Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1914-01-07
ONE JAIL AND FARM FOR COUNTY
Discussed by Business Mems Association
vestigate and ReportSheri Fields Gives Experiences
in Windham County's Jail Management in Working
Prisoners.


men. One inquirer raised laugh by
asking if the prisoners ever formed a
union. Sometimes they did, said Sher-
iff Fields
New London County Experience.
Sheriff Sidney A. Brown of New
London county was called on to speak
of conditions in the two jails there He
quoted figures showing that the total
cost for a year in Windham county
on 81 prisoners was $1474345 as COM
pared with $13,5SS.76 in New London
county for SO prisoners, so that it cost
S1,l56.S7 more in Windham county for
I 81 prisoners than it did in New Lon
don county for SO prisoners. Fog the
past year the deficit in running ex-
penseS In the New London county Jail
account was S15260 and for the past
ten years the total deficit was $6764
an average of $67.64.
Work is done in chair Gaming in Nor
W1ch and carpet beating in New Lon
don. Several questions were asked
Sheriff Brown. He said he had men
whom he could trust and send out. He
never heard any prisoner complain be-
cause he could not get outside and go
to work. He thought it would be pref
ty hard to put prisoners cut to work
In the city.
Mayor Murphy Heard.
Mayor T. c. Murphy responded to
an invitation to speak. touching upon
the value of jail property in Norwich
and New London and stating that he
thought the statements from Windham
county was a strong argument for the
consolidation of the Norwich and New
London jatls. He spoke of the OBJ
lection which would come from labor
If the jail work would conflict with
| their trades.
Former County Commissioner Noyes.
c. d. Noyes, a former New London
county g eli He'd
and said that 1t was apparent that
this discussion was along both hu-
manitarian lines and those of dollars
and cents. This is the day of uplift
and there Is no question but that Ia
Dor out of doors would be a benefit
He spoke of the established dual sys-
tenn of jails and court houses for New
London county, system that Is ex-
pensive, but the properties could not
be disposed of for anything like what
they are worth and If a single jail
system We're proposed it would prob
ably be turned down by the people of
the county on the dollar and cents
proposition.
Mr.. Noyes commended the purpose
and plan and governing officers of the
state reformatory at Cheshire and
spoke also of the bill in the state leg
| iSlature for a state E3rm for tneDr1ates
which Governor Baldwin vetoed be-
| cause he said there was no appropria-
the bill for state farm would come
up again and with stronger backing
than ever and would be passed. III
this were established, with the state
reformatory it would leave a New
| London county Jail with no prisoners
of the class to do this work on Arms.
This is to be thought of.
He called attention to the small total
deficit in the Jail account for the last
ten years, an average of S67.64 and
he n n
received from the work Of prisoners
| $21, 464.15.
In twelve years we have had one
county tax and what the county owes
! is due not to falling behind on running
/ expenses but to the cost of modern
| izing county buildings and the Nod
witch jail is thoroughly modern. The
| jails have been administered econom-
| ically.
The next building which the county
will have to modernize is the county
home
Joseph T. Cruttenden. president of
| the Eastern Connecticut Development
| committee was called upon and advls-
| ed that this matter of consideration of
| tails was of sufficient interest to be
| brought to the attention of the South
ern end of the county.
Benjamin +. Williams of Stonington,
a formN- county commissioner, spoke
upon the humanitarian side OF the
| question saying that he thought this
was a movement towards the redemp-
| ton of men. On the financial side he
, said he considered that if we We're to
| build a new Jail with a town farm, the
/ old property would go for junk, and
we would have a debt of half a mil
| lion.
| Committee Named.
Frank II. Smith discIaimed any in
! tention on the part of the Business
Mems Association to saddle the coun-
| ty with a big debt but they felt that
we were behind the times on our
methods of treatment of prisoners and
this was matter that was Worth look
! ing into. On his motion it was voted
| that a committee of five be appointed
| by the chair to investigate and report
! to later meeting. President Branche
named this committee: Frank H.
! Smith, John H. Barnes Mayor T. c.
/ Murphy, Charles D. NOyes, Gilbert l..
Hewitt.
On Farm Bureau.
| E. c. Jewett was called upon for a
report on the matter of locating a
| farm bureau of the State Agricultural
college, with state aid. He spoke of
the necessity of successful and profit
able farming in the county and invit-
ed the support of the business men
when a convention on the subject of
the farm bureau is to be held
Votes of thanks were passed to all
who had participated towards the sue
cess of the meeting and adjournment
was taken to the adjoining room where
sd ndWicheS, doughnutS coffee and
cigars were served by the house COM
mittee consisting of c. S. Fairclough,
! Frank J. Aubrey, William A. Somers
and Harry Hill.
Another Plan Suggested.
In discussing the subject after the
meeting, d group of men made the
suggestion that the plan Of having
prisoners work might be carried out
without abandoning the present jaiIs
as they argued that all that was need
ed was TO buy farm, or possibly
/ two farms, one at each end of the
county on which the prisoners could
be put to work.
New North Main Street House.
For George Jarvis, who is employed
| in q Taftville store, GustaVe Lambert
has just begun the construction of A