Evening star., 1936-11-28
JUDGES IMPRESSED
1ASBARNARD BACKS
|NEBR|ATE FARM
Inspect Crowded 0ccoquan.
Hear Superintendent In
dorse Heavy Term.
POLICY is APPROVED
DESPITE CONDITIONS
Police Court Officials Also Told
First Offenders Should Have
Separate Housing.
BY REX COLLIER.

IL ASAN SOAAAAAss
-Four Police Court judges today pom
dered over depressing picture Of over
crowded conditions at the Occoquan
Workhouse they obtained during an
impromptu visit to the institution yes
terday afternoon and wondered what
they could do about it.
Apparently they were impressed by
Capt. M. M. Barnard's recommends
ton for erection of a hospital at Occo-
quan for inebriates, but how far they
would be willing to go in lending their
support to the plan-in view of their
lack of official jurisdiction-wasp prob
lematical.
The Judges obviously derived salts
faction from Supt. Barnard's statement
that ne favors stiff" sentences for
"drunks," although he admitted, such
a policy seriously increases the conges-
ton at the workhouse and the jail.
Urges Long Sentences.
"Go ahead and give them long SEN
tences." Capt. Barnard told Judges
John P. Mcmahon, Edward M. Curran,
Walter J. Casey and Isaac r. Hit as
they concluded a tour arranged by
James A. Nolan, secretary of the Cor
rections Committee of the washington
Council of Social Agencies.
IT favor good, stiff sentences for
drunks. They should be given time
enough to think it over. OF course
that means more crowding down here
but we will find room, somehow, to
take care of them.
What would help to solve the prob
lem of congestion, however, is hos
pital for inebriates. We have 2,70C
acres here, plenty of room for such an
addition. We could put the drunks to
work outside during the day time ano
keep them in the hospital at night
That would cure them and at the same
time correct the present situation ir
which drunks are mixed with all kinds
OF prisoners"
A policy of heavy sentences fol
drunkenness and vagrancy, Barnard
said, helps to rid the city of tran
sients, who fear long jail terms.
Mattngly Absent.
Municipal Judge Robert E. Mating
ly, whose action as substitute Police
Court judge in sentencing drunks tc
long terms at the workhouSe has ag.
gravated penal congestion this Fall
was not on yesterdays inspection
tour. Judge Mattingly has explained
that he planned only to frighten most
of these long-termers and never in
tended to keep them in jail the full
period of their original sentences
His authority to issue release orders
after leaving the Police Court bench
was questioned, however, by presid'
ing Judge Mcmahon. Early this week
this right was granted him by vote
of the judges, and many of the long
term prisoners are being released.
Accompanied by reporters and
photographers, the four police judges
were escorted by Capt. Barnard and
Of the workhouse, on tour of the
over-populated mems dormitories,
where prisoners sleep almost elbow
to elbow, with grossly inadequate su-
pervision.
Beds Block Aisle Space.
In one dormitory, typical Of the
eight at the workhouse, the visitors
saw 160 cots in a room designed to
accommodate only 100 cots, At one
end of the room cots took up all the
aisle space, so that prisoners had to
Chamber over each others beds to
reach their sleeping places. Because
of an insufficient number Of lockers,
many Of the prisoners had no place
to put their clothes but on the floor.
Capt. Barnard said the total popu-
iation of the workhouSe yesterday was
1,178 prisoners, whereas the capacity
of the institution is around 80O AS
many as 1850 prisoners have been
jammed into the dormitories at one
time, he said. That peak was reached
about two months ago.
The general superintendent advo-
Gated a separate institution for first
offenders, in addition TO hospital for
3nebriates. He said, in response to a
query from one of the judges, that he
is much concerned" over a group OF
younger prisoners, who have never
been behind bars before. These first
offenders, he declared, should be apart
from the recidivists who may con-
taminate them.
From the isolation ward, the judges
we're taken to the mess hall, where
half of the prisoners were enjoying
their supper of turkey stew, prunes
and bread. The inmates are divided
into two groups because the nall il
not large enough to accommodate al
OF them at one time. Captain Petitt'i
most distinguished guests" Repre-.
sentative John H. Hoeppel and his
son, Charles, were not discernible in
the hall. An attache said they had
eaten with a previous group.
The judges brought their tour tc
. climax by inspecting the anti
quated frame one-story buildings in
which 96 women prisoners are housed
pending erection of their new brick
dormitory buildings nearby. Fifty
six Of the women are Federal
prisoners, Captain Barnard said. The
latter are serving terms Of from 2 tc
20 years.
Mixed With Isolation Cases.
The new dormitories are being
built by convict labor. with brick
made at the institution. Barnard
said $45,000 was appropriated for
starting this project, and he has
asked for $45, 900 more.
Because of the congestion in the
women's quarters, q number of the
prisoners are sleeping in the small
Women's hospital structure, which also
contains the isolation ward TO,
women. This arrangement was
described as "deplorable."
Later the judges said they would
like to inspect the District Tail
where similar overcrowding is 9
grave problem for District au-
thorities.
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