The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-02
reforms URGED
At CITY PRISON
VISITING COMMITTEE RECON-
MENDs THAT JAIL BIRDS BE
PUT TO WORK.
VONDERLEHR ENDORSED
REPORT TO CHARITIES BOARD
ASKS THAT OZARK AND DISMAL"
DUNGEON BE ABoL-
IsHED.
VONDERLEHR ENDORSED

Several radical reforms in connection
with the city Jail are recommended in
a report submitted by a special visiting
committee 10 the State Board of Char
tiles. The report also contains few
pertinent suggestions relative to the
city aImshouse.
The recommendations are as follows:
!. A Jail yard and employment for
prisoners.
,. place for the isolation of con-
tagious diseases.
). Daily visit from jail physician and
employment of an inferno.
4. The abolition of the dungeon.
3. The prisoners should have three
! meals a day.
s. The iGcord of offepses should be
specific.
Z. Endorsement of the Vonderlehr or
dinance concerning employment OF
prisoners.
s. Prisoners awaiting transfer to tn.
penitentiary should not be kept in
jail more than one or two days.
8. A female probation officer Is need
ed.
10. The almshouse needs visits to the
inmates from benevolent organiza tions,
IL. The almshouse Is a highly i'm
proper place for the feeble minded.
He IliGlHtTeilte bI the TnolNhrS
to their children born at the alms-
house calls for attention.
Commenting on the dungeon where
refractory prisoners are punished the
report says:
This is a room six By eight feet In
size and twelve feet high. 1t has n
solid iron door, no window very poor
ventilation. no sanitation, no furniture,
dirty mattress on the concrete floor
Here a woman had been confined on
| the day of our visit since the morn
! ing. A 8 z. NJ. she was released, on
| our urgent request. Her offense was
| cursing and using abusive language to
one Of the Jail officials
! 1t is quite impossible to condemn
| his form Of punishment too severely
! No amount of INSTRUMENTATION iustt-
fes the importing of prisoners
health. The lack OF ventilation ana
I sanitation makes 1t certain that any
/ person confined In this foul place must
/ suffer serious harm from the lack of
I air and cleanliness, while the silence
+ and utter darknSs, and scanty food
I the prisoners in the dungeon have
/ onlY bread ana water), combine to rem
/ der 1t highly probable that a person so
\ confined Will lose his reason especially
: as this form of punishment is almost
exclusively used for the negroes. a ruce
peculiarly susceptible to nervous fears
! and easily overcome by their emotions.
We most earnestly protest against the
! continuance of this relic of barbarism
and suggest that some more humane
form of punishment be substituted
Recommend Three Meals.
/, The report goes on to say:
> The prisoners have breakfast at
= 1880, dinner at l. 30. and nothing more
| until the next breakfast We 90 no,
l consider this sufficient food. The TAIL
, er is allowed 8 cents apiece per dav
: for his prisoners food. This should
{ enable him to supply them with three
meals a day. The report of the penI-
Tertiary for the last year shows tina,
the amount spent on the food of each
prisoner there was ST cents per dav
. and at the almshouse il is IL cents
per day. and in both these institu-
tions they are given three meals, and
at the almshouse, at least the sup
ply is most generous. every inmate 70.
Ing allowed as much as he wants
Find Many lmbecifes.
"A visit to the amshouse In the sum
, mer when the white female s,cc e,ont
was inspected revealed the presence
at that time of sixteen feeble minded
women. OF these seven rac mad thfr.
ty-three children. Nineteen of these
are dead. The remaining fourteen are
of necessity degenerates
One little boy OF nine was in the