Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-11-20

: This, briefly, is the substance II
report submitted 10 the aath Annual
Congress OF the American Prison A..
soclatiun here by D. Hastings II.
HIATT chairman of the associations
committec on jalls, formerly president
ef tho association, nov eonsultaat IN
delinquency aud penology al the Rus.
sell Sage Foundation Ia New York
city. The committee during the last
year has studied conditions IN the Saa
city and county jaila ami Wotkhousea
In which federal prisoners ate kept.
lrEes l, $. jail system.
4 a remedy far the condition -
pusrd in tho report, Dr. Hart resnn=
lArnded that tho United states Gov
eminent establish jail system of IL
ttn. each laii 20 serve a terri tory with
"a radius of a0 uilea, beginning with
the points on The Canadian and Meal
can border where there Is az pre- ent
tie greatest caongestion OF federal
| prisoners, and extending the syaten
until tho government has iai'B # is
ovn Ia all thiekly settled ee etlons Of
The country. This, pt Hart sail, l.
tHe only logical correction fer the
present unsanlarY, immoral. and in
human conditions created by the over-
IeroRding of city and county iails with
huarded=put tedetal prisoners.
Dr. Hart declared IN submitting the
report that his study Of the treatment
of federal prisoners in county iails has
revealed such ahomiuhle conditlona'
that he cxpecta to devote the remain
der OF his life TO seeking a correction
Of these conditions, aud that the Rus
| sell Sage Foundation Will pursue is
tudies ia this direction with view
To correcting these abuses
Jails BADLY overcrmdrd
The committees report reveals that
many Of the county ialls In which
| United States prisoners are confined.
Especially along the Canadian anl
Mexican frontiers aud IN large cities,
are desperately nVeretowded.
In The Cook County jail at Chicago.
for example, II has been customary 20
keep Eve prisoners Ia cells Intended
for one. Similar conditions have eNiai-
ed Ia Detroit, Cleveland, New York,
aud other citiua where the criminal
population has been multiplied while
| jail facilities have not been increased.
Many Of the county iails are unsanl-
tafy, and very large percentage IN
| Tested with eefmln. Most Of them
| have an inadequate staff Of employees.
who have had no special training aud
are politically appointed selected
without reference 10 their special quail
iheatlons for the job. The report
say, "Thcae conditions result la hard
ship, not only to the United States
prisoners, but also 90 the local prison.
era who are subject 10 the same CON
dilions."
Many of Prisoners innocent.
II must be remembered that large
part OF these prisoners are unconviel-
ed aud a conaideruble portion are sub
scquenily legally proven innocent, that
the law requires that persons accused
uf crime shall bc treated as innocent
until proven 10 be guilty; and that "A
large part Of the prisoners serving
sentence are held for nonspaymcnt of
a fine. simply because they owe the
Government $40. s2J or Si00
Not only does the present aystem
inlict hardship upon federal and coun-
~ prisoners, bat IL inlllets great in
Justice upon the Taxpayers IN the
counties where such prisoners are con
fined. The United States boards It's
prisoners Ia tho various county jails
and pays for their board at 80 much
per day The Government tries Ia get
a. cheap rate as possible. These
rates range ull the way from 20 cents
per day in FIVE iails in Porto Rico 10
$500 per day IN three jails IN Ala ka.
The average payment ia 60 cents per
day, but IN i42 jails the payment is
less than 90 cents.
System Vicious in Extreme.
The money received for the main
tcnanee of federal prisoners goes
either 10 the county or to the sheriff
Or jailer, depending upon the laws eN-
lsting IN a particular State. Ia the
latter case, the sheriff or jailer gets
"A certain sum per day per priosner.
II the food costs him less he Is en-
titled 10 retain the dinerene. A moro
vicious system Il would be impossible
10 conceive, that whereby the income
Of the officer depends upon what be
can save from the food allowance Of
the prisoners.