The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-02-01
cRIrlclse STATE PRISON
Because Quarters For Women Not
Sufficient.

SUFFICIENT.
Montpelier, Jan 3S.--One Of the
important events which Is looked for
during the present week of the Leg.
Is allure Is the report of the Senate
and House committees on penal in
ST tutions following the recent invest.
cations made by these committees
at Windsor. The recently published
findings of Mrs. Lillian II. O.zendam
CT Burlington, relative to the condi-
tons n the wcmens department OF
the State prison, and the announce
ment that she has made report to
Governor HARNESS, with recommends
ons as to changes which should be
made has caused considerable com
ment about the State House and the
report of the committees on penal in
stltutlOns Is being ava. ted with more
than ordinary interest.
Neither Senator SicNliip OF Chit.
tenden county, chairman If the Sen.
ate committee, nor Mr.. Barrows of
Barton, cha rman Of the House com
m,ttee, Is ready 10 say much about
the report now 1t is understood,
however, that some changes are like
ly to be recc mmended. possibly III
Guiding the removal Of the women
from the Windsor institutions and
placing them temporar ~ in the build
ing formerly used for the House Of
Correction at Rutland.
That the conditions which are now
being talked about in q meet on with
the women's department at the
States prison have been exist ng for
some time past seems to be indicated
by the 1916 report Of superintendent
X. II Walker OF the State prison.
Many people about the State are now
expressing surprise that such con-
d ous as described below nave en- ST.
ed for years without anything being
done about IL Superintendent Walk
er says in his 1915 report
''The lack of proper space and rlght
housing coudt ons for the women IN
mates is causing increased anxiety.
Under present conditions. which have
existed for years, th5 women are
kept quarters which are not fire.
prccf and N the third story Of central
building.
The increased numbers are now
making more complex problem, as
four or five women are compelled to
occupy the one room at night. This
condition Is not only physical but
a moral detrment to the women, as
they ought to have separate rooms in
freproof quarters.
9TH department has been CON
demned by the State Board of Health
and a few changes have been made
to better conditions temporarily until
some such time when suitable bu Id
ing can be erected with work room
attached Such a building could be
built on the pr son property and IL
built sufficiently large 1t might be
we'll to consider the employment Of
all incarcerated women of the State
who are not generally employed in
the work Of any institution.
The idea would be to make IN s
department a house of detention for
women, under the general manage
ment of the prison and yet so separ-
ated that il would not carry with ii
a State prison stigma The new build
ing could be supplied with power
light and heat from our central plant
at a very small increase in cost
The statements made by Mrs Oh
ztudam that the building occupied by
the women at the States prison is a
firetrap and untitled for It's present
use that the toilet facil ties are very
Incomplete, that the women have lit
to provision for recreation on out-of'
,dclor exercise, that there are no hos
lpital facilities for women, that first
offenders are put IN with hardened
criminals, WI h disastrous moral re
sults-these and other items Of the
report have caused stir of unusual
feeling in all parts of the State, judg
ing from reports which have reached
here and the folks back home especi
ally the feminine portion Of them arc
lg1ng to be watching closely to SEE
what the legislators are going to dc
about It.
Further evidence that crowded con
dit'ons among the women We're II
evidence at the States prison ever
! before the combining of the prison
and the House of Correction a yea
ago last summer is indicated by 9th
rer reports,