The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-05-16
PRISON CONTRACT
SYSTEM A CURSE
Committee Warns Against Return
of Contractors, Asserting
There Is No Need.
RECOMMEND OUTDOOR WORK.
Joint Committee on Labor and EN-
poyment Says Labor Is Behind
Move to Provide Work for In
mates of Institutions.

Trenton-POintng out that organ
lied labor is thoroughly in sympathy
with the state to find work for the I'M
employed inmates of the prison, boys
and girls homes and the reformatory,
| the joint committee on labor and en-
| ployment and on state use has filed
report with the State Board of lnsti-
! tutions and Agencies. The work of
| the committee men covered period
of six months. including an investiga-
| ton looking toward reorganization
| of the administration of the prison and
for the provision of the proper kind of
employment for the prisoners.
Among the more important recon-
mendations made by the committee is
that the state should never return to
the private contract system, "as these
contracts We're curse in every way
to the prisoners, to the prison officers
and to the state" that outdoor work
must be found for at least 400 of the
present average population of the piis-
on and that it is unwise to provide
machine industry for more than 300 of
the present average population of the
institution.
In its report the committee said:
cit is unwise to provide machine in
dustry for more than 300 of the pres
ent average population in the state
prison. 1t was found that at least 80
per cent. of the present prisoners are
unskiled and incapable of becoming
sufficiently skillful to operate ma
c.lines to advantage. More than one
rhird of the prisoners are illiterate,
and the time is too short to train them
sufficiently TO warrant investment in
expensive machinery for their USE
also. the market for many of the prod
ucts of machine industry is highly com
petitive and is therefore closed TO any
but the most skillful prisoners.
Outdoor work must be found for at
Last 400 of the present average popu-
lation of the state prison. Splendid
possibilities are offered for this work
upon the state farm at Leesburg which
land is very rich and is capable of va
ried intensive development. This farm
should provide for five years sufficient
work in the winter to utilize all road
camp men during time when road
construction work is impossible. Fur
Their. 1t is recommended that the pris-
oners transferred to LeeSburg should
be given extra credits for faithful per-
Torrance of duty, so that they can
earn their parole or pardon at an ear
lier date than would be possible if they
remained inside the prison. The bet
fer prisoners should also receive more
wage payment for work performed I'M
der conditions of less supervision.
"The state never should return to
tho private contract system. as these
contracts We're curse in every way
to the prisoners, to the prison officers
and TO the state. The shops when I'M
der the control of contractors were in
an intolerable condition and the dis
cipline of the prison was constantly
undermined as long as the private CON
tracts prevailed. In this connection it
is pointed out that there were hun
dredS of idle men during the palmiest
days of the contract system, so that
unemployment is no new problem ere
ated by the abolition of private CON
tracts"
Less Unrest in Prison.
The conditions of unrest in the state
prison in the judgment of the commit
tee are very much better than they
We're prior to the appointment of the
Prison Inquiry Commission. The prob
lens which remain but to IA lesser de-
gree, still 10 he solved are to he taken
up seriatim in the order of their seri-
oumess. 1t was stated that:
The continuance of the old state
pr son system with its lack of pre-
cision and lack of coordination of a
with the parole system will be elimi-
mated by the application of the new
parole and credit marking system and
by the adoption of modern book of
rules
There is the reflection within the
prison of the worldwide unrest with
accompanying agitations of which GER
tain 'ego-centric personalities imagine
themselves to be leaders.
"'The fact that the chief disciplinary
officer in the prison makes all the as
SignmentS of prisoners under the gen
eral direction of the principal keeper
has made it possible for agitators
among the prisoners to construe every
assignment into a form of punishment.
The chief disciplinary officer, under
the new plan, will not make assign
ments.
ut will not be possible until the new
parole. administrative and classified
ton system is placed in operation for
the principal keeper 10 settle com
plants promptly, thus eliminating an
other cause of unrest
'The discipline facilities in the state
prison are inadequate. A continuous
bath, similar to thar used in the stale
hospitals, at Skillman Village and at
the Nineland Institution for Feeble
Minded, should be installed in the
prison. so that excited or refractory
prisoners could be placed in con-
tinuous bath until quieted by the
soothing effects Of the hydro-thera-
peutic process. A study of refractory
prisoners in this and in other states