Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-12-22
LET PRISONERS GO
TO PROVIDE ROOM
Many Others at Windsor Consid-
cred for Parole
As Fast as Prisoners Are Released 9th.
ers Come In--State Appropriation of
$1OO,OUO 10 BE Asked.

"
100000 TO BE Asked.
The state of Vermont is somewhat at n |
loss at the present time to know wnat to |
do about It's state PRISON problem at |
Windsor. The PRISON there is congested |
win prisoners, there beng $40 inmates
with accommodations Tor only 2lU.
In order to relieve this cOngested con- |
ditiOn, many prisoners now in the institu- |
ton who nave good prison records and |
VINO it is believed viii try to i've better !,
lives when they are released are under |
consideration Tor parole.
batch OF recommendations already |
has gone to Gov. James HARNESS for APP |
prevail and of 80 such prisoners and VINO |
nave been recommended tor parole 30 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
it is probable that this procedure will be
used i'll the cases of other men who are
wanted elsewhere. -Four boys have been
sent to the Lyman School at Westboro,
Mass, and three boys have been returned
ITO 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 rapdity
as the men are paroled; yet, the state is
obliged to get along as well as possible by
this method until some solution to the
problem is found.
In order to determine who is in line
a parole, the record of every individual
in the prison has been investigated wltn
| thoroughness. Each case stands upon its
own merits. The records are investigated
nj of RrDt Iahn
rotary of civil and military affairs, and
those records that are recommended by
Ralph II. Walker, superintendent of the
/ prison, and by Judge John Il. Weeks of
! Middlebury. director of state institutions,
are sent to Governor Hartness, 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 it 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 II to y
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 congested situation at Windsor, but
prison committee is averse 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 into
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 t .
same institution, all woman prisoners
s ofrn, IN, tatn hoir NO
sent to Rutland.
AS the problem is now shaping itself.
the state, pending an addition to the pres
state prison. must be liberal in its
parole system or move the House of Cor
rection which is now part of the insti-
tuition at Windsor to Rutland. and in
that case the question arises, What will
be done with the women at Rutland?
This unusual situation will continue to
he a problem for the state until an adj
dtion to the present institution Is built
which will provide for housing more
prisoners. Steps toward this end cannot
be taken until next month. when the
legislature will meet. At that time 1t 1s
said that it will be necessary for the
state to appropriate 100000 or more for
an addition to the institution or for a
'"arate building, following out what
ever recommendations the state prison
committee may make.
At the present time work is going on
in connection with the building of the
extension of the prison wall so as to in
cludo factory building now outside the
present walls This construction is the
result of on appropriation of $4,000 re-
Gently made by the state committee on
budget. following out the provisions OF
the statute which requires that prisoners
cannot 10 horsod ~ the et"tn nr'So"
q suitable provision is made to k""''
all tho inmates at work At the present
time there is not sufficient work for the
80 prisoners in the prison factories, but
ne soon as the new wall extension Is
work win he provided for all The build
ing of the wall is being done by the
"'eorers themselves. under rigid sun,
vision so that every man is Mt work, and
soon as the wall is finished TIE mo"
Engaged ON that project will go into the
prison factories.