The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-20

House Bill 966-An Act establish ing the State Farm Jail Commun- ity; Judiciary Hearing, Tuesday February Fist, 1:30 p. m. in Old Senate Chamber, Hartford-all in- terested In human beings and eco- homie Government, please attend.
 The Problem-What strikes you insistently in Jail?-the poverty and the inhibitions of prisoners; the rich get bail-the poor go to jail. The wealthy mostly do escape-the poor suffer. Whoever sees well- dressed prisoners, held for drunk enness, vagrancy, breaking the peace or inability to pay fine for a motor accident? Prisoners arrive from any county in the State, from any State in the Union-from distant lands. Unless the prisoner tells on him- self, or is neighbor,-The jailor may know nothing of his past; ex- cepting the information in the war rant of the charge against him. The sheriff, a genial political officer runs his jail or appoints some poli- tical friend, as deputy jailor-called tailor for short. Jailors may enter office, direct from their previous occupations; one had been @ grocer -one a natter, one a reporter, one 6 salesman, one Q dance-hall pro- prietor; all are kind-hearted, willing to do their best. But what can they do with no funds, except per- sonal salaries, and budgets tied by County Commissioners? Without funds, equipment, previous training or experience, what can jailors do beyond painting the jails, improv- ing food, keeping up the premises, exterminating vermin, being good- natured to prisoners, whom they are only required to guard, to feed and to work? The jail authorities have kindly permitted Parnassus on Wheels, Inc. to introduce books, and to hold jail forums for pris- oners once a month when feasible. Two of our sheriffs are experiment. ing with interesting radio programs, but to carry on any serious courses of instructions under the ancient regime is not practicable.
 Manual Labor
 Work in jail usually means stupid manual labor, such as caning chairs. doing chores or maintenance jobs, gardening or simple farm la bor, IF the jail has farm and IF prisoners can be trusted not to run away. Only three Connecticut jails have guarded courts, in the other seven, prisoners deemed untrust- worthy may never get outdoors. The sentence has no relation to the offense except as punishment. Jail sentences are considered too short to teach the prisoners anything; this is false: Stalls and bars teach him that he is considered a beast, to be locked up, ignored, feared. He learns to loaf, to sit, stand and walk in shiftless attitudes, to bolt his food, to gossip, to lose his pow CTS of concentration and initiative; to lose self-respect, to forfeit re- pect for religion, law and order; moreover, his fellow delinquents may teach him the grammar of crime. The jail chaplain, if there is any, may appear once week, or for brief intervals, snatched from out side parish labors, and struggle to impart the rudiments or rituals of the religion, which our penal sys- tenn usually contradicts. Three of our jails are without the benefits of clegry.
 Jail sentences are heightened with costs;" Thirty days sentence, $l5.00 costs-six months $23.00 costs "a year Sl00 costs, etc. discovered "costs" in trying to meet prisoners needs of clothing, eye glasses, spec ial literature. wanted during jail terms or directly on release. A book let by Edward Fisher, obtainable at Supreme Court Building, Hart ford, verifies the county costs" system; ;-example-25 cents a mile to officer for transporting prisoners from lock-up to jail or jail to court, etc; 25 cents a page for the warrant or copies of records, etc; $500 or at least $2.50 for 8 hearing -fees at every turn! This system must date from the age of pedes- trians, horse-drawn vehicles and documents copied by hand.
 The People Pay!
 Poor prisoners unable to pay costs" stay that much longer in jail, at the rate of $l00 a day, not counting holidays and Sundays, and developing states of mind. leading to REAL CRIME-while the county or State pays their keep. the indi- gent families go on relief. and ultimately the common people pay the whole billl To make 1t doubly extravagant your offense can be sub-divided into counts" with each count" taxed separately. For ex- ample count" I, thirty days and costs for getting drunk-"count" 2- thirty days more for breaking the peace" c profanity - a fine tackled on, and thirty days more for assault and battery" if you punch the neighbor or the Police: That might occasion another Hearing" and Costs" De-