Evening star., 1922-08-03
HANG|NGS IN D. c.
DEALT HEAVY BLOW
Prison Heads Report Says
Death Penalty Fails to
HaItsCrime.

Capital punishment was dealt a
heavy blow by William H. Meyer.
general superintendent of the penal
institutions of the city, in his annual
report to the Commissioners today.
Supt Meyer not only voiced doubt
of the value of the death penalty as
a means of deterring Others from
crime. but was especially severe in
his denunciation of hanging as
form of execution.
The head of the Jail and workhouse
also reported a remarkable decrease
in the number of escaping prisoners
during the last year, and cites this
as evidence of the success of the
honor system of operating jails with
out walls and stockades
Although the average daily popula-
ton of the jail. workhouse and re-
formatory increased from 610 in 1921
TO 1888 in 1922, the cost of maintaining
the institutions was less by S1667127
AS a result of this financial showing
it was not necessary to ask for de-
fciency appropriations during the
past year.
Permanent Building Asked.
Mr.. Meyer reminds the Commits
sioners that the temporary buildings
at Occoquan have been in constant
suse for ten years and that the time
has come when they should be re-
placed by permanent structures sim
liar to those being erected for the
reformatory at Lorton. The new esti-
mates include an item to begin this
replacement.
The water supply of the workhouse
and reformatory is bad. the superin-
tendent reports. due to the fact that
it is obtained from Occoquan creek
which drains a territory of clay. He
recommends the erection of a filtra-
tion plant and several settling basins,
The labor could be performed by the
inmates and all materials except pipe
and cement obtained at the institu-
tion.
Mr.. Meyer believes that the record
of only four deaths during the year
from a total of 1854 prisoners indj-
Gates that the penal institutions are
in good sanitary condition.
League of Inmates.
The superintendent attributes the
falling off in escapes to the estab-
lishment of a league of inmates. On
this subject. the report states:
THE value of any system of ad-
ministration of penal institutions
which will give the inmates an on
portunity to show in what way and to
what extent they can be trusted can
no longer be reasonably questioned" !"
In discussing capital punishment.
Mr.. Meyer said:
During the year one execution nv
hanging took place at the jail A
deterrent capital punishment Is Of
doubtful value. Whatever of value If
may have had is practically DESTROYED
by delay and uncertainty of the oper-
alton Of the law. Execution by hang
ing is especially abhorrent. It has
come down from a time when it was
believed that the best way to prevent
crime was to make the punishment
even more horrible than the crime
Under the present condition of public
sentiment If even a dog were killed
by hanging the public would promptly
show righteous indignation at the
wanton and unnecessary brutality. but
when the victim is a human being the
public winks at 1t. II executions are
necessary for proper protection of So
ciety 1t would seem that only the most
humane method should be used, and
that only until some better method of
dealing with this class Of criminals can
be adopted"