The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-25

Ing process. Recommendations were made to the board of revenue to install proper ventlator and exhaust fan for this laundry, but up to this time nothing has been done in the way of installation of same
 Tn the old Jail building, used for fe- male prisoners, the upper floor is used for colored prisoners and part of the lower floor used as kitchen and store room for provisions. The upper floor is equipped with shower baths, hot and cold water and the lower floor is equipped with porcelain bathtubs. The colored hospital ward is located on the upper floor; the white hospital ward is located on the lower floor. This build ing is even less modern than the one for male prisoners.
 'The interior of the buildings IS now being painted. with white paint, the painting being about two thirds com- pleted, which adds materially to the ap- pearance as well as the comfort of pris- oners The buildings are well kept, be- ing secured regularly twice :. week, and the kitchen being secured daily. We found no cockroaches or other yer men in any of the buildings. "The lower floors of the new jail building are ventilated by means of a furnace and chimney, fire being kept in the furnace the year around. The upper floors of these two buildings are ventilated by means of electrically driven exhaust fans. The furnace ana chimney method of ventilation is both expensive and inefficient and we are of the opinion that better results could be gotten by the installation of ex- haust fans in lieu of the furnace. The exhaust fans on the upper floor former ly have run intermittent1y, owing 70 the fact that prisoners would throw obstacles into the fans and put them out of commission until cepairs could be made. This has recently been made impossible by the construction of wire cages around these fans for their pro- tection. Both the fans are now in con- stant operation and giving good ser vice. With the correction of th-s ver- tilating method and installation of ex- haust fan and stack in laundry, in our opinion nothing more can be done for the improvement of the present jail building.
 "rhe present practice Is to afford op- portunity for all prisoners to take baths as often as they wish. We rec ommend that bath system be inaugu- rated requiring every prisoner to take bath and put on clean clothes upon admission to jail. before assigning to cell, and the question of bathing to be compulsory rather than optional. A detention station should be arranged in the basement for prisoners until this bathing and changing of clothes can be made.
 "All plumbing of the building ap- peared to be well done and in thorough 1y sanitary condition.
 "A great many new mattresses have recently been added to the equipment, as wei as blankets. sheets and pillow cases. and within the month an nxperi- ment has been started by the use of slip in which to place the mattresses similar to a pillow slip. with view ot adding to the life of the mattress and cleanliness of the beds. these slips to be washed weekly. We believe this practice will prove very desirable and be generally adopted.
 We wish to call attention to the law under which the prisoners are fed. Un- der this law the state pays a certain price per day to the sheriffs of different counties for feeding each prisoner in the county jails. The sheriff feeds this prisoner in such manner and at such expense as he may deem proper and pockets the difference between what it cost him to feed the prisoner and what the law allows him for feeding him, This system is utterly indefensible frora either business or a humanitarian standpoint. and is calculated to result in the insufficient and improper feed ing of the prisoners. Obviously the prisoners should be properly fed The state should pay the cost of feeding the prisoners. not to exceed the amount necessary, which we will assume ia the amount now allowed. but the sheriff should be charged with the duty of see ing that the prisoners are properly fed and that the money of the state is not wasted. When the sheriff is al- lowed a certain fixed rate per day per prisoner for feeding prisoners, and is allowed to feed them as cheaply IS pos sible and pocket the difference, an IT, resistible temptation is offered the sheriff to economize on the food fur. nished the prisoners for his own en- richment. The state should not pay more than the reasonable cost of feed ing the prisoners, and whatever the state pays for feeding the prisoners should be expended on them. The op- portunity of profit now afforded to the sheriffs of this state is an entirely i'm proper and indefensible perauisite.
 we find that Sheriff Batson is honestly trying to do his duty by the prisoners in his custody and to give them sufficient food, and our criticism is directed against the system and not against MT. Batson. The kitchen is well equipped and thor oughly clean. The food is well cooked and served in pans with partitions to sep arate the different kinds of food. These pans are thoroughly washed and scalded dlleT edcH meal. ne klICHou IS SCreoHeQ from flies, as is also the storeroom for provisions. There is no complaint from prisoners as to their treatment or food.
 we wish to state that our recommen- dations from time to time during our term to Sheriff Batson and his assistants were graciously received and an earnest effort made to put them into practice at the earliest possible time. We find from conversation with the prisoners that they are adequately paid by Sheriff Batson for services rendered in the jail.
 we find that no keys to the prison are entrusted to prisoners, there being a custodian in every building, night and day, to attend to the locking up and unlocking of prisoners. The work being done by prisoners is cooking, cleaning the jail laundry work, etc, there being one white prisoner used as a memoran- dunn clerk in the corridor.
 We also met with hearty cooperation of the board of revenue. With the one exception of the exhaust fan in the laun- dry our recommendations have been fol- lowed.