The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-07-24
SUN TO SHINE IN
new ILLINOIS PRISON

IIIlIlUiS Ctdt6 AlGHltGIt, LIIIiIIVinonI
States His Views Resulting from TouI
Of European Prisons, and Explains De.
tails Of the Features Of Proposed New
Prison at Joliet.
Tacoma Ledger:-Sunlight for every
prisoner.
That is the groundwork of the plan
around which the new penitentiary at Joliet
is to be built, according to announcement.
Instead of the cells being steel cages, with
no outside windows and with a corridor
between them and the outer wall, every
prisoner is to have window In his cell
that will afford him at least glimpse of
the outer world. The old yellow stone
structure, with its dark, damp cells, is to be
supplanted by penal building in which
will be embodied all the sanitary features
of the various model prisons throughout
Europe.
Details of the features of the new institu-
ton to be constructed were explained in
Chicago by w. Carbys Zimmerman, state
architect, who has returned from six
months tour of Europe, where he and
Prof. Charles Richmond Henderson, chap
lain at the University of Chicago, and a
member of the United States prison COM
mission, visited many penal institutions of
note.
each cell in the new prison to be built
at Joliet will have window facing the out
side world said Mr.. Zimmerman
''There will be open bars in the front of
each cell, so that one guard can see each
man in an entire block. Sanitary condi-
tions are to be the best that can be found
anywhere, with the old style slop bucket
system entirely done away with. Cells
will have plenty of good air and water,
plenty of light and will be cleanly, thus
practically eliminating the dangers of tu-
berculosis or other disease contracted
through the dampness of an ordinary cell.
The tiers of cells will be built around
the outer walls, while the workshops, hos
pital, dining room and other buildings will
be located in the middle of the enclosure.
'Another feature of the proposed prison
at Joliet will be the establishment of farm
work, where prisoners will be placed to
work in the open fields outside the walls.
The women's department, now separate
institution, will be given space in the new
institution, as well as quarters for the in
sane Plans will provide for prison cost
ing at least So, 900, 900 and probably more.
81 was greatly impressed with the peni-
tentiary at Witzwil, Switzerland. 1t was
at this institution that farm work was de-
veloped, and here was unable to find a
prisoner who complained of the treatment
he received All short term men were sent
to the farm at once, while the long term
men were put on probation before being
allowed the freedom of the open air, and
this hope will be the plan adopted at the
Joliet prison.
"The Merxplas prison in Belgium also
had large farms, where 5000 men were
sent out from the walls each day under the
care of hundreds of guards.
cat Cairo, Egypt, we found an Eng
lish prison that was intensely interesting in
that it had to be of sanitary construction,
owing to the heat and lack of rain. The
greater part of the prison was exposed with
out roof, only the sleeping quarters being
covered. The prison is situated on the
banks of the Nile, and is again remarkable,
as it is the only one we were able to find
where fogging still existed as method of
punishment. We asked the officials to al
low us to watch Aogging, but that privi-
lege was denied, although we saw the
whips and the whipping station.
"The Germans claim to have the great
est prisons, most modern and best from a
sanitary point of view, but we found the
old bucket system in vogue there, which
in itself is the most unsanitary condition
that could possibly prevail.
''The Italian prisons are much the same
as those in Holland, unsanitary and un-
clean, but with better cells than we have in
America. This is probably due to the
fact that prisoners there do all the work in
their cells, eat and sleep there and do not
have the privilege of associating with fel-
low prisoners as they do in this country.
perhaps the greatest advantage of the