Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-25
A. L. Bowen Leads Discussion
in Conference of Charity and
Correction Officials.
THREE-DAY MEET STARTS
Amos w. Butler Of Indiana Also
speaks-Larse Delegations
From Other States.

Is the belief of A L. Bowen, executive
of the Illinois state charities
who led the first discus
sion last night in the fourth annual
conference of the American Associa-
ton of Officials of Charity and Cor
rection.
Mr.. Bowen discussed county jails
and he advocated state system under
the caption The Administration of
Jails and Houses of Correction in H.
linois''
Mr.. Bowen pointed to the fact that
the majority Of the population of the
jails Of Illinois are offenders against
the statutes Of the state and as such
offenders, they should be in the GUS
tody of the state, both pending trial
and also after conviction. He reviewed
the history of the attacks by reform
agencies upon the Jail system and
showed that in so years time prac-
tically no change has taken place for
its betterment and improvement.
ALMSHOUSES IMPROVED.
Mr.. Bowen said that the almshouses
have been improved, the white plague
has been legislated against, state
charitable institutions have been TAX
en- from the domination of politics,
penology has made marked advances
and society as a whole has accepted
a high standard of responsibility for
the well-being of its unfortunate men,
bers, but back among the people, un-
der their very nose, the old Jail, the
house of correction, city lookup and
village calaboose are priced civic an
tiquities, displayed to all strangers
and visitors as among the sights to
be seen"
The speaker said that here in IL
linois We admit that there is no good
Jail and declared that the state chart.
ties commission had been unable tc
find a model jail in America. The vi
tality of the old jail system he attrib.
uted to the organized opposition OF
sheriffs to radical reforms and to a
lack of interest and sympathy on the
part of the public for the unfortunate
man who gets into trouble.
FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
He spoke of the growing tendency
of the times to punish by imprison
ment rather than by fines, but where
Imprisonment of the support of de
pendents is necessary, the popular
idea is that he should be compelled
to work and that his earnings should
be turned over to such dependents
This tendency, Mr.. Bowen declared
made it the more imperative that oul
Jail system be improved and modern
| lied.
If the state takes care of all such
! prisoners, whether in a colony or al
! industrial center, 1t would contain suf
! ficient population to admit of a fail
| degree of classification and segrega
ton, and would render possible educa
ton in books, manual and vocationa
training, and the products Of such al
| institution could be disposed of for the
| benefit of the prisoners dependents.
! Mr.. Bowen said it would be absurd
/ to attempt to make such an institu
ton self-supporting, for to do so would
mean taking the receipts of the pris
oner's work from him and his famil!
and throwing them upon the supper
of some other public fund.
The state jail, however, he said
does not solve the whole problem, fol
there must be local place Of deten
| ton for those who violate city o.
! county ordinances, or who have com
mftted crime and must be detained
| pending disposition of their cases. Fol
| such as those he advocated joint &C
! ton by the county and its county sea
IN the erection of joint place o
detention. He said more prompt &C
ton in bringing men to trial would
remedy some of our Jail evils.
Over these temporary places of Gus
| tody and detention Mr.. Bowen woulC
appoint some high state authority
such as a board of commission, whose
duty it would be to inspect them anC
tos make such recommendations al
may be necessary to maintain a stand
ard of physical plant and administra
ticn. The state should establish
certain minimum regulation govern
ing the plan and construction OF sucl
jails. Food should be of a STANDARD
/ quality.
FOOD SYSTEM PERNICIoUs.
The pernicious system of feedini
prisoners on per diem allowanc,
should be abolished, so that the sher
If or jailer would have no pecuniar,
interest or profit in the food he set
before those in his charge. On thi
point the speaker said:
There would be just as much logi'
In the state legislature Of our stat
voting TO our board of administrator
fifty cents per day for the food o
each OF the twenty thousand inmate
Of our charitable institutions and per
nit that board to pocket the profit
might be able to squeeze out of sucl
a deal-iust as much logic and reaso
in this say, as there is in the cour
" board voting to its sheriff, ffift
cents day for the food or each pr1l
oner in his charge and allowing hiI
TO make personal profit Of fifty pc
cent. The temptation to crowd Int
the state institutiCS all the populatio
1t would hold for the profit that III
board of administration might make o