Evening star., 1935-01-15
.PR|S0NCOND|T|0NS
HELD DANGEROUS
D. c. Penal Institutions Old
and 0vercrowded, Of.
ficiaIs Point Out,

What ore the requirements for
model penal system, and tDheretn'
does the National Capital fail to"
meet the standards? The article
beloD is the second of a series OF
four dealing t1ith this question.
Hailed some years ago as the out
standing prison system in the country,
that Of the District Of Columbia has
found itself overtaken by the progress
OF time. increased demands ON its
facilities and limitation Of funds with
which to keep pace with these
| factors.
Most noticeable Of these made
quacies has been the need of new
buildings in units already set up and
the establishment of new units to
care for type Of prisoner not In
! cluded in previous calculations.
Overcrowding has been declared by
| prison experts to be the greatest evil
found in present-day penal institu-
tions. Because Of structural limita-
tions this condition begins in the
Washington Jail, first stopping place
Of those on the bad side of the law
in the District.
AntiQuated in design and facilities,
the old stone building at Nineteenth
and streets southeast has been
overcrowded for years. In its best
days the structure could accommodate
$50 with only reasonable degree 6f
| comfort. At the present time its
population has run as high as 778
and averaged 565 during the fiscal
year 1884.
Six Men in Cell.
As many as six men have been con-
hned In a single cell at one time.
with sanitary conditions declared
wholly unsatisfactory. Protection of
prisoners from fire hazard and the
problem OF guarding against escape
attempts and disorders are made more
| difficult because of the shortcomings
Of the structure itself.
In his last annual report Supt.
Thomas M. Rives points to the record
| population of 20,851 for 1884. also
the new high daily figures, comment
ing as follows:
This is mentioned to show that
there has been an even more serious
condition OF crowding than has been
previously emphasized in reports of
this kind. The reed for adequate ia
cilities to properly take care of the
ever-increasing volume of work is
greater than ever before, and I can
not too strongly emphasize the serious
ness of the inadequacy Of the present
facilities"
In the next institution above, that
OF the workhouse at Occoquan, the
population is close to the maximum
comfortable accommodations available
for 800. One of the buildings designed
for a dormitory, however, Is being
used as a recreation and assembly
hall pending completion of that unit.
Lack Of funds with which to buy
seats has been principal stumbling
block in the way of completing the
| new hall.
Hospital Cramped.
Administration officials, Just moved
out Of a temporary" building con-
structed in 1908, are forced to use a
building designed for officers quarters
pending construction Of q new ad-
ministration building. Even more Sc
riously cramped is the workhouse hos
pital, still housed in one Of the tenn.
porary" frame structures. Only the
foundation Of one workshop building
has been completed. while all the shop
! projects are crowded into Q single
structure. ....
Supt. Arthur L. Petit speaks with
some alarm Of the women's depart
ment, where q capacity population OF
about 80 sis housed in frame struc-
! lures that are in deplorable condition.
| This department should receive i'm
mediate attention with a view to erect
ing all new buildings which would
serve far better as to sanitation and
comfort"
General Supt. M. M. Barnard is
even more emphatic: ITO continue to
put off the remodeling of this part of
the District penal institutions Is to
subject all female inmates to unwar-
ranted hazards, for the decayed and
| dilapidated structures represent the
worst fire and physical risk we daily
take with the health and life Of this
portion of our inmate population. Even
heavy storm or gust Of wind might
be sufficient to wreck the place"
The straining Of accommodations
at both places prevents acceptance
Of some prisoners who should be
brought from the Jail. thus forcing
the latter crowded institution into
uses for which 1t was not intended.
Lorton Unit Necessary.
At the reformatory at Lorton
principal need is completion Of the
walled unit for confinement Of the
hardened type of criminals which the
reformatory originally was not sup
posed to handle. Provision for an ap-
preparation Of $4,000 in the budget
now before Congress leads Col. w. L.
Peak, superintendent of the reforma-
tory, to hope that this work soon may
be completed. Straining of dormitory
and shop quarters will be relieved by
this addition, Col. Peak says, with
new administration building and new
stables among the remaining requisites.
Even with the extensions mentioned
at the various institutions, however.
one unfavorable condition still will
/
throwing together Of young first Of
tenders with hardened criminals Of all
ages.
There Is no question but what the
time is coming when we must have q
new institution" Barnard declares.
"The original idea for Lorton was that
| it should be a reformatory exclusively,
and it is mistake to make q prison
out of 1t. Completion of the walled
unit will help, but establishment Of a
new institution for incorrigibles Is ad-
visable."
This opinion follows In a general
way that of Sanford Bates, director Of
Federal Prison Bureau, that the Dis
trict should have an Institution Of
maximum security for hardened crimi-
mails and divide the reformatory facili-
ties between groups classified on age
and criminal background. =.
(Personnei needs of the District.
S.enny SS7 ef;f,,f;as,e sriJJ b.