Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-01-24
. OUR MEDIEVAL JAIs
Many Of Them Not FIJI For Human HUI
Occupation Says Woman.
THE. RICH PRISONERS FARE NICELY
Most .JaiIs Ruiz By Fee system and
5, Many Jailers Neglect Prisoners for
Gain -A'one Millionaire Prisoner
Spent $1,000 Day Willis Being Held
: in Jail. '''E -:
BY Frederic j, Haskin,

BY Frederic J,, aaSKln, y-..
! Washington, D. - C.---"Out CT 200
county ,jails recently visited only 10
were fit for human. occupation This
ir; the report just sent by Mrs. HIS;
,McIntire,, secretary I; of the PRISONERS
Relief Society after a trip from this
Lefty to Seattle, In which; she visited
seme 2OD jails in order to observe con-
ditions., 4g'iia:Y aa'a-.rsi /
Mrs. McIntire found the majority Of
tho institutions dirty and unhealthy
and graft rampant. The prisoner who
sends out for a quart of n1ilk is apt
to have to pay .25 cents, and the
charge goes to the jaiIer or whoever
does the errand; Nermin Of all sorts
are tAe:ruie. rather than the exception,
in county jails we are, told. Disin-
fectants, sanitary precautions in case
of illness, clean kitchens are luxuries
which seem to have no place in the
average jail. ,s.i";
In fact, the county Jail. as it is now
conducted, isione of the worst evils in
the country, according to Earl Dud-
ding, head of the Prisoners Relief So
ciety. ~
1 VERY little is heard about bad Jail
I conditions" DR.. Dadding says "be-
| cause few attacks are made against
tho system or against individual In
st!tut!ons. Inmates do not dare to
protest unfair. treatments+1 know Of
case in which han who fen i'll ask
ed for a doctor. The request was re-
fused. When he insisted he was
knocked unconscious and allowed to
lie on the floor all night with q wound
IN fis head. SO there are few pro-
tests from prisoners"
You might think that the ex-prison7
er would expose bad conditions. Dr.
budding explains that the ex-prisoner
IL. a "jafibird" ! HIS record IS against
him. He would have hard time es-
.tablishing n case against county Of
fcials.' Z
The few we'll do men who infre-
/ auently get put into Jail do not as a
\ rule see conditions at their worst.
| Money will do tipYe In a jail than in
| a penitentiary. The inmate can gem
| orally get ,luxuries,,if ne can pay and
the man or means does" pay. f
This privilege Of spending money
has. been attacked as unfair to pris-.
oners who cannot buy Injuries. Ac-
! cording to DR.. budding, however, the
poor men in aijalo are glad to see a
wealthy man come to join them, be-;
Ecause his coming means that they viii
| benefit. -
Generosity blossoms out in such In,
stitutions, where there is much time
for thought, and little things become
Unusually important Newspapers; to-
bacco, fruit and books bought by the
affluent prisoner are passed. around,
One millionaire who was in q local
Jail for three months awaiting trial
for q large financial theft, is said to
have spent about $1,000 a day on him
self ana his neighbors during that
time. This amount of spending is ur-.
usual, It is true. But the wealthy man
in Jail can dispose of more money than
most people would imagine. =;
Money Helps. :
|, tt he has wealth and position
prisoner does rot undergo the hard
ships OF ordinary jail life. Even II he
did not spend much money, he would
be made comfortable, since otherwise
lie would undoubtedly make trouble
afterwards. The. wealthy man who
h. 8 served his Jail term somehow gem
orally manager to keep his social sta
tus. He Is still power to be recog-'
nized, though lie is jailbird.
Then, too, such a man Is most apt 10
be held in the city Jail where, as
rule, there is better management than
in rural districts. City, institutions.
are Visited by many people, whereas
the rural Jail often is not. -
DR.. budding finds that people who
go to inspect conditions do not, unless
they are experienced, see the bad side
Of jail management: If they write
ahead to make an appointment, the
officials are warned. and the place is'
cleaned up when they arrive. Offi-
Gals pilot them over the buildings and
point out the excellent order and the
cheerful prisoners.
The visitors may be asked II they
wish. to talk with the inmates; but
with a guard present, such convert
sation is not revealing. For a prison.
er to complain Of the food or to re-
mark that the table dishes had been
washed that day for the first time in
n week, could obviously result only in
denial by the officials and hard treat
ment for the unfortunate who protest.
ed. The prisoners know this and. they
do not complain OH such occasions.
When DR.. budding pointed out con-
ditions in one jail in q nearby state
his accusations aroused the county to
action. A grand juryman came to
Washington to Talk over the situation:
"Go out there and see for YOURSELF
budding told him. "But when you go.
insist on the officials staying out and
letting YOU go in alone. The man Will