Evening star., 1934-06-26
Barnard Says Failure to
Complete Cells Will
Force Step.
$500, 900 TO BE SOUGHT
FROM P. w. A. GOLFERS
Serious 0vercrowding and Num-
Der of Hardened Criminals
Cited.

Unless the Public Works Admins
tration comes through with sufficient
funds for completion of the so-called
wall group" project at the Lorton
Reformatory before the next session
of Congress, Attorney General Cum
mings will be asked to order approx
mately 400 inmates of the institution
transferred to various Federal peni-
tentiaries.
This announcement was made to-
day by Capt. M. M. Barnard, superin-
tendent of District penal institutions.
who declared the reformatory is ''seri-
ously overcrowded."
Before the matter Is taken up with
the Attorney General, however, Pub
lie Works Administrator Ickes will be
urged to allot s5OO,OOO for completion
of the work now under way at the
Virginia reservation, Capt. Barnard
declared.
Have 1,24O Prisoners.
Under the existing set-up," Bar
nard said, "the District Reformatory
is seriously overcrowded. At present
we have 1,240 priSoners-about 400
more than our normal capacity-and
many are hardened criminals.
Even if the Wall-group project were
completed, the institution still would
be oVercroWded, but not so seriously.
We could then take care of some
where between 1000 and 1,20O prison.
ers in reasonable comfort and safety.
Right now, we are equipped to house
only about 800 satisfactorily.
Failure of the P. w. A. to make
the S500,000 allotment for completion
of the work, Barnard asserted, also
will result in hardship to many of
the families living in the vicinity of
the reformatory.
Funds End August 1.
The funds now available for the
work, he said, will be exhausted by
August l, and score or more men
all mechanics with families-will be
thrown out OF employment.
Plans for the project, which was
started some time ago. call for con-
struction of group of cell houses
for hardened, "unreformable" GRIM
inals and erection of a 25-foot wall
around the buildings. The remainder
of the structures on the reservation
would continue to be operated as they
have been in the past-in a sort of
boarding school, style, without either
cells or walls.
unless man seems to be beyond
reformation, Barnard said, I'VE pre-
fer to rely on his honor not to take
unfair advantage of the freedom we
give him. It's only the old offenders
the fellows with long records as
gunner, bandits and the like-that
we figure on putting behind walled-in
bars. We have plenty of this kind of
criminals at Lorton and the wall group
Is essential if they are to be taken care
OF properly"
AT present, Barnard said, the project
Is about one-fourth completed. The
transfers, he added, would be only
temporary, because when Congress re-
tional appropriation.
There were indications today that
Barnard would be given some con-
gressional help in his efforts to in
duce Secretary Ickes to make the
allotment.
Smith Joins King.
Representative Smith, Democrat,
of Virginia, joined Chairman King
Of the Senate District Committee in
urging approval of the entire s1O,-
100000 P. w. A. loan requested by
the Commissioners.
Reports from the P. w. A. that
a loan of S8,000,000 for construction
of sewage disposal plant might be
the only project authorized at this
time prompted Smith to begin an in
quiry INTO the status of the requested
Lorton allotment. The Virginian's
interest in the reformatory project
caused him. during the session of Con-
gress just closed, to lead the fight in
the House for passage of the bill au-
thorizing the Commissioners to bor-
row $l0,800.000 of p w. A. funds.
AS a member of the Rules Com
mittee. Smith succeeded in obtaining
adoption of rule giving the measure
privileged status and preventing its
defeat by a filibuster that had been
threatened by Representative Blanton,
Democrat, of Texas