The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-01-09
RADICAL REFORM
IN JAIL SYSTEM
BILL TO CORRECT PRESENT CON.
DiTioNSIN co. PRISONS.
CRIMINALS TO BE PUT TO WORK
Part Of His Pay TO 90 to Support Of
Family and Remainder to be Used
to Reimburse the County For
the Cost Of His Keep.

Des Moines, Jan. S.-Representa,
tive Walter p. Jensen, of Pocahontas,
plans TIE introduction of bill in the
Iowa legislature which convenes next
Monday, that shall have as its aim
the working of a radical reform in the
present county Jail system of Iowa,
Il believe there is no surer way OF
making criminal of person." said
Mr.. Jensen, than having him serve
time in county Jail In absolute idle
ness. / favor a plan whereby he can
be employed at profitable labor with
the provision that part of what he
earns shall go to the support of his
family, and the remainder be used to
reimburse the county for the cost OF
his own keeping" .u
Mr.. Jensen would correct the pres
'ent condition whereby hundreds OF
men, whose misbehavior have been a
big cost to the state, are lying idly
in county jails, doing no good to their
families and repaying the state In
no way for the expense put to on
their account. The report of the
board of parole will show that during
the past year the cost of criminal pros
ecutions In the state of Iowa will
amount to over 100000. 1t is believ-
ed by Mr.. Jensen and others with
whom he has conferred that a goodly
share of this enormous expense could
be saved to the state and at the same
time something done for the prison.
ers' families by the establishment OF
county or district work farms, to
which could be committed at hard
labor all persons convicted of offens-
es less than felony. There are
those who favor making man, con-
victed three times of drunkenness, an
habitual drunkard, with a thirty day
minimum sentence to such a farm
the penalty. This would be similar
TO the present law which makes a
man convicted three times of petit
larceny, an habitual thief. Reports
from every county In the state OF
Iowa Snow that the ratio of arrests
for intoxication to the whole number
averages as to So per cent to the to-
tai number. In some communities ar
from 60 TO 65 per cent of the total
number.
Mr.. Jensen is one of the several
Legislators who, wnen the question OF
prison reform is brought up this win
ter, will urge that ii is more import
ant to keep people out of the peniten-
tiary than to provide a refor.natory
treatment in the event that they III
timately get there.
Attorney General George Cosson
recently visited the George Junior
Republic, where youths under q
years of age, 80 per cent of whom are
incorriglbles, make their own laws
and impose their own sentences
There none are committed to Jail for
a single day that he Is not employed
at work. AT the same time in Iowa
there was not a person who was COM
mitted TO county jails as a punish
ment for crime, who was engaged in
any real productive labor. The at
torney general concludes that enforc'
ed idleness and solitary confinement
tends to depravity, imbecility and in
sanity.
Mr. Jensen will find strong support
for his attitude in the observations
of the state committee appointed to
Investigate the character of the war
den and the Iowa penitentiary al
Fort Madison. While their assigned
work was confined to the peniten
tiary, they could not resist comment
ing:
Whereas, the management of ouI
penitentiary and reformatory Is not
up to the standard of some of the lead
ing penal institutions of the country
our jail system is a disgrace to the
state, and, except as a place of de-
tension for persons awaiting trial
there is not a single excuse or iusti
ficatiOn for its existence
Polk county IL pointed out as a
striking example why there should
be county penal farms. In 1911 the
least number of persons committed
TO the county Jail for any month was
236, and the greatest AS; in 1910 the
least was lS9 and the greatest 400; in
1909 the least was 216 and the great
est 1874. 1t is suggested that in this
jail alone are enough idle men TO OPP
crate a penal farm of section OF
land and follow the plan of intensive
farming.