Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1914-01-07

management were brought out on
Tuesday evening at a meeting of the
Norwich Business Mems association at
the Buckingham Memorial, where the
topic for discussion was the CONSOLE
dalton of Jails In New London County
and the Establishment of a County
Farm
There was an attendance of about
100, which included a number who at
tended by request of the officers of the
association. Among those so attending
were the three county commissioners,
c. H. Smith of Noank, Fred J. Brown
of Lebanon and Albert H. Lanphere of
Waterford, Jailer Albert S. Fields of
Windham, Representative II. j. Hold
redge of Stonington, Sheriff Sidney A.
Brown of New London county, Daniel
r. Kane of Deep River, county road
superintendent, and former County
Commissioners Charles d. Noyes of
this city and Benjamin F. Williams of
Stonington, and Selectman Charles B.
Davis of Franklin.
Before the business meeting the as
sociation's orchestra rendered a pleas
ing programme, its members consist
ing of John NJ. Swain, David Living
stone, Edward A. Breed and Waldo S.
Newbury.
New Names Admitted.
The following new names were adj
mitted to membership: H. r. Wood
new.
President H. r. Branche introduced
the subject, saying that the business
men of Norwich thought it avisable to
recommend this in view of possible
1essening Of taxes. If prisoners could
be worked at a profit, as was done in
some other places, 1t would be a de-
sirable thing to accomplish. He called
upon John H. Barnes to speak upon the
subject
Judge Barnes FaVors Idea.
Judge Barnes said that IL mis- opin-
ION this proposition was a. good thing.
The finger of public opinion is point
ing towards the management or our
penitentiaries and our jails. One au-
thority on the subject has said it is
barbarous the way we have been treat
ing our prisoners, and the judge said
that President Wilson as governor of
New Jersey had brought about a
great reform there by having the pris-
onerS from the Essex county jallS to
do work on the roads, and the benefit
had been great. Now when the presi-
dent was suggesting the same thing in
Washington, the men from the jails
who were given opportunity to get out
and work were being urged by their
fellow prisoners to make good for the
sake of the other prisoners.
In Iowa prisoners put on their honor
had gone out to work and had come
back without violating their parole,
and had turned over their money to
the prison authorities, and this money
had gone to the support of the prison
ers' families while the men were in
Jail. There is also q great example to
be seen in this line on the treatment of
prisoners in certain jails in England.
The statistics all show the benefits of
the method.
The question is on how we are go
ing to get at some method here. The
speaker said that the judges often
know it is farce to send a man to
jail, where the air is foul and the con-
ditions bad for the man.
Taking up directly the matter of a
county farm, Judge Barnes quoted a
number of letters from sheriffs on this
matter. In Hartford county the Jail
is not supporting for the men do
work at a very low price. In Itch
field it is nearly self supporting, the
prisoners working for farmers. In
Windham county there has not been
a deficit in the Jail account for years.
The men are let out to farmers
Mr.. Barnes argued that this would
be no particular benefit to send pris-
oners from the Norwich city court to
a state farm which might be located
at a considerable distance from here.
Does Not Admire State Reformatory.
Mr. Barnes spoke of a visit he made
to the Cheshire state reformatOry,
which he said had all the elements of
a states prison, ana asked what earth
ly good it was going to have on the
people sent there to steel cells behind
a stockade with a bullet waiting for
them if they should try to escape.
If there were an institution in Wind
ham or New London counties, to which
all DRINKS could be sent to work out
their fines, it would be feasible to have
a county Jail with a county farm at
tached on which the men could work.
Seventy-fiVe per cent. of the men who
go to jail go because of rum. and at
present the only work that they can
be called to do is of no particular
benefit to them or gain to the taxpay-
ers. Like Holland county and Wind
ham county and Middlesex county
where the prisoners work and the jails
are self supporting, the experience
would be the same here If there were
were one New London county Jail To-
Gated at a midway point from which
the prisoners could be sent out to
work
Letter from Late Windham County
Sheriff.
President Branche spoke of a letter
which ne had from the late Preston B.
Sibley, sheriff of Windham county,
written on Dec 80 and promising to
come TO this meeting to speak upon
Jail conditions in Windham county.
said, was felt with regret by all.
JaIer Fields Speaks of Windham
County.
In his place Taller Albert =. Fields of
Windham county spoke upon Jail con-
iitions saying that the location of the
Windham county Jail in a farming
community was q favorable factor in
the experience of the Windham county
Jail. The prisoners do work for the
farmers and also work on the roads.
The result is benefit to the physical
condition of the men and helps in
Strengthening them out.
Weather work and men all have
their influence in making a Jail pay,
but as a general rule the Windham
county jail makes from $500 to $500
per month, and in one case the jail
made $4,000 d year Mr. Fields ad-
vised that 4 New London county jail
ought to be located first of all i'll a
farming country.
You have to know Your men if You
are going to let them out; some are
reliable. but others will beat it" on
the first opportunity. Some men can
be sent out alone and others go out
in gangs in charge of a boss. The
wood that the prisoners cut furnishes
all the wood for the Jail and the pro-
duce of the 240 acres from the Wind
ham jail farm more than furnishes all