The Ocala evening star., 1915-03-29
OUR CRY JAIL

We have been informed that Hon. /
Raymond B. Bullock rendered his res
ignation as assistant recorder because
he said he would have felt Inundated
and ashamed to have consigned any
unfortunate wretch to spend night
in our city Jail.
In company with Councilman knight,
Fire Chief Chambers and Editor Ben
jamin, the writer visited the Jail yes
terday afternoon, and while it was
not as bad as we expected to find it,
it was quite bad enough.
Councilman Knight says that orders
have been given to remove the iron
floor which some years ago was plac-
ed over the cement one, and that when
this is done it viii be possible to flush
it, and keep it comparatively clean,
which is now impossible.
Our suggestion is that the iron
cages be removed also. When used
as county jail-and it housed crimiz,
nails charged with capital offenses-
steel cells may have been necessary,
but for housing persons charged only
with such minor infractions as come
before the city recorder, great iron
cells are not at all necessary
When the iron cells are removed we
would then suggest that wooden par
titions be erected, and that one of the
rooms be reserved for a storeroom in
which to store the bedding, and as soon
as used have it laundered, and again
be stored until used again.
In this way the Jail can be kept in
a somewhat sanitary condition.
It's unfortunate inmates are entitled
to some degree of cleanliness and ex-
Recorder Bullock is entitled to thanks
for calling attention to the condition
of the city Jail in the public manner
he selected.
i We hope immediate steps viii be
taken to give it a thorough overhaul
ng.-Banner.
The Star will heartily indorse any
suggestion of the Banner to amelio-
rate the condition of prisoners OF
other unfortunates, but it thinks the
city authorities are doing the best
they can with the materials they have
to work with The writer has visited
the city Jail a number of times in the
past score of years, and in his opinion
it is in better condition now thans il
. has been at any time before. The jai
is an old one-was the county jail W
to 1894-and the dirt from thousand.
of criminals is fairly stewed into tn,
walls and floors. It is not practicable
to do away with the cage and its cells
If the prisoners were all out in tn,
one large room, it would be easy fot
aceomplices on the outside to pas
tools and weapons to them thru th'
windows; also, while nearly all pris
oners in the city jail are incarcerate,
: for minor offenses, most of them ar
drunk at the time they are shut uT
and some of them are violently drunk
Such men have to be shut in cells unit
: they sober up, or they would likel
hurt some other prisoner, and woul
: then have to be roughly handled b
the jailers. For these reasons, tn
cells are an absolute necessity.
The chief of police has been yer
vigilant in keeping the jail as sani
tary as possible. He has it thorough
scrubbed every Monday, beside bein
swept out every day. The verrnin tha
formerly swarmed have been extel
: minated, the bedding, which consist
of blankets, being boiled in disir
fectants, and the iron cots washe
with the same fluid. It's impossibl
to entirely clean the old floors, {
the pavement under them, but whe
: the iron is removed, it will be poss
: bic to put the Jail in tolerable stat
8 of cleanliness.
:, The only way Ocala can have
: thoroughly clean Jail is to build a ne
one, and this the city is not able no
= to do In the meantime, it will be
mighty good thing for the newspi
pers to occasionally send represel
= tatives to inspect the jail and othl
= public institutions. The Star will Il
z to do this from time to time, and w
be glad of the Banners cooperate