The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-02-24
WOMEN AS
CROWDED IN
SMALL ROOMS
Building Where They Are
Housed at Windsor Is
Called a Fire Trap-One
Toilet and One Iron Sink
No Chance for Privacy
General Condemnation
of the Situation.

The report of the joint special com
mittee authorized to inspect penal in
stitutions, submitted TO the House this
morning by Mr.. Barrows of Barton,
chairman of the House committee, de-
clares that the quarters for the women
at the states prison at Windsor are
discredit to the state, and recommends
that the women be transferred to the
house Of correction at Rutland. II is
estimated that it will take in the yicin-
ity of 81 600 to put portion of the old
house of correction buildings in shape
to take care Of the women.
Judge John +. Weeks, director of
state institutions, when interviewed
this morning. said that he had investi-
gated the possibilities of removing the
women to Rutland and was ready to
undertake this project when authorized
to do So He said that it would be nee
essary to make quite a number of re-
pairs in the house of correction build
ings, including the installation of new
furnace.
In regard to the condition of the
women at Windsor, the report says
that there are at present "a women oc-
cupying six rooms, four of which are
Is by Is feet, and two l3 by IL feet.
Should a woman be committed with
anv contagious disease it would be nee
essary to isolate her and distribute the
four already occupying her room among
the other rooms The rooms are in the
oldest part of the prison and while the
exterior walls are brick, the partitions
are hath and plaster and il is firetrap.
There is one toilet and one iron
sink to accommodate the women on
this floor: both are situated so that
there can be absolutely no privacy. In
a basement closet is bathtub and tot
let. In this basement is the dining room,
eight by Is feet, also the kitchen and
laundry. All these rooms are damp,
poorly ventilated and very hot in sum
mer The stairway leading from the
women's sleeping quarters TO the main
floor is three feet six inches wide and
there are II steps.
There is no yard room for the won
en- to get out and exercise in the open
air. The only method they have now is
to 90 out on the streets with mat
ron"
The report speaks Of the appropria-,
tion Of $4,000 by the legislature or
1917 To build women's dormitory'
which was held up on account of war
conditions The amount was reappro-
priated in 1919. and the work went for
ward as far as the money would allow
The committee feels. however, that
the state prison is not proper place
for the women and never viii be. a
they should be removed 70 q location
at considerable distance from the
men. A. the prison needs enlarged stor-
age capacity. we recommend that this
new addition be used for such purposes
and such other purposes as may be re-
quired
Further recommendations Of the COM
mittee are that the stock on the farm
be replaced with thoroughbreds, with
the ultimate idea Of a registered herd;
the enlargement Of facilities for hospi-
tai stalls and the building Of a gran
arv: the removal Of an old wooden
building situated in the yard. which i
FIRE hazard and the removal Of the
east wall Of the prison yard out 10 the
end OF the new wing, thus giving ad
ditionll yard room.
The report speaks Of the new indus
try Al the prison Of making mattresses.
II commends the general good condition
Of the prison and the farm and closes
with praise for the work Of Director Of
State Institutions John F. Weeks and
Superintendent r. II Walker, who are
not blamed for the unsatisfactory con
dition 81 the wOmens quarters. The
management j. congratulated on the
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