The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-12-12


Fast as Prisoners Are Released 9th.
ers Come Tn-State Appropriation of
100000 TO Be Asked.
The state of Vermont is somewhat at
loss at the present time to know what to
do about its state prison problem at
Windsor The prison there is congested
with prisoners, there being 800 inmates
with accommodations for only 80.
In order to relieve this congested con
dition, many prisoners now in the institu-
ton who have good prison records and
lives when they are released are under
consideration for parole.
\ batch of recommendations already
has gone to Gov. James HARNESS for ap-
prevail and of 80 such prisoners and who
have been recommended for parole 80 al
ready have been released. Among those
who have been gotten rid of are three
candidates for deportation. They are
Italians who have families in Italy and
they are anxious to get back to their ma
tive country and say they never will re-
turn TO the United States. Four men are
wanted by other states and already have
been turned over TO these authorities and
used III the cases of other men who are
wanted elsewhere. Four boys have been
sent 10 the Lyman School at Westboro,
Mass. and three boys have been returned
to the state Industrial school at Yer
gennes.
In spite of these releases the situation
is still acute, for prisoners are arriving
at the institution with as much rapidity
as the men are paroled; yet. the state is
obliged TO get along as we'll as possible by
Eko4 na,rfT 70 fhn
problem is found
In order to determine who is in line for
a parole, the record of every individual
in the prison has been investigated with
thOrOughness. Each case stands upon its
own merits. The records are investigated
by Col. E. ". Gibson of Brattlebor6, sec
rotary of civil and military affairs, and
those records that are recommended by
Ralph ii. Walker, superintendent of the
prison, and by Judge John +. Weeks OF
Middlebury, director of state institutions,
are sent to Governor Hardness, who
passes upon each case Individually.
There are many cases of boys and
young men whose records are now IN the
process of investigation, and 1t has been
shown that many of these are youths
from Massachusetts who have come into
Vermont as runaways. While IN this
they have committed theft or some
other Offense in order TO provide them
selves with money wherewith to exist.
Many Of these boys are from Il TO =
years old and have good records previous
to their present Incarceration.
1t has been suggested that the River
side Reformatory at Rutland might be
used advantageously to relieve the pres
ent contested situation at Windsor, but
the prison committee is ayerse to utilizing
the available. room there for two rea-
sons: First, the building that could be
used for this purpose IS in very bad re.
pair and would require the expenditure of
several thousands of dollars to put it int
good shape for housing men; and. sec
ond. the state of Vermont has found by
experience that it is bad penology to
house men and women together in to
same institution, all woman prisoners
convicted of offcnse in this state being
sent to Rutland.
As the problem is now shaping itself,
the state. pending an addition to the pres
mt state prison. must be liberal in its
parole system or move the House of Cor