The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-05-15
TO MAKE CHANGES
IN IOWA PRISONS
OLD CELL HOUSES AT FIT. MADi-
SON TO BE USED FOR INSANE.
INSANITY is ON THE INCREASE
So is the Criminal Population and the
Board OF Control have been In
Vestisatins Conditions in .
Other States to ADVANTAGE.


Des Moihes, May l4.-During the
process of new improvements being
made at Iowa's penal institutions dur
ing the next few years, the Board of
Control may consider a plan of
changing a portion of the old cell
house at Fort Madison into a depart
ment for criminal insane and trans
ferring that class of prisoners from
Anamosa. .,.t..
The criminal insane are now
housed in separate prison building
at the State Reformatory at Ana
mosa. In many respects ii is consid-
cred not to the best advantage to
have the two extremes at the same
Institution, but when Anamosa was
changed from prison to a reforma-
tory there was no accommodation at
Fort Madison for criminal insane and
they were accordingly left at Ana
mosa. 1t is said, there are about fifty
of such prisoners. .
When the new cell house at Fort
Madison is completed it will greatly
relieve conditions in the old cell
house. which it has been suggested
might at least in part be converted
into building for criminal insane
where the restraint must be severe.
Because of the increase in insanity
and criminal population in Iowa mem.
bers of the Board of Control have
been investigating conditions in 9th
states and find much to the advant-
age of Iowa that California, with
about an equal population has twice
as many insane patients and prison
ers as Iowa has.
Another interesting discovery in
studying contract labor and the sug-
gestion OF abolishing it is that Flor
ida has no prisons. The convicts,
80 per cent of which are negros, are
leased out by the state to contractors
in the turpentine camps. This is the
system that has been quite generally
condemned In raising this question
recently when talking with govern
or of Florida an Iowa member was
told a story by the Southern execu-
tive of negro condemned to die who
was visited by the ministers. Sever
al days before the date set for the
execution the negro experienced re-
ligion and spent most of his time
singing praises that he had been con-
yerted and was going to his" home
over yonder where the streets are
gold and there is no toll. The gov
ernor said that a day before the ex-
ecution he decided to commute the
sentence to life Imprisonment and
the negro, he said, was the happiest
man he had ever seen when given an
opportunity to start for the turpen'
tie camp instead of the golden paw
ed street in the mysterious beyond.
This is not to say that members of
the Iowa board are convinced that
the contract system is the right
thing, for some are quite certain II
is not and would have been pleased
had the legislature appropriated mon
ey sufficient to install some employ
ment instead of the labor system.
AS it is the contract labor remains
and the board will be required by
the law, at the expiration of these
contracts to make new contracts suf-
ficient to keep employed all such
men as are not employed on state
work The legislature did not pro-
vide either for working convicts on
permanent roads, only in a limited
experimental way. Convicts must be
kept employed and at present all
IOWA dllOIuB Is lnc COHti at idpOi'
When the present contracts expire
1t is predicted there will be difficulty
in renewing them for a short period
as prison contractors appreciate the
increasing demad for abolishing con-
tract labor and will insist on long
time contract while they have ad.
vantage. 1t is of course possible
the next legislature will make some
provision to overcome this difficulty.
- - -
Iowa will have better statistics as
a basis for contemplating necessary
legislation than ever before because
of plans made by the last general as
sembly. The new board of health
will be required to keep vital stats.
tics; the cities of the state under the
new law must report their financial
accounts to the State Municipal De-
partment; the Executive Council
was given power to ascertain true
values of property for taxable pur-
poses; factories are required to re-
port to the State Labor Department
all information required by the Com
missioner; clerks of district courts
are required to report criminal sta.
tisties. Some interesting tables will
be compiled during the next two
years.