Evening star., 1936-09-12
BY JAMES E. CHINN.


sought in the coming fiscal year by
the Board of Public Welfare in an ef-
fort to remedy some Of the revolving
conditions existing at the District Re-
formatory at Lorton and the work.
house at Occoquan. This is an in
crease Of nearly 100000 over the cur
rent appropriation.
The additional 100000 will not
provide all Of the urgently needed i'm
provements, but it will enable penal
authorities to initiate program that
will reduce congestion in some Of the
overcrowded dormitories, replace some
of the flimsy frame firetraps and
strengthen the dangerously under
manned guard staff. 1t also will pave
the way for erection Of tuberculosis
hospital on the reformatory reserva-
ton for segregation of tubercular- in
fected inmates who are now mingling
with other prisoners, possibly sub
jecting them to the dread disease.
8 DOrmitories Recommended.
Construction Of three new dormi-
tories at the reformatory with accom-
modations for 100 inmates each is
recommended. The total cost Is esti-
mated at $4,000.
The reformatory, with accommoda-
tions for 1880 prisoners, is now quar-
tering more than 1900. The inmates
are jammed into the dormitories at
night. Similar conditions exist at
the workhouse, where 173 men are
crowded into dormitories built to house
100.
The $500, 900 increase, however, will
not provide adequately for all of the
Districts women sentenced to a term
of prison life. Two modern brick dor
mitorieS are now under construction
on the workhouse reservation to re-
place the dilapidated frame dormi-
tories in which the women are quar-
tered. Two more are needed to house
the more than 100 women prisoners
at the District Jail, waiting for vacan-
cies in the Occoquan dormitories.
Additional housing accommodations
constitute one of the most vital needs
at both institutions. An adequate
guard force is next in Importance.
At present there is daily average of
$50 guards, split into three 8-hour
shifts, responsible for the safekeeping
Of the 2,700 prisoners. The appro-
priation increase asked for the COM
ing fiscal year will provide 161 more
guards-l02 for the reformatory and
SO for the workhouse.
Penal officials Puzzled.
Penal officials have pointed out that
even with this increase in the force
it will be impossible to meet the re-
quirements of the standard 44-hour
law and maintain an adequate guard
staff.
One thing the penal authorities
can't understand in connection with
the failure of Congress to grant suf-
flcient funds in the past to provide
adequately for the needs of the two
institutions is that the cost is so low
in comparison with projects involving
other District activities. Most of the
materials used in building construc-
ton at either the workhouse or re-
formatory-the brick, the sand and
the gravel is available at the in
stitutions. The bricks are made by
inmates on the workhouse reserva-
tion on the banks of Occoquan Creek.
The gravel Is taken from hills on the
reservation and the sand is dredged
by inmates from the bed of the creek.
The labor cost-one of the major
items in building construction-is
virtually nothing. The salaries of
foremen is all that the District is re-
quired to pay, since prison labor is
used almost exclusively on all build
ing construction at the institutions.
For instance, the inmates built, with
prison-made brick, the 25-foot wall
around the so-called walled group"
at the reformatory. where recalcitrant
prisoners are to be segregated from
those quartered in the dormitories on
the outside. They also did all the Ia
Dor on the buildings inside the high
wall.
$A4V,VVV hHCouy SpcuSs
The wall alone contains 4,800, 900
brick that would have cost the Dis
trict $81 900 to purchase on the mar
ket. So far $4,000 has been spent
on the walled group. The estimated
cost Of the entire project on compile
ton is $284,200. Had the work been
done by private labor and all the ma
terials that went into the wall and
buildings purchased on the market,
officials believe the figure would be
double that amount.
The story Is similar In connection
with the construction Of the new
water supply system for the two in
stitutions. which also is nearing COM
pletion. In that project the District
expects 10 invest $50 1000. but had It
been built under contract the cost
would have totaled at least twice that
amount.
Water for the new system IA taken
out Of occoquan Greek at the mouth
Of Elkhorn Run. To roach that point
inmates had 10 build q road through
q dense wilderness Of pine and UNDER
brush. Next they built q huge con.
crete reservoir OF i.ois.oo0 gallons
capacity. and followed that with q
pumping station on the banks OF oc-
ooquan Greek. Pipe lines for distri-
button Of the water we're then laid
.44I 4ghout thc reser"'''on, and now
the inmates are aiding n the COM
pletion of the filtration plant, the
final unit Of the new water system
which will provide the institution with