Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-02-13

many in which schools for crime are
conducted with the hardened criminal
OF perverse offender as tutor and the
first offending boy or girl as pupil.
Men and women Of all ages and condi-
tons and degrees of culpability are
found freely intercommunicating
through thin partitions which furnish
only a counterfeit segregation the
sexes when an absolute separation is
contemplated by law.
ILLINOIS JAILs DESCRIBED.
The commission sums up the evil
conditions in the following paragraph:
illinois has jails in which prisoners
never see daylight; in which they never
feel the rays of artificial heat in the
winter or the fresh breath of air in
the summer; in which men and wo-
men sleep upon damp. communicated
floors; in which water stands during
vet seasons; in which prisoners spread
and contract tuberculosis; in which
men clean and unclean. filthy. syphilitic
and gOnorrheal, battle in the same
tubs and use the same towels; in
which three and four times as many
prisoners are herded as the building
was erected to accommodate; in which
the kangaroo court imposes upon new
corners outrageous punishments and
cruelties even TO robbery of money
Added to these evils are found those
. 10 10 ha
system Of feeding prisoners, which
has fixed itself upon the jail system
with such tenacity that it will be dis
lodged only by the most strenuous eff
forts"
THE SHERIFF'S PROFITS.
The commission says that il is
generally understood that sherifs
make a profit on the feeding of pris-
oners. The allowance for food runs
from 20 cents per day per prisoner
in one county 10 - cents per day in
five others. Subtracting the sheriff's
profit in the county which allows 81
cents per day, it may readily be seen
how badly the prisoners fare in the
matter of food. The commission says:
"Seventy-fve cents is high in compari-
quality OF food is better or its guam
tity greater. II may simply indicate
that the sheriff s profit is larger
Closely allied with this infamous
law IS that which permits sheriffs 10
charge a few for locking in and lock
ing out prisoners. In is counties the
sheriffs admitted pocheting this fee
Notwithstanding the plain law and the
clear decision of the supreme court
That county officials shall not receive,
directly or indirectly, more than the
salary fixed by the county board of
supervisors.
LOOKING IN AND LOOKING OUT.
Equally Vicious" say the commits
sion, is the law which permits the
retention in jail for Indefinite periods
OF misdemeanants and first offenders"
\ man may be fined and sentenced to
a jail term; he cannot pay his fine
in cash He is thrown into jail. serves
the length of his Jail term and may
then be kept an indefinite period with
CUt a daily allowance upon mis- fine
II he has no friends and no LAWYER TO
intercede for him. he may remain in
Jail until the next session Of court
schedules him out. Grave abuses IN
der this system are found throughout
the state. 1t does not serve the
public welfare" says the commission
TO imprison a man for the commits
sion of some petty oTense thereby
denying him the opportunity to employ
himself TO his own support and that
indefinite idleness al the public ex-
pense as a means of Furnishing him for
small infractiOn Of the laws. GER
tainly does not commend itself as an
economic measure and happily does
not longer reflect modern thought on
the subject of the treatment Of prison
ers, even though il may still be in
practice"
PRISONERS FOUND.
In rs Of the jails there were found
l.524 prisoners, IS OF whom were
females; 60 per cent of the total
number were awaiting trial, % per
cent were serving sentences and
per cent were awaiting transfer TO
retormatOTies or state prisons or
were held as witnesses. The 90 per
cent who were waiting a court hear
ing" says the commission. were, in
the eyes Of the law, innocent men.
Until their trial had condemned
them as misdemeanants or felons or
Migrants. they were entitled to all
the consideration and thoughtful at
tention due innocent men. Even the
viiest sinner is worthy of humane
treatment in a safe place where his
health will not be undermined, his
mind neglected or his morals per-
Verted. If this is true OF the Grim
inal. convicted and sentenced in a
OoITI OF justice. how much stronger
should be its application 10 the man
OF tee woman who has been cast INTO
Gui ance under suspicion or hiss per
haps committed the first offense
against the public
PUBLIC DUTY TO PRISONERS.