New Britain herald., 1916-12-15
NEW HAVEN JAIL
 TOUCH 0F HADES
Conditions Denounced in Report
 by Sage Foundation Expert

LIT. HaSClnSS Ii. Hart or the RuSSell Sage Foundation. According to Dr. Hart everything is the matter with the jail and there is hardly a good word to be said about it. The re- port was like an involuntary bath in cold water and the Elm City was shocked to learn of alleged conditions So shocked, indeed, were the members of the Civic Federation that they de- cided to ask the governor to appoint a commission to investigate the entire penal system of the state as well as the system of county management.
 The report by pr. Hart in part, fol- lows:
 "The absence of diagnosis-There is no preliminary case study of the his tory and record of prisoners, except as they may have been previously committed to this jail. There is no effort to determine their mental con- dition, and there is no adequate medi- cal examination, even to guard against the communication of contagious or infectious diseases such as tubercu- losis and syphilis.
 ''The absence of classificatiOn-In this jail there mingle together freely the convicted and the unconvlcted; the sick and the well; hardened con- victs and inexperienced first offend CTS; witnesses, debtors and insane pa tients. accused of no crime; feeble minded persons, and babies in arms, incapable of crime.
 "On the women's side only about one-fourth of the inmates are em- ployed and the rest are huddled to- gether in the corridors without work, schooling or recreation; murderesses, thieves, adventuresses, prostitutes, shop filters, insane women, feeble minded women and. pregnant women.
 "A young girl, arrested on suspicion of having stolen an article of JeWelry from her employer, who may be sub sequently found to be absolutely in nocent, is forced into close contact with vile women who outrage her sim plicity with vile stories and obscene talk, leaving upon her an 1nefaceaple brand of shame and ignominy which may lead her to destruction. An ln- sance woman, who is sick woman, entitled to the most tender and skill full nursing and medical attendance is subjected to the hubbub, confusion, and effluvium of this dreadful place With only such attention as she can receive from the rude mln1stratlons of her fellow prisoners. A young girl who has been so unfortunate as to witness a crime and whose testimony is essential may be locked up ana treated as a prisoner for weeks at time. Expectant mothers, in need of the best hospital care and the wisest treatme for their redemption, await their confinement and bring children into the world, in this unspeakable environment.
 There are only three groups in the women's departments. The kitchen employees, who have a dOrmitory to themselves; the confinement cases, which have small room, and all the rest in the general cell room; but by day all associate freely.
 The absence of provision for the sick-There is no hospital; the sick lie in their cells. There is, as has been stated, no proper ward for lylng-ln patients There is no separation for tuberculosis patients who suffer for lack of care and expose their neigh bors to infection. There is no pro- vision whatever for isolation of infec- tious diseases.
 "The doctor has no office, he uses part of the officers barber shop, a room 9x13 feet. He keeps part Of his medicines in the barber shop, and part m desk, in the outside lobby. He has no operating room, no exam ming table, no provision whatever for asceptic surgery. He has no place for the examination of incoming prisoners. Of his 300 prisoners at least 15O are in need of medical attention, and he draws a salary of $500 per year.
 Ut is the custom as in many other l places, to keep insane persons and ] feeble minded persons, in the county | jail pending their trial and while 1 they are awaiting commitment to the state hospital Female patients, as | has been stated, disturbed and noisy, ! are turned loose with other women, l but insane men are taken to the pun l ishment department where there are six cells in an isolated room, in ] tended for the punishment of lncor- ! rigible prisoners. These cells are pro- 1 vided with iron shutters by which l they can be darkened. We are in- | formed that it is the practice to put ] a quantity of straw into the cell, per- ] haps a foot deep, and there the patient 1 is "bedded down. like an animal in l his stall, and is subjected to the | treatment which is accorded to the 1 worst offenders. We are informed l that the jailer is very reluctant to use these cells for sane prisoners. Why l then should they be used for sick l prisoners? who suffer agonies of l pain and fright, under such ] conditions?
 There is only one shower bath for 1 147 cells, containing sometimes nearly 1 200 prisoners, in the main cell room. 1
 No Ventilation.
 tT,, 1,o rC1d cell b1Oc]< tbara s m l cell ventilation except through the | grated door. As cell buckets are used, the conditions when two prison CTS occupy the same cell, may be | imagined. The new cell, block has l cArridQr hetWeen the tMn 1