.
AT the writing of this report there are
confined in the Jail substantially six
hundred persons OF these the numuer
awaiting trial or awaiting sentence or
awaiting the result of their appeal from
the sentence of the trial court is a few
over one hundred. All the others, nearly
1--WE hundred, are servin gsentence.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

feeling that lie has not been branded as a
felon.
Another thing which We have been led
TO conclude from our vsitations is that
the reformatory should he erected upon a
large tract of land belonging TO the gov
eminent. 1t should he farm OF at least
a thousand acres practically undeveloped.
Such tract could he secured by pur-
chase. possibly i'm the District % Column
bia. II not. then in the state of Maryland
or the state of Virginia. The clearing and
cultivation of the land itself with the
construction OF necessary buildings. would
furnish occupation for hundreds of those
sent there.
Shops and Industries.
There should be shops. as well. where
the men could be taught to- US, their
hands in trades OF skill and engage in tn,
manufacture of useful articles. Such arti-
cles could be used by the District govern
ment in its various departments and the
whole product thus consumed.
Nearly everywhere We went we found
that this practice prevailed. In the var-
Gus correctional institutions articles are
manufactured in great variety and IN
large quantities, and ara disposed of and
used by the municipal and state depart
ments.
Education for Inmates.
There should be classes, too. where at
some hours of each day the young men
should be taught the rudimentary
branches and hear lectures on practical
subjects.
I'm some OF the best reformatories most
or the teachers are found among the
prisoners themselves. Those who are COM
petent are selected and employed for this
purpose and take natural pride in the
position.
with such a place to send 10. there
should be carefully framed laws regulat-
ing the length of the term and making it
to correspond witk the progress of the
sentenced person.
He should be able TO shorten his SEN
tence by faithful work and obedient be-
haVior- Ii should be possible for him TO
work out his own salvation. if not with
out fear and trembling. yet without a
doubt that honesty Industry and a will
ing disposition would receive their re-
ward.
THE one thing important above all 9th
ers is that he should feel and know that
he is being dealt with according to Just
and settled principles. SO that the time of
his release is measurably in his own
hands.
I'm these reformatories the inmate soon
learns that he is hedged round by we'll
nigh lnheXible system: when he goes
wrong ii is charged against him: when
he does right he receives credit. He comes
to look upon ii impersonal and its re-
suits as attributable to his own folly or
good sense.
Such lesson is in itself invaluable.
When prisoner incurs penalty he is re-
minded that ii is his own doing; when he
secures benefit he is not permitted To
thank any officer as for a favor. but is re-
minded that he has earned ii and il is his.
The system thus cultivates and fosters a
manly spirit of independence.
Provision should be made at the re-
formatory for the care and custody of fe-
male prisoners. of whom there would he,
in all probability, seventy-five or a hum
dred. They could be employed in kitchen
and laundry work and should be trained
to useful service in various lines
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
PENTENTIARY
CONFINEMENT

g. CONFINEMENT IN THE FEDE-
RAJ PRISON OR PENITENTIARY.-1n
the present situation of things We do not
feel it our duty to recommend the estab-
Iishment of a penitentiary, especially for
the District of Columbia.
There is undoubtedly a large class OF
prisoners who must be sent to some such
institution. The offenses which they have
committed are OF SO grave Q character.
or they, themselves, have repeated their
offenses SO often, or they have become so
fixed i'm their evil tendencies. that long
terms of Imprisonment are necessary. and
neither a reformatory nor a workhouse
is a proper place for their confinement
I'VE have at present some four hum
dred prisoners serving sentence i'm state
and i'm theNUnited States
Continued on Fourteenth Page.)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

separate the convicted from those who
are only accused. and in the woman's
ward no separation whatever has been
possible. 1t is quite out of the question
to keep the first offenders or even those
who are innocent away from those who
have become settled in their criminal
habits
Wardens Have Done Their Best.
The wardens have done their best with
the means at their command. but the
obstacles are insurmountable without the
aid of legislation.
I'm the cells there is no running watef;
there are nowhere any water closets for
the prisoners, but in each cell is bucket
which must be used instead. These
buckets are emptied twice a day and
disin fectants are freely used to counter
act odors.
There is no dining room for the pris-
oners. They are fed out of tin cans
thrust through the grating of the doors.
In these cells they are obliged to stay
all the time day and night, except for
half hour each day. when they are
marched through the inside, corridor.
There is no jail yard and they never go
outside of the Jail walls.
They pass their time in absolute idle
ness-all of them except the very few
who are employed in preparing and serv-
ing food to their fellow-inmates or in a
HtIle routine work.
''Stench in the Nostrils.''
The evils of such a state of things
are too obvious to call for or even to
justify extended comment.
THAT men and women Should be sent
to these narrow and crowded cells, the
innocent with the guilty. the first offender
with the hardened criminal. in one prom
iscuouS assembly, to corrupt and be cor
rupted by each other, the lazy TO be hu-
mored and fostered in their laziness the
industrious to be deprived of every form
of employment, to be fed like beasts and
maintained a the public charge not only
with no prospect of Improvement in their
condition but with the moral certainty
that they will come out far worse than
they went in is a fact that has become
stencil in the nostrls of the whole com
munity and ought TO be felt as a shame
and disgrace to the whole nation whose
representatives are responsible for it's
existence.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
CONDITIONS AT JAIL

THE Jail was originally intended to
accommodate three hundred. 1t was
completed and first occupied in 1876. and
cost something over hal ia million dol
lars soo1,324, 0W. In 1893 forty-eight cells
were added at a cost OF S12,O00.
Most OF the cells are in size JxSx9i.
feet They were made to be occupied by
one person only. They are being used for
two or three. The number confined in
the Jail has increased by 81 per cent dur
Ing the past five years.
Owing to this straitened condition of
things il has not been possible to rigidly
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

and permits the removal of the other
buildings now upon the reservation which
ought not to be permanently located in
that vicinity.
1T seems to lis that this is Il favorable
time to look the whole situation in the
face and lay our plans broadly and wise
Iy- for the future. To do this requires
US to consider carefully some of the
questions that confront all inquirerS who
take up the subject of the relations OF
organized society to its criminal classes.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
WHAT SHALL
BE DONE>

ut is perfectly obvious that something
must be done. 1t is not a question of
whether, but of what. If We are to con
tinue the present plan and system it is
absolutely necessary to greatly enlarge
the present Jail and the present work
house and to invest large sums of money
for that purpose.
"A pparently there are two ways open.
"One is to temporze. to adhere to the
present plan, making such changes and
engagements as are absolutely required,
extending the present jail, erecting new
wing in the workhouse. but attempting no
advance upon the present penal system.
Under this plan We should continue to use
the Jail as we are now using it: we should
merely enlarge the present workhouse SO
as to accommodate a larger number
IF it should be attempted to make pro-
vision for the employment or outdoor ex-
ercise of the Jail and workhouse prisoners
upon the tracts where the buildings are
now located ii would require the building
of a wall to inclose those institutions, and
would end in establishing a permanent
penal colony in what will soon be- if ii is
not already, the heart of the CITY, within
a mile or two of the Capitol in the direct
line of the extension of one of the finest
avenues of the city. and will thus end in
placing permanent barrier between the
natural growth of the city and great
and attractive territory on both sides of
the -Anacostia river.
Plan for All Time.
THE other way would he to seize the
opportunity now presented for putting the
penal and correctional system of the Dis
trict upon proper and permanent basis,
adopting a plan that can be followed and
filed in as years go by. no matter how
the city may grow or the needs of the
system increase.
THE first plan requires an investment
of large amounts in property which ought
not to be permanently devoted to it's
present uses The Jail cannot perma-
mently be used as a place where men are
to served sentences. because such men
should be put TO work, and it is not and
cannot be made proper institution for
that class of prisoners.
Moreover, the adoption of the first plan
will postpone the adoption of improved
methods of dealing with criminal problems
and will tie us for many years to come
to an antiquated and unreasonable sys-
tenn. The more We invest upon the pres
ent plan the more difficult it becomes to
change it, and thereby we are putting
farther and farther off the true solution
Of our problems.
Changes That Are Proposed.
1.-The adoption of the second plan means
the abandonment of the present Jail as
a place where prisoners shall be sent to
serve their sentences but permits the
continued use of the building. with neces-
sary interior changes, as A house of de-
tention simply. 1t means the removal
of the WorkhouSe from its present site
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
HOUSE OF
DETENTION

Il. A HOUSE OF DETENTION-To
consider these propositions more fully:
The present jail may be used for this
purpose, and with some changes in its
interior would be adequate building
for long period of time.
The outer Jail, that is TO say. the
main walls of the building. is in excel
lent condition. Relieved Of the sentenced
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
Well Planned System Required.

"All this requires careful provisions by
statute and well planned, but not 100
complex, system of procedure. The ques-
ton whether the probationer has broken
the conditions of his release or should
on the other hand be finally discharged
from probation. must ultimately be de-
cided by the cours; but the court may be
greatly aided and enlightened by the re-
ports and recommendations of such an
officer.
THE officer should be in closest touch
with the court and in all respects sub
ordinate TO 1t. In our opinion he should
be appointed by il and be subject to dis
charge whenever the court shall feel
want of confidence justifying such action.
While some of such officers ought to
devote their whole time to the work and
be paid n proper saiary. provision ought
to be made for the employment of unpaid
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
REFORMATORY

IS. \ REFORMATORY.-Ne in order
and not less important is the need of a
reformatory.
AT present we have none. The National
Training School for Boys and the Reform
School for Girls. as we have already
shown. are restricted to children not over
seventeen years of age.
What We need is an institution to
as cannot be safely released from pro-
baton, who must. for one reason or an
other be confined for time at least. and
yet who are susceptible to good influences,
capable Of being trained to some useful
fern OF. labor, of being improved in body
and mind and made more fit to meet the
temptations of life-who have not
abandoned themselves. to criminal courses
nor come to look upon themselves as at
serious odds with society, but who will
almost certainly turn out habitual GRIM
inals If they are not Immediately turned
from the path they have entered
1T is not so much a question what is
the name of the crime they have COM
mitted (barring few Of the gravesD as
it is a question of how they came to
commit it and under what circumstances
1t was done, and what the general dis
position and character of the offender has
been. Most of these who would be eligible
to such an institution are between the
ages OF seventeen ana thirty years
We believe that the court before whom
the case is tried will be able to make a
generally wise decision upon the question
whether the culprit is hopeful subject
for such treatment. 1t is believed that
If there were such an institution now
established in the District there are be-
tween five hundred and six hundred
prisoners, now confined i'm jail. workhouse
or penitentiary who would be receiving
the benefit of its course of discipline and
education. .
Should Be Isolated.
Our visits to similar institutions in
various states have convinced us that a
refornIatory for our District ought to be
erected; that it should be located at
safe distance from all public institutions,
and. above all, widely removed from any
other penal institution.
Lone of the best informed and most en-
ergetic officers of such an institution said
to us that II the state should erect a
workhouse within sight of his reformatory
he would resign at once-so strongly did
he insist upon the necessity of absolute
only separation in point of
fact, but likewise in point of mental asso-
citation.
THE object is to lead the inmate of the
reformatory to regard himself as not Vet
sunk 10 the level of the criminal classes,
to preserve his self-respect SO as to en-
able him to go out at the end of his term
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
Probation System Outlined.

when sentence is to be pronounced
and it appears to the court that the case
may be one calling for the use of the
probation system, there should be an
officer to whom the matter may be re-
ferred by the court and by whom the
necessary Information may be furnished
Such an officer would investigate the
circumstances if they were not fully
brought out at the trial (and the most
frequent use of the system will be In
cases where there has been plea of
guilty and no trial at alb, the previous
record and conduct of the person to be
sentenced and all other facts which ought
to be considered in determining the ques-
ton.
THAT question should be whether there
is a reasonable probab ility that if he
should be given another chance under the
restraints and encoura cement of the pro-
baton system he would never again
break the law, but would ally himself
permanently with the forces of order in
stead of becoming their enemy. If the
court is convinced that such is the case
there should be at hand wise and ju-
dicious officer. in whose watch-care the
offender should be placed under prudent
restrictions and conditions especially
adapted to his case-an officer who will
keep in touch with his charge and per-
sonify to his mind the kindness and also
the severity of the law; an officer to
whom reports must be frequently made by
the subject. and who will keep the court
Informed of the subsequent course of the
nrn hatin
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

attended by considerable expense, but
the case is urgent, and grave conse-
Quences may result from any undue
delay in dealing with it
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
PROBATION SYSTEM

- 4 PROBATION SYSTEM.-We are
woefully and shamefully in need of this.
Except in the Juvenile Court. we have
nothing of the sort.
"Some Of our judges lave entertained
such views OF the law that they have felt
justified in suspending sentence in some
cases after a plea of guilty or conviction
by the jury. and have allowed the or
fender to go on his own or other recog-
niZance. Others of our judges have en-
have not felt themselves empowered to
do this.
But even if we accept the view that
courts have authority indefinitely 10 Sus-
pend sentences Notwithstanding the eX-
press mandate OF the Legislature that upon
|conviction a prescribed punishment shall
follow we are still in this position-that
there is no officer in whose care the re-
leased person can be placed; there is no
system for following up his subsequent
career and informing the court whether
he should be left at liberty or brought
back and sent to prison, and there is no
system by which he can be warned,
guided, encouraged and assisted to be-
come a good citizen instead of relapsing
into crime.
Our study of the working of probation
systems in other Jurisdictions and. so
far as made use Of III our own. our read
ing upon the subject and the testimony
we have received from experts in this
branch of penology. has left us without
doubt that we should have such sys
tenn here.
I'VE accompany our report with a draft
of a statute upon this subject, which we
munity, and earnestly recommend its
enactment exhibit FL
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
Needs of District Peculiar.

The District of Columbia ought not to
be put off in this matter by reason of
any consideration Congress may be Civ
ing to the subject of a general probation
law for all federal courts.
Our situation is peculiar. The offenses
dealt with in our courts are not merely
such offenses as are cogniZable in other
federal courts. but include crimes of
every character.
"In this respect. although al! offenseS
committed in the District are offenses
against the United States (since there is
here no other sovereignty yet they are
almost all, exactly such offenses as when
committed i'm state are offenseS against
the state in distinction from offenscs
against the United States. Indeed. the
number: of strictly federal prisoners from
the District of Columbia is less than ~
out of a total of more than 400.
practically. for the purpose of dealing
with this problem, We are to be rega rded
a state by ourselves We should have
system adapted to our own special
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11

Continued on Fourteenth Page.)
Bisbee daily review., 1909-11-19
LOCAL ELKS
 PLAN SHOW
 NEXT MONTH

Local EIks are planning for big doings about the middle of next month, when they will give a show at the orpheum theater.
 The show under the direction of M. NJ. King. will diverge greatly from the usual run of home talent" per fornances and win be in the nature of combination of professional and amateur talent It is proposed to. on this occasion. join forces with Reed and Arbuckle, taking a number of young ladies, near relatives of Elks, whom 1t is desired to have take part, give them parts or else work theln in with the regular Reed-Arbuckie chorus. Then a number of local Elks who can sing some and act, too. will be in the cast, and with the princl- pals in the Reed-Arbuckle cast, will put OF a regular musical comedy of some sort, to be selected later. The show matter will be taken up at the meeting of the BisDee Eiks eoIiOi row evening.
 If the production is a success here it will be taken to Douglas, Silver City, Clifton, and a number of New Mexican towns and may also go to Tucson.
 The object of the proposed per formances is to add to the fund now subscribed for the new Elks' temple, which it Is proposed to make one of the finest buildings in the Southwest Already s2O,OO0 has been subscribed, but that is not enough to put up the imposing kind of structure the io- cal men desire.
Bisbee daily review., 1909-11-19
UP IF RAILROAD Is
 GREAT TASK

You can never tell for sure when a railroad is coming into town until you hear the whistle blow.
 The railroad situation in Cochise county. so far as the s. P. extensions are concerned, is at a standstill. For how long. or wilat the future may bring forth, Is now entirely in the hands of Col Epes Randolph, presi- dent of the Arizona 6 Colorado, which line was, until a few days ago, in rapid process of building be- tween Kelton and Naco.
 The entire grading force, bridge carpenters and track gang was ordered to stop construction worS last week. and within a few days the entire outfit was on the way to Globe.
 Two conclusions are plausible. 1t is evident that it is not the inten- ton to resume construction on this branch at an early date, or a deci- sion has been reached that the entire line, as surveyed, and upon which construction worI. was started, will never be built.
 If he latter conclusion is correct undoubtedly some understanding has been reached between the F. P. Sl IS. W. officials and the Southern Pa cific by which the s. P. has abandon. ed the territory now covered by th5 E. P. & s. W.