Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-08
An Expose of Jail Conditions.

Conditions at the Police Court and
At the District Jail demand remedy
This fact is clear from the experience
OF member of The Star staff who has
Just gone through the mill in order
~ ascertain the precise situation His
story, appearing in The star yester-
daN, sets forth the circumstances in
which any man arrested in the District
on whatever charge. and " no. in the
lack of bail money, must spend the
night in police station and the morn.
Ing I'm the court cells and is then
serve his term.
At the Police Court the accommoda-
lions for prisoners awaiting trial are
atroCious. Into cell twenty feet
square fully one hundred and twenty.
FIVE men were crowded at the opening
Of court, so closely damned that
there was barely standing room. No
words are needed to denote the abom
ination of this condition.
At the Jail the accommodation are
worse because Of the longer stay of
7 the inmates. Into a single cell seven
hy five feet. with an adjoining lava.
tory of about the same size. seven
prisoners were housed with only three
hunks. This meant that four men
slept on the floor. Again the situation
needs no further description
As result Of this ovprcrowding
insanitary conditions prevail. Baths
are administered To prisoners without
towels for driving. The overcrowdinp
nf the cells. with no care to separate
the we'll from those in incipient or
actually developed disea se-on the o.
Casion described one of the narrator's
:elmateS was in q state approximating
neumonia-makes for the spread of
ailments Of All kinds Obviously health
cannot be preserved in such circum.
stances. Ii is marvellous that the jail
Is not a Veritable pesthouse
In point of actual administration
minor reforms are clearly necessary.
Petty graft is practiced in the sale of
commodities to the prisoners at ex-
tortionate prices. The worst condi-
tions are suffered by the men who
have the shortest terms to serve
therefore those guilty OF minor Of
lenses while the better conditions are
experienced by those serving longer
terms. Thus tho more serious the
breach Of law committed the easier
the Incarceration.
obviously the jail is too small. even
as the provision for the care Of
prisoners at the Police Court is in
adequate. More cellroom is necessary
In both places. The jail is Old, and per.
haps cannot he remodeled. 1t can. at
least, be cleaned and if the present
commitments are greater than the
accommodations on a decent scale
instead of to the Jail
IT Is not desirable to make any penal
Institution pleasure resort 4 jail
commitment should never be an occa-
sion Of delight. But in these days of
enlightenment in respect to penalties
and punishme nts, and Of sanitation,
such conditions as those Al the Dis
trict fail are intolerahle. offensive to
the sense Of public deCency. They
should he cured as promptly as pos
sible. The Jail should he enlarged, or,
better still. RACED as soon As a new
institution can be erected. Police Court
cells should be enlarged IL this present
single institution is maintained. Wash
fngtoP should have n" black hole in
any hart of its penal establishments
The Star hopes that this disclosure
Of conditions will lead TO prompt re-
form, feeling that it has rendered a
public service in thus calling attention
TO them, in no spirit of criticism for
those in charge, who are doubtless do
ing their best in the circumstances.
ciTc fnr