The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-26
Prison Operates Factories

Prison Operates Factories
A giant, disciplined community Of
men, the Indiana State Prison finds
employment for its inmates on
farms and in sign1tag-tin, shoe,
clothing, bookbindery, shirt, tobacco
furniture, soap, cement products
and can industries within the prison
property.
Saturday afternoons are half holt
days with movies provided in the
winter and baseball and field sports
in the summer.
To properly classify men as to
their work and associates in the
prison, DR.. p. H. Weeks. prison ply
sician, has recommended complete
pyschiatric and pyschometric tests
of men entering the institution.
Individual Study Needed
II am convinced" DR.. Weeks said
in the reports, that the institution
should organize modern social
service department. A complete
psychometric test should be made on
every admission to prison. This sys-
tenn would enable us to classify the
men and assign them to the work
for which they are best qualified.
Furthermore. classification and
1ndividualized study would no doubt
develop much valuable data to be
utilized by the parole and pardon
beard in deciding the ACCESSIBILITY of
releasing men to society"
The population at the Indiana
Woman's Prison is less than two per
cent of the adult male population
in Indiana penal institutions. The
average age of the woman in the
penal department at the prison is
30 years. six months in the correc-
tlonal department 81 years, two
months.
Social Diseases Frequent
OF 265 women on correctional
commitments, 166 were first Offend
ers and SO repeaters. F. H. Luck,
prison physician, found that on June
30 last year, 632 per cent of the
women had venereal diseases.
The Indiana State Farm has as
inmates only short term offenders.
who work on the farms, in quarries,
canning factory. furniture, willow
basket, brick and rock wool plants,
greenhouse. dairy and abattoir.
OF those committed in the year
ending June 30, 1885, a total of 11O8
were aged between 20 and 30, 396
between Is and 20, 149 from go to 70
and 90 over TO-
Law Curtails Market
varied number of products are
made at the farm, but drastic legis-
lation against the sale of prison.
made goods on the open market las
curtailed the sales, Ralph Howa. d,
superintendent, has said.
The marketing of the products
is impaired (by the legislation)" Mr..
Howard said, but with the adj
vantage of the state-use system and
the assistance ind encouragement
by the Administration to this end,
we hope to keep our men employed
and be able to show a modest
profit"
The state-use system is the sale
of prison-made goods to tax-sup-
ported institutions.
Net cost to the state for the OPP
Grafton of the institution, deducting
$227,924 as gross sales of industrial
products, was $154,041 net in the
year ending June 80 1885. The
net annual cost of maintaining one
prisoner was $134.
Youths on Merit System
The clemency commission acts
only on the petitions of inmates of
the adult institutions. At the girls
and boys schools, inmates are rated
on merit system or may be con-
fined until their twenty-five year.
Guided by recommendation of
courts, prosecutors. prison heads,
neighbois of convicts and its one
investigator, the clemency commits
sion has six points it considers in
hearing = petition.
lucy dlC. Ilt anu
stances OF the crime; history prior
to commitment; conduct while an
inmate; character, capacity HABITS,
tendencies, attitude, mental and
physical condition; probabilities the
prisoner will so conduct himself AS
to become a useful member of So
Ciety and the effect of his parole
upon the administration of justice
upon society.
Minimum Time Fixed
other regulations concerning
clemsncy are: Inmates with mini
mum terms of one year may have
hearing at end of six months; two
years. II months: three years, Is
months; five years. "a months: 10
years, 30 months; beyond 10 years.
&c months; life for murder, Is years;
life for other than murder, 10 years.
Inmates of the state farm are ex-
empt from these provisions and may
petition for clemency when they
have served half of their minimum
time.
No parole violator is eligible for a
second parole until he has served
two years after being declared a vi
olator. Second-time parole viola
tors must serve an additional five
years.
Redirected Behavior, Goal
Prime purpose of the educational
program at the Indiana Boys
School. according'to Supt. E. NJ. Dill,
is to reShape bahavior patterns.
The number of boys enrolled June
30, 1885. was 493. A total of 238
were returned on new commitments,
SO returned for parole violation, 81
returned for replacement and three
recommitted. OF 129 incorrigibleS
questioned. parents of &c were dead,
of % the father was dead and of
"a the mother dead.
Lack of suitable employment for
boys due to economic conditions has
added q large burden to the task of
rehabilitating delinquents, Frank d.