Semi-weekly herald., 1912-06-13
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Df"D NAT.
SUBMITTED
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR LA
PLATA COUNTY MAKE REPORT
OF INVESTIG ATIONS.

On tne ZIIl uay oil May, 1917, they
visited and investigated the county
Jail and the city Jail in Durango. The
county Jail is located in the base
ment of the court house on the north
siGe of a hall extending east and west
through the middle of the base rent
The portion north of the hallway is
divided into three rooms. At the west
crd is the store room. At the cast
end is the furnace room and in the
middle is located the Jail, which CON
sists of one large room with two half
windows on the north side heavily
grated and barred. In this room there
is steel cage extending north and
south probably six feet in width and
occupying three fourths of the width
of the room. Into this steel cage
open two cells of steel grated and
barred. In each of these cells there
are four hunks, two on each side, one
above the other so that the sleeping
accommodation would be presumably
sufficient for eight persons. In tae
cage into which these cells open is
toilet and lavatory within few feet
of the doors opening into the cells.
The jail is so located that the sun
never shines into the interior, and
the ventilation is very poor, the air
being almost sitting and physician
could not intelligently examine pa
tient in one of the hunks. This jail
was built more than twenty years ago
and is in very much the same condi-
ton that it was when it was original
Iy built. 1t has been the subject of
the report of the board of visitors on
previous occasions and has the un-
enviable reputation of being the worst
Jail in the state of Colorado. We be
lieve that every effort is used by the
jailer to keep it clean and wholesome,
but its condition and arrangements
are beyond his control and both are
fundamentally bad. In the southwest
corner of the same basement is
large room which is used for detain-
ing insane persons and at present is
occupied by a woman who is held on
the charge of murder. There are no
toilet conveniences whatever in this
room, but from its location it receives
more light and air than does the jail
room across the hall. There is no
bath tub whatever provided, and if
the prisoners battle it must be in
wash tub furnished by the courtesy
of the jailer's wife. One member of
our board in making European tour,
visited jails in Turkey and declares
that he found nothing so bad in that
degenerate country as the La Plata
county Jail.
We would earnestly recommend that
the basement be abandoned entirely US
a place of confinement for prisoners,
and that the county build a suitable
residence for the sheriff in which
modern Jail shall be located with mod
ern conveniences. We do not believe
that any one could serve a term of
three months in the Jail as it is at
the present time, and not have his life
imperiled.
oul IolllllIllCt MOulu dlSD IgINlT'
that on the same day they visited
the city Jail which is located in the
rear of the fire house There wee
no prisoners in there at the time We
found it wholesome, well ventilated
and with suitable toilet convenience,
and quite suitable as a place for con-
fining prisoners for short periods as
in the case with the city jail.
On May 2S, your committee visited
the county poor farm, which is in
charge of Matron Sophie Foster. As
various rumors had reached your COM
mittee in regard to the condition pre-
vailing in its management, it was
thought best to go at the noon hour
without any previous announcement.
We found the inmates at their noon
day meal, and Mrs. Foster, the ma
tron, showed us about. Everything
was scruplously clean and in good or
der. The building is a large struc-
ture, well arranged for the purposes
for which it was built with several
acres of tillable land in connection
with it that can be farmed by che
inmates, so far as they are able to
work. The only employees at the house
are the matron and her son, who is
man of all work. The inmates do all
the rest of the work done in connec-
tion with running the establishment
The building is divided into two
wards. At the south end is a large
well lighted room, which is the won-
ems living room, and dormitory, and
similar room at the north end serves
the same purpose for the men. We
examined the beds and bedding and
found everything in excellent condi-
tion. No means of artificial ventila-
tion is found in either of the dormi-
tories, and we would suggest that
some means be provided, as window
ventilation often means a direct draft.
which is not comfortable and some
times even dangerous, especially for
old people with their enfeebled bodies.
Your committee called upon the va
rious inmates and examined them
separate and apart from the others
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