The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-07-27
STATE BOARD c. & c. REPORT OF
INSPECTION or WOMENS
REFORMAT0RY


at Skowhegan, made public We1nes
day recommends an industrial teacher
and additional parole officer, grading
and planting, repairs to plastering,
interior painting, provision for out
door sports and plan for permanent
care for defective delinquents.
The. report of the inspection is as
follows: President, board of trus-
tees, Rev. /. b. Mower. Waterville
secretary, Mrs. Sadie Bates. Sandy
Point; superintendent, DR.. Cora NJ.
Johnson.
Census: 126, of whom 81 women are
on parole. The staff includes the
superintendent, who is also the medi-
cal officer, parole agent, bookkeeper.
teacher, two nurses, six matrons, two
assistant matrons, farmer, ass slant
farmer, engineer teamster.
Recent improvements. Include the
furnishing and opening of the parole
house as an administration building
new lights on the driveway. new
roadway built, additional land plowed
for gardens, steel ceilings in Stevens
cottage and a connection, with the
city water supply.
Contemplated improvements. AT
Stevens cottage, a third story over
the whole building, sleeping porch to
be converted into hospital, indus
trial room to be built. 1t is desired
to grade and beautify the lawn in
front of the present administration
building. but the prce of $1,000 is
prohibitive at present. The institu-
ton looks out on one of the fairest
views in Maine, a peaceful river val
ley with cattle grazing on the rlch
grassy banks. and peaceful elms al
! fording shade, during midday heat;
but the view of the institution itself
is not yet beautiful, for the buildings
REPRESENT three kinds of arch lecture
and two kinds OF construction, brick
and wood, and as yet there is almost
no planting about the buildings so
that they looked naked The grass
lands about the cottage TEEN with
/ bird life and the erection of some bird
houses would br ng some interesting
ncighbors close to the cottages.
Clothing. The dresses of the in
mates are pretty, varied and tasteful
and they are beautifully laundered.
| Cleanliness The cleanliness and
order of the institution are good and
the interiors would be quite attrac-
! { We but for the dctcriOrated condition
Of the plastcring. Especially in
stevens cottage, the Oldest house,
which has been in use about nVe
years, the use of pins and lacks ana
pastc by the inmates 10 put fancy
pictures on the walls, and Ill some
cases the pocking of the plaster itself,
due to it's not being properly IN Xed
or laid. makes the walls unsightly. 1t
is desirable for the girls to have some
decorations in their rooms, and to use
their indiv duality to beautify their
abodes, but some provision Tor sus-
pending pictures should be made
/ other than lacking them to the walls
and the girls evidently need training
in what const tutes good taste in bed
room decoration. They are so lmlta-
tive that if one or two could evolve
pretty rooms of the right type the
others would wish to copy them The
! first step toward the change is to
rcpair the plastcring and paint the
walls, getting hard smooth finish,
and the paint mixed in light attrac-
/ tive colors. Either picture moulding
or hooks embedded i'll the walls, be-
! tween which taut cords can be
stretched will allow of the suspension
of the ght kind Of pictures
The worse condition of all exists in
the nursery whore the babies spend
the day They have picked OIL the
plaster they can reach, down to the
lathing. where the holes exist, ana a
norton of it gets into their mouths.
This room should be repaired hrst
of all. and have such hard. smooth
shiny surface that it will offer no
purchase to their busy, prying I'm
gers.
Health of inmates. The infants
look fat and happy. and the women
inmates rugged. They come in with
so much vencrcal disease that one
cottage is set apart for scased
women, and is hardly adequate to the
needs. Treatment rooms and nurses
are provided.
Outdoor life. Second growth
woods in tho rear of the institution
makes it easy to lose Il woman who
runs away If a high fence were
built in front of the woods women
could be given much more freedom to
rcma n out of doors The fence would
! have to be long, high and costly. An
other alternative would be to cut
away the woods, and this work the
inmates themselves could do. tile
at tine. The location of the instl-
tuition is so pleasant that II is de-
srable to arrange for as much out
of door life as possible, both summer
and winter. and to this end 1t is sug-
gested that there be a baseball dia-
mond. basket ball goals, and some
sort of arrangement for winter
sports. Tho object of such measures
would be hyg'enic. for persons VINO
are highly sexed, as many of these
p women are. must either use up thciI
e rhys cal energy. or it is likely tc
show an unpleasant nervous condi-
ton. like hysterias.
T. Mental detectives. 1t Is inevitable
. in the roundup of law breakers who
are sentenced to a reformatory, that
many women OF defective mentality
are included. These women are often
| quite doc.le under supervision but
fan back into their old ways SCOT