Arizona republican., 1919-09-26
GRAND JURY HAS
 NJ KIND WORDS
 FUR C|TY'S JAIL
Not Fit for Hog" Quotes Report = Officers Not to Blame--Tell of Conditions In Other Public Institu- tions

That the city jail of Phoenix is a f place not good fer good, self-re- speeting hog" is The inferred conclu- sion of a committee of the county grand jury. made in it's report submit ted yesterday at the close of a sitting | which has lasted more than two weeks | The report, thorough and constructive | Tn it's criticism, covers in a frank man. | ner the condition in which committees or the jury found the seven public in- stitutions supported wholly or in part by the county.
 No blame is attached by the report 10 city officials, however, and the im- pression is left, after a reading, that tho best is being made of a bad bar gain. The indictment brought against the Jail itself, however. is no less crushing on that account. One of the members of the com mittee,' says the report adopted by the jury as a whole, "said if he had a good, self-respecing hog, he would not want to see him shut up in that Jail for a period of time; yet number of men have served sen- tences of 90 days there after they have seen the judge, which means they have been there four or five days before sentence began.
 We found one small cage, s feet by feet" the report continues, without any bedding or any means of sleeping prisoners having to sleep upon the cement floor and the whole toilet ar rangement consisting of one very un- sanitary pail set in one corner of the cell. This is dark place, below the level of the sewer, and has no ventila- ton. They are not equipped to allow prisoners the liberty of the jail at large, unless they guard all the jail, because 1t is very apparent that the window construction is very flimsy, and they have had a number of attempts to break jail, which makes them very re- luctant to give freedom of the corridor without special guard being with them."
 T am sure if we had-if the public at large had any idea of what is over there there would be quite an outcry" states the chairman of the committee.
 Criticism is also directed in the grand jury's report against the county 1ail, although the belief is expressed that 'the office of the sheriff is being as we'll conducted as possible" The bulk of this criticism is directed against the sanitary conditions which prevail in the jail"
 The interior seems to need a fresh coat of paint very badly" the report says. There are lot of dark cor ners in it. We criticize the bath equip- ment. The present equipment should he discarded. in the opinion of the committee, and new equipment in- stalled throughout"
 Although two-thirds of the prisoners ip the jan complained that the food t was not good, the committee members ate meal there and found 1t satisfac- ory.
 t The appointment of one or two
 matrons 10 meet trains and assist
 in the suppression of white sIav-
 cry and prostitution was recom-
 rnended, along with the construo-
 ton of iail annex in which tuber-
 eular prisoners may be, confined.
 A. P. Hill, superintendent of the poor. farm. was commended by the grand jury in it's report as doing his best as 10 making the farm pay" but it was pointed out that 90 Of the 160 acres had to be abandoned. waterlogged. Sewerage conditions were spoken of in the report as unsanitary, with a septic tank only l50 yards from the buildings, which must be pumped out each day. Mir. Hill has turned in s4000 a year as earnings from this farm, the report added. There are 26 inmates of the farm all old men save one a sufferer from rheumatism.
 The committee from the grand jury which investigated the Crittenton Home and the detention home was more pleased with the former than the latter and was unable to see why four ..I- l.. A. home cannot be kept at the Crittenton Home. "They complained of a big strap that was used or threatened to be used, from time to time" the repor1