The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-07-31
FIND INMATES WELL CARED FOR
Honor System Developed to High De-
gree and Warden has Firm Hold on
All Departments of Big Penal Insti-
tution4o Kenosha Men in Prison.

Judge G. E. Randall and District At
torney Alfred L. Drury, acting as off
cials Of Kenosha- county on Monday
made an inspection of the Wisconsin
state prison at Waupun and their report
is a most interesting one. The officials
declare that the Wisconsin prison is
certainly one of the best conducted in
situations of the kind to be found in the
nation. During their stay at Waupun
the judge and district attorney were
The guests of the Rev. Daniel Wood
ward, warden of the prison, and War
den Woodward gave his personal at
tention to the trip oflinspection.
We were particularly impressed
with Warden Woodward said Judge
Randall this morning. "He convinced
us that he had a firm hold on every
thing connected with the institution
and that he was candid in showing us
not only the improvements that have
been made at the prison but also the
defects in the institution The warden
has brought a new business system to
the prison and cut down materially the
authority of heads of departments. All
acquisitions are now made directly
through the warden while in the past
they have been made through heads of
departments. This Capitalization Of
power has tended to a material saw
ing in the cost of the maintenance Of
the prison.
The Wisconsin prison is one Of the
few in the country in which the honor
system has been well established and it
is remarkable the control that is being
secured over hardened criminals by the
appeal to honor. We found men work
ing on the prison farm without restraint
and others busy about the yards of the
institution. A 'lifer was in charge
of one of the important bureaus of the
prison and he went about his'work with
a zeal which is often lacking in men
who get dollar for every hour of work
they give. The Irvine and stocking
mill were all in full swing and the men
seemed to be happy about their work.
There was no sign of discomfort among
the men and we were advised that there
had been few cases of insubordination
in recent years. The men are well fed
and the old fashioned prison garb which
stamped convicts in the past is agree
ably absent. The prison has total Of
500 inmates and it is probable that
about forty Of these are from Kenosha
county. The entire prison popula-
ton changes rapidly as the parole sys-
TEN has done lot to reduce the mum
Der of men at the institution. Many
men are paroled each year and for the
most part these men make good. The
moral attention given to the prisoners
under the present warden is particular
ly to be commended
:" / was especially interested in one
feature of the prison and that was the
outdoor camp for the care of men suf-
fering from the various stages of tuber-
culosis. This was regular canvas cot
tage within the prison walls and the
warden declared that the men living in
the cottage had gained steadily. I was
impressed with the idea that if prison
ers are entitled to this sort of care that
the same care should be given to people
who are free from the faint of crime. =
"There was just one thing that
seemed to me to be incongruous with
the prison life and that was in the Of
fee The last thing that man sees
before he gets behind the big doors
which shut him from the outside world
is big Illuminated copy of the Declar
alton Of Independence. 1t appealed to
me that the fact that all men are Great
ed free and equal and entitled to
their liberty would not set well with
convict.