Evening star., 1946-04-19

with or without authority knew
in which direction to go to keep
high levels in definite responsible
ity and instruction.
3. INSUFFICIENT, UNDER
PAID, NADEQU UATELY
TRAINED, AND GIN A FEW
CASES. VENAL PERSONNEL:
The allowance for personnel
at the Jail has not kept pace with
the growth of the Jail and the
problems caused by patching up
the Jail and widening its Use
not only for misdemeanants and
felons awaiting trial, but for
women and those serving SEN
tence or awaiting action on ap-
peals. Rapid turnover of per-
sonnel during the war and the
fact that approximately so per
cent of the employees are tenn
porary, war-service appointees,
indicates the problem the insti-
tuition has faced. Salaries Of
guards are not only below those
paid policemen and others en-
gagged in similar work, but are
at least one grade below those
paid in the Federal system for
similar work. Competent jail
+ personnel should be upgraded,
and the incompetent dismissed.
4. PLANT AND STRUCTUR-
AL WEAKNESSES:
While the plant and structure
of the Jail are no real excuse
for the escapes, 1t is nonetheless
true that the jail especially is
the result Of short-sighted,
hodge-podge planning and fail
ure to make repairs and
strengthen weak points which
were or should have been OBJ
vious.
In this connection your COM
mittee desires to emphasize the
fact that while the plant and
structural weaknesses are EVIL
dent, not one Of the jail breaks
would have occurred had there
not been a failure of the per-
sonnel. In other words, as weak
as the physical structure of the
institution is, the escaped felons
could not have succeeded in their
plan of escape If the human ele-
ment failure had not first en-
tered into the picture.
S. LACK OF DEFINITE POLL
CIES AND REGULATIONS
COVERING ADMINISTRATION
OF INSTITUTIONS, CONDUCT
OF PERSONNEL, AND CON-
TROL OF INMATES:
These have never been re-
duced to writing in any logical
manner and such as do exist
have been to take care of imme-
diate crises or cure some tempo
rary conditions.
6. IENCIES AND
SHORTCOMINGS IN BROAD
PROGRAM FOR CLASSIFICA-
TION, REHABILIT ALTON,
MEDICAL TREATMENT, EN-
PLOYMENT AND TRAINING
OF PRISONERS:
Although your committee has
laid stress in its investigations
upon escapes and improper SUI
pervision of prisoners, there exist
as glaring weaknesses and def
ciencies in the program for re-
habilitation and retraining pris-
oners. Both personnel and fac
ilities are lacking for a we'll
rounded program which would
provide the essential information
about the individual prisoner and
for providing inmates with the
vocational and educational train
ing, productive employment,
medical and psychiatric services,
and the parole preparation re-
quired to return prisoners to the
community better equipped to
lead a law abiding life.
7. ABSENCE OF SUBSTAN-
TIVE LAW SETTING FORTH
SPECIFICALLY THE DUTIES,
RESPONSIBILITIES, JURIS-
DICTION AND AIMS OF THE
PENAL SYSTEM AND OF IT'S
ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUB
ORDINATE PERSONNEL:
The District penal system, and
particularly the Jail, has had a
"topsy-like" growth out of many
laws, appropriation riders and
Federal statutes without any
codification or modernization of
these laws. The Jail, for instance,
has passed in succession through
the hands of the United States
marshal, the President, the In
terror Department, the Attorney
General, the Supreme Court for
the District and finally the Board
of Public Welfare. Many of these
old laws are still applicable in
part and should be revised, codi-
fed and amended.
/. REMEDIAL MEASURES.
The correction Of all Of these
deficiencies and providing a COM
plete answer for all of the Dis
trict's penal problems cannot be
accomplished overnight or by leg
islative fiat. The situation in the
District is complicated not only
by the fact that the penal sys-
tenn must handle all offenders
from the most petty, usually
taken care OF by municipal au-
thorities, to the most serious Of
tenders, ordinarily the RESPONSE
bility of the State. The intricate
relationship in the District be-
tween the local and Federal
Government in the field of law
enforcement and judicial admin
istration adds immeasurably to
the difficulty Of finding clear cut
lines of action and logical CO.
ordination and integration of IA
cilities and methods. Your COM
mittee therefore recommends two
courses Of action, one directed to-
ward interim measures and i'm
mediate remedies and the other
looking to long-range program
of improvement.
RECOMMENDATION FOR
INTERIM ACTION.
/. JOINT ACTION BY THE
COMMISSIONERS AND THE
BOARD OF PUBLIC WELFARE
ESTABLISHING A DEPART
MENT OF CORRECTIONS AND
DELEGATING TO THE HEAD
OF THIS NEW DIVISION ALL
NECESSARY POWER AND Au.