Putnam patriot., 1917-05-04
ACRES OF DIAMONDS
 IN COUNTY JAILS
Judge E. N. Warner Speaks on the Subject of Prison Reform in Meriden
Deplores Allowing 1900 commou Drunk.
 ards 10 Become Helpless

Judge k. NJ. Warner of Putnam, an ardent and enthusiastic worker for prison reform in Connecticut, delivered an interesting address at the Methodist church, Meriden, Sunday. His sub. ject was, "Acres of Diamonds in County Jails," and he deplored the method sof treating the rounders and urged state farms for inebtiates and for delinquent women.
 Judge Warner said In part:
 The ordinary diamond looks like any other stone or pebble. It only sh TVS it's beauty when il Is cut and polished by art and 1t Is so hard that the only substance that Nill cut 1t is diamond dust. In each jsil there are certain men and women confined who are just like the men,snd women out side in most respects and certainly they can work, they do work in most jails very satisfactorily, If opportunity is granted. These people are 'Dia- monds.' Diamonds In the rough to be sure, but diamonds all the same. In eech man or woman there Is . divine spark and that spark although 1t may pe at first small, upon proper kindly devoted study and treatment may be come like the kohinoor diamond, the greatesi jewel in the English crown, . Mountain of Light
 Drunkards furnish a large propor- ton of our jail population. AS near as can figure 1t we have sbout l6O0 common drunkards in the state. The state, tho towns, the church and com munities have by gross and criminal negligence allowed and permitted these 1, ,5O0 drunkards to become help less and non-supporting-unable to
 work at any employment they might obtain. The majority never have half . chance in life anyhow. The'state of Connecticut by wilful neglect and ig- norance has erected in each county A jail or house of correction, in which by short tenn, the drunkards have been encouraged and forced,to live without work and deprived of any incentive to become sober citizens. The state of Connecticut has wasted and spent about .$l 600 900 annually in sending the drunkards to jail for short terms. The worst victim of the procedure has been in jail for drunkenness only thir- weight years. This mans life hes cos, the state, county or town about | $10,0OO.
 take 1t, the state, when It gets hold of . man who has broken one of it's
 laws, desires to ,send him back to the world as speedily as possible, to worh honestly and truly for the nation. But what does the prison do? It crucifie' the man, and hardens him passed re
 demption. It intensifies his bitternes against society, and adds horrible l darkness to the chaos of his moral na
 ture.
 The jails of Ithe various counties sr' very much alike, only in Litchtieit and Windhsm counties the prisoner
 earn about S1 a day or more while ir | New Haven and Hartford they earn l, cents day or about S7 ,o00 year. l l the New Haven jail earned at the sam' | rate as Windhsm county they would receive annually about S96,0O0 instead
 of S7,OO0
 | The New Haven committee recon mended large farm f~r women. Thii same arrangement of cottage could bt successfully used for the men. Int largest number,o of women reported il | the NewlHaven county jail bas beer eighty five. It would be necessary tt build immediately four cottages fo twenty women each or three cottages 1 for thirty women, ench, at a total cos of about S27 ,000 These cottages car
 be partly on the dormitory,plan, with dormitories containing from three tt
 ten women each, and partly on the single room plan. The single rooms can be built in the form of cubicles with partitions six and one half feel high protected by a lattice of steeI wire.
 These cottages can be so designed ai to be saleable for other purposes in