Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-14
BY HOWARD N

by nv VfAAND JOANG6
CINCINNATI, O., July ia
prison in which men ask to remain
after their terms r served!
No, this is not Utopia-it's the
Cincinnati workhouse, as it's been
reorganized under the direction of
Colonel G. o. Sheriff., city man
ager.
In a nutshell, the reason Is that
the men are taught useful trades,
SO that they may fit in with city
life when they resume their places
in society.
When Colonel Sheriff. stepped
into the job of managing this city
of half a million several years ago
he found the workhouse closed, and
all the city prisoners being sent to
the county jail. The Jail was pack
ed to double its planned capacity,
and presented a picture Of corri-
doris packed and jammed with idle
men, deteriorating at a rapid rate
after admittance to the institution.
As Usually Occurs
Instead of men being sent to jail
to be reformed, they we're sent to
jail to become more hardened
criminals.
The first thing the new manager
did was to reopen the workllouSe,
taking care of all city prisoners
there. The buildings, which were
dilapidated, were renovated largely
by prison labor at low cost. The
city's central garage, the highway
maintenance bureau, the waste col
lection department, the paint and
sign shop were all moved to the
16-acre tract that surrounds the
| workhouSe. Now, excluding the
managers, all the work of these
| and other. divisions is being per-
formed by prison labor.
And the prisoners like it.
Stay to Work
"There have been many cases in
which prisoners have requested
that they be allowed to remain in
the institution. after their services
are over" Colonel Sheriff. declares,
cor to be given jobs at the work.
house, which is habitually done
when it al be arranged.
"One man, a painter, on term
nation of his sentence last winter,
asked that he might remain in the
workhouSe without compensation
until opening up Of construction
activities in the spring. He was re-
tanned and paid the usual labor
wage for miscellaneous work until
he could find employment on the
outside.
Colonel Sheriff. takes issue with
the old idea of work farms"
Its a fine theory, but does not,
in my opinion, fit into the condi-
tons Of modern urban life. What
men want to know, and what they
should be taught, is how to sue
cessfully compete with their asso-
ciates in industrial establishments
in this city, particularly, and also
in Others of similar type.
Not Used to Farms
Modern prisoners are generally
city men, and must be better train
ed to carr their livelihood in city
industrial methods rather than to
be trained in farming methods
which none of them will continue
to practice after they are released.
Furthermore, on a farm there is
little to do during the winter
months. The resultant detention
inside buildings without adequate
effective work only results in a
great lowering of morale and deter
1oration Of the inmates"
Colonel Sheriff. emphasizes that
the results Of the new plan have
been twofold: not only have the
-mates of the institution been
turned out at the end of their SEN
tence with greatly improved morale
and capabilities, but the CITY itself
has saved considerable through
their work.
"a 350-ton per day incinerator
plant for the disposal of the citv's
wastes and a laundry capable of
handling all the citys work now are
IN process Of construction. An es-
tlmated laundry saving alone Of
S5o'OOO per year is anticipated.