Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-05-15
HACKENSACK JAIL
Continued from page u

cleaneSS OF everything, and next is
the faces of the prisoners, which lack
that hardened expression of the Grim
inal. One might suspect that because
of the majority of "short- time" men
in the place, that this might be the
cause of the carefree faces, but from
pleasant remarks passed between the
guide and the men behind the bars,
one is not long in deducing that it is
the atmosphere of kindness and good
treatment which has brought this
about, for there are many men there
who have records behind them.
Each cell has a washstand, toilet
accommodations, and cot not more
than six inches above the hard
cement floor. The guide remarks that
it was not so very long ago when the
men were forced to sleep on the floor
with but mattress.
You get just glimpse of the
female ward as you pass on the way
a prisoner. On the roof of the elevator
is another offender painting the
shaft. You alight on the fourth floor
and look down through the bars of
the huge cage which you entered be-
low, and there you see the flag NOV
ing pendulum fashion.
You walk around the big center
cage and the guide shows you on
the four outer sides storerooms, hos
pital rooms, and openings through
which you look and see the cells be-
low in the different wards. Finally,
you come to one barred opening,
through which you look and see
large room equal in size to that of
the wards, but in which there are no
tiers of cells; instead there are only
tables and cots. Men black and white,
young and old, of all nationalities
walk about or recline on cots. You
are too high for them to take much
notice of, but you can see them per-
fectly. These are men who have just
been sentenced You wonder what
for? One man you recognize as a
gasftter who did some work for you
and lives in neighboring town.
Your guide informs you that he is
serving several months for wife beat
ing. That negro walking around is
up for assault. The boy, a mere lad,
smoking cigarette by the window,
broke into house. And so it goes.
You approach an opening which
overlooks the prison yard and get Il
splendid view of the streets, the
meadows, and the river beyond. In
the street and yard are men in the
Jail uniform walking or sitting
around as though they were perfectly
satisfied.
'You see that man over there?"
and your guide points.
You answer, yes.
"Well, some fellows just won't stay
out of Jail. They seem to like it.
He has just finished serving term
of fifteen years at Trenton and felt
lonesome, so he committed crime just
the other day which Melted him nine
months more. The funny part of it
is that he admits his desire to stay
in jail"
You naturally make the query, see
ing so many prisoners walking around
unguarded, apparently, whether any
ever make an attempt to escape.
Rarely" is the reply; "you see
they have armed guards, although
you don't see them, and the men
wouldn't dare to make a break. Be
side the most of them wouldn't make
break, if they could. They are
treated pretty well, you see."
You agree with your pilot and
descend to the next floor. In one Of
the hospital rooms you observe a man
sitting on the side of cot. Your
guide volunteers the information that
he is under observation, that is, his
actions are being watched to deter
mine his sanity. You pity the poor
chap and do not envy his lot if he is
sent to Morris Plains, the State insti
tuition for the insane.
Next you are shown the kitchen
which is immaculate. The cooks are
prisoners, the dish washers also, in
fact, every man there has broken the
law in some way and not even so
much as one guard in the room.
Your mind reverts to the chap who
cannot keep out of Jail and you
wonder if he is very much out of the
way, if all jails were like this. The
food looks wholesome and eatable,
although simple. One could not eX-
pect the county to give Ritz-Carlton
fare on about thirty-three cents a