The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-11-18

MONTANA STATE PRISON.
Deer Lodge. Nov l8.-Mr. John @.
Taxpayer, a well-to-do citizen of
Anytown, drove up in front of the
outside administration building of
the state prison today. His wife
and two children were with him on
the trip. Mr. Taxpayers ideas about
prisons were rather vague, most of
his information came from reading
detective magazines, or newspaper
accounts of occasional prison riots
He was bit apprehensive as his
eyes passed quickly over the frown-
ing stone walls with their menacing
machine gun-manned watch towers.
At any minute. he thought, a gang
of thugs might vault over those
walls and commander his car and
dash wildly away So he locked up
his vehicle and carefully deposited
the keys IN his trousers pocket.
Turning to his wife, he said:
Nov Mary, you take the chill
dren down and buy them some ice
cream, and to a movie. / expect
to be in here some time. I'm going
to find out what is going on in this
place, how they are spending my
tax dollars. I'll make a report to
the Lions club on my return home
MIR. Taxpayer entered the con-
crete and stone office building that
stands squarely across the street
from the main entrance gate of
the prison. Inside he sees a large
room with several men bending over
ledgers at desks, pounding on type
writers and quietly concentrated on
their tasks. He inquiries for the
warden and is introduced to Mr..
Theodore Bergstrom, business man,
legislator and former postmaster at
Baker Mr.. Bergstrom is a large
man, with kindly smile and a gen
ial handclasp He does not resem-
BILE the popular conception of
harsh, stern, prison warden. But
there is stability stamped upon him,
and honesty, and shreWdness that
warns against attempted imposition
or fraud Mr. Taxpayer relaxes
visiblv in Mr.. Bergstrom's warm,
friendly presence.
Great place you have here Mr..
Warden says John O. I'm just
one of the taxpayers that pay the
bill and I'd like you to tell me about
this place. I'd like to visit it, too,
and see what's going OH inside
Glad to show you around" Mr..
Bergstrom says, and means it. Nov
here is our budget We were given
$l50,000 year by the legislature
for the bienninm To date we are a
little over $4,000 under our sched-
ule. We have $40 inmates and it is
costing the state, for all purposes,
TAN cents day to keep these men
and women here. The item of food
costs Is cents day per inmate.
Of course the men do lot Of work.
We operate the state prison farm
OF $40 acres with TRUSTEES. We have
$50 head of livestock ON the Bailiton
dairy farm, which we rent on
shares. It consists of $50 acres. We
supply our own institution and have
a contract to supply the state hos
pital at Warm Springs with cream,
butter and milk. We milk rs cows |
the year around. We are holding
our steers this year for fattening,
and our meat bill win be greatly |
reduced next year We have 800
pigs and feed them mostly with |
by -products and our own grain. We
also have dairy farm where we
raise hogs, chickens, eggs, turkeys
and the food for them.
If the state would provide us |
with an adequate farm we could
cut our food bill in half. The men,
you know, are anxious for the priv
ilege of working as trustees on these
places. The place would pay for
itself in a few years.
Now perhaps you would like
to know more about the system the
state has adopted in handling in
mates. Montana adopted the parole
method over twenty years ago. 1t
has worked out and is working out.
Since 1917 the state parole board
has paroled $3.50 prisoners. There
have been returned to prison to
serve out their sentences for viola
tons, only EOS men and women.
or 3.8 per cent That is fine
record in retaining humanity, and /
particularly in economy of opera
tons. II all these inmates had re-
the cost of operating this
institution would be much greater.
In the last five years there have
been only is men returned. In the
last two years. only four have been
returned.
When man is sentenced to |
prison, he has, as matter of right. |
a certain percentage of time off for
good behavior A prisoner is al
lowed one month off his sentence
Tor each year during the first six