Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-05-18
ALL UNSANITARY COUNTY
JAnS TO Be CONDEMNED
INSPECTOR JAMES H. WALLIS DECLARES
LATAH COUNTY JAIL UNSANITARY, A
RESULT OF RECENT INSPECTION

all classes OF prisoners, with the ex-
ception that small toilet room,
9x5R feet, leading off the sheriff S
room, is used for female prisoners.
| Even then, when a cot Is put in this
small compartment, the open toilet
Is but few inches away from the
bed, rendering such sleeping room
not only insanitary, but indecent anC
vile, and detrimental to the health
| of the unforunae women who may
| be imprisoned there. You have nc
accommodations at all for insane
J people, and would without doubt, be
| in one of the cells, although you
have already had one prisoner muir
dered by an insane person who
| was compelled to be imprisoned il
the Jail for lack of better quarters
| | understand also, that you recent,
had confined female prisoner
accused of murder, and that you
hoy who had been arrested for ju
venile delinquency or some Other
minor offense. Such conditions are
deplOrable, and it shall be to the
shame of those responsible if the.
longer exist without some heroic e.
fort being made to remedy them.
| The Jail proper occupies the north
east part of the court house. The
floor constituted pit, about four tt
five feet below the ground, and in
capable of being properly ventilated
as it Is underneath all openings. II
this pit are three steel cages, IL
each of which are two cots occupied
| by the prisoners Inside this stee
| inclosure, and exposed to the entire
room, is one open water closet, fol
the use of the men confined there
At night, slop buckets are used b.
the men, the stencil from which rel
ders more foul the atmosphere be
ing breathed over and over again
We found nine men incarcerated un
der these conditions and yet it wal
but recently there were Ia prisoners
there. Here the men cook their owl
food, on a range which is also uset
by them for washing their clothes, a
well as for heating the room.
rickety wooden ladder is used by son
of the men to gain access to th'
top of the cages, where some hav,
their beds. The bedding Is dirty an,
filthy and while some of the blankets
have lately been replaced with new
ones, yet it is impossible to give thu
bedding any airing, with the resul
that it Is liable to breed disease
There is neither bath room nor batl
and the prisoners clean themselves
as best they may. When it is con
sidered that under these conditions
a dozen or more men have beer
compelled to cook and eat theil
meals, wash their clothes, live day
and night without proper ventilation
and bathing facilities, breathing the
fecal odors from exposed toilet anC
slop pals, sleeping in dirty bedding
1t is criminal and disgusting and q
disgrace to those responsible. II
seems incredulous that such condi
tions could exist in a civilized com
munity, when so much is being said
and done for the preservation OF
health. The farmers of Latah county
would not permit their stock to be
kept under such disgusting condi
tions, let alone human beings. There
Is not restaurant In the state OF
Idaho where the keeper Is permitted
to cook food to be served to his pa.
irons, In the same room In which he
sleeps. His place of business would
be closed until he remedies the con.
ditions and his food stuffs would
be destroyed.
But this Is not all; the stencil
from this modern Hole of Calcutta
permeates the whole building, and
~when district court is in session
(the court room being Immediately
over the jaiD the odors have been
such that Judge Steel, so ! am re.
liably informed, has been under the
necessity OF admonishing the sheriff
against the cooking of food, the smell
OF which only aggravates the situa.
tion. In interviews with the county
officials, | am informed that the
odors In the corridor OF the court
house In different offices, should
the transoms be left down, are so