The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-06-16
Question Of How to Keep them
Employed Keeps Amos
Butler Very Busy.
HE GETS MANY INQUIRIES
STATE CHARITIES SECRETARY
HAS BEEN QUESTIONED ~
PEOPLE IN RICHMOND. Fl.
WAYNE AND ELSEWHERE.
palladium Specially

palladium Specially
Indianapolis, June 16.-Amos w.
Butler. secretary Of the board OF chart
ties, received q letter day or two
ago from Samuel M. Foster OF Fort
Wayne. president of the associated
charities OF that city. making inquir-
les q to the best method of keeping
jail prisoners employed. Similar in.
quiries have been received by Mr.. But
Ter from county commissioners. char
ity workers and others in numerous
other places. Such letters have come
from Richmond, South Bend, Terre
Haute, Evansville and other places.
and in each instance Mr.. Butler has
gwen the writer's answers setting
forth his ideas and the ideas Of others
high in the work of prison manage
ment and administration. The ques-
ton of what to do with jail prisoners
II q big one and It is one that has
called forth the best thought and most
careful consideration of charity work.
ers and students Of penology. with the
result that 1t has been decided that
prisoners should not be left idle. They
should have their time occupied.
Get . Letter per Week.
Scarcely a week passes in which
we do not receive q letter bearing on
this subject and asking for advice"
said Mr.. Butler. "Thee question Is diff
hcult OF solution because 1t is SO COM
plicated. In the first place in many
counties political conditions stand in
the way. and 1t is impossible to get
anything done with the prisoners for
fear that some one will be offended
and votes will be lost. But the fact
remains that something ought to be
done. Jails were never intended to be
reformatory institutions. They are
merely places OF detention, where pris-
oners were to be held until they were
tried by the court. II convicted and 1t
is necessary to send them to prison
tho law contemplates that they be sent
to the work house and not back to the
Jail. This IL the theory Of the pail
law. But we ind in every county In
the state prisoners confined in the
county jails serving sentences or lay
Ing out fines. This ID not what jails
are for. The law gives the board Of
county commissioners power to build
work houses in which prisoners In the
jails may be employed at any kind OF
work which the commissioners choose
to give them to do. The county COM
missioners have the power to adopt a
resolutions directing the working OF
jail prisoners on roads. streets and al
leys without the erection Of . work
house. II they wish to do So
No Action In Some Places.
some counties have adopted the
latter plan, and some have adopted the
former. but there are many counties.
notably Delaware and Madison coun.
ties, have built work houses and jail
prisoners are sent there when they are
sentenced to serve time In Jail OF
when they have to lay out fines. One
county that recall Just now bought
q barn put bars on the windows. and
locks on the doors and now It puts
it's iail prisoners in there and keeps
them busy cracking stone for road use
II q prisoner Is kept busy at this kind
Of work for eight hours day during
his confinement in the place 1t Is moi
likely that he will return. He will moi
want to get back there and work Al
hard again. The result will be .
smaller jail population in the future
prisoners should not be left In
idleness In the jails. When they ART
idle they have plenty Of time and tn
natural inclination to do something
which should not be done. II the aver
are healthy man cannot find some
thing good for his hands to do he viii
and something bad to do. He can
not remain idle. This accounts TO
the trouble which the ofiicials hav
with Jail prisoners. Prisoners follow
immoral inclinations many times be
cause Of their idleness.
People Waking Up.
But the people seem to be awaken
Ing to the seriousness Of this matter
and they are taking q more general ir
tereet in It all over the state. When
ever We receive . letter making In
auiries along this line We try to Civ
the best information possible and I
assist the local authorities in findin
q solution for the problem. Their
ought to be warehouses maintained
the state In various parts Of indiana
for instance one in each compression
al district. to which all prisoners mo-
sent to the county jails could be ser
to serve their sentences or to lay OF
fnes assessed against them. Sue
work houses could accomplish niue
good. The state could provide mean
OF keeping the prisoners employee
thus Keeping them ont OF evil and In
moral practices which are now Il
dulged In in so many cases. and
the same time the state would q
the benefit Of the work done by pri
oners. I believe 1t will yet come