The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-26

badly in need of new jail as any of them. wish to state at the outset that am a personal friend of Sheriff Bat son and hold him in the highest esteem. In my opinion he Is the squarest and fairest sheriff Jefferson county has ever had. I can say that in the solicitor s campaign for the removal of all prison CTS who had not been tried and who were i'll or who desired to plead guilty, Sheriff Batson co-operated with us in every way. So did the judges and every one who helped in our efforts to relieve the congested conditions that existed in the Jefferson county jail
 .I believe dog should have plenty of fresh air and ventilation. I think they should have sanitary surroundings. The prisoners at the Jefferson county Jail have neither. The Jefferson county jail ir my estimation Is unfit for human hab- itation in so far as ventilation and san itary conditions are concerned. There will never be any relief as long as the pres ent structure stands. In the first place. the jail is not built so as to promote any such thing as ventilation or health. believe it is kept as clean as possible under the present conditions.
 Jail Is Not Decent
 Tt Is the duty of the state of Alabama to provide some decent means for the care of the prisoners of the state. The present jail Is not decent. When I took office on the first day of last Decem- her I immediately went through the jail, Conditions were awful. I found in 8 great many instances five. seven and nine men in one small. narrow cell. huddled together, eating, sleeping and breathins the same air. And there are many cells on every tier of the county jail. I found something like 75 prisoners in the base ment of the Jail. No light, fresh air nor sanitation. They were huddled together as dogs, not as human beings.
 T cleaned this place out with the as- sistance and cooperation of Sherin Bat son. found over 30 prisoners in single had no opportunity to do so There were hundreds of prisoners charged with mis- demeanors who had waited In jail for months for trial My office mol pressed more than 400 msdemeanor cases in the month of January. Many prisoners were recognized on their own bond before the judges. Before I leave the office of so- licitor at the expiration of my term I in- tend to have clean docket. At the pres- ent time we are giving trials to people who have not heen arrested more than three weeks.
 "One case which came to my attention in the county Jail was that of a negro, whc was incarcerated on misdemeanor charge I learned from the report of com petent physicians that this man had con tracted tuberculosis during his nine months waiting for trial. He was tried convicted and fined. Afterward he wal released by an order of the court and costs paid by the state on account of his having contracted the white plague while an inmate of our present Jail.
 Danger From Germs
 How can there be sanitation and good conditions in the present jail when il is not so constructed as to afford these things? It is an old building. There must be many dangerous and disease breeding germs accumulated In It. A great many of the prisoners are filthy in their habits If they are not, there is no way for then to be otherwise with the facilities offered them
 'I consider the present county jail wholly unfit to house any white woman, and where it was possible I have hat them released. There can be no fit place prepared in this building to incarceratt a white woman. They should not b. placed in jail even if they are held or a county warrant I concur in Dr. Oates numerous recommendations that a new jail should be built.
 ''The office of sheriff in this county is based on a fee system, but can say that I do not consider MT. Batson fe, graber. An Instance of this fact can b. brought out when he issued an order tt his deputies not to make practice O. raidlng craps games for the benefit o fees.
 "The conditions at the county Jail cal be traced to the fee system. lack o judges and ignorance. Let the peopl know this and act accordingly. A jai should be a reformatory, not a place t, teach the criminal more devious ways O earning an illegitimate livelihood. Whel men are put in place where they cal get no fresh air, sanitation and exercis, and are forced to lie about in marrow cells, they are bound to become wors, criminals. We need a Jail where ther will be room for plenty of exercise, work ventilation and above all modern sanitar, conditions.
 T have stated the case as have fount 1t frankly openly and above board. I an not talking of any individual or class O Individuals. am talking of conditions al see them each day at the Jefferson county jail, and I am indorsing hearth. the movement of The Age-Herald for real jail"