Evening star., 1946-04-07
Poor Administration
Makes Weak JuiIs
Local Probe Should Go Behind
Structural and Human Factors

By John w. Thompson, Jr.
or iron bars a cage depends good deal
on how the prison or cage is run. Con-
struction is only part of the story.
The dramatic escape of two despera-
does from District Jail last week after
Turing their guards into card game
outside the cells shows how human
failure can cancel out physical safe
guards The escape was from the
strongest, newest section of the jail
If, therefore, congressional investiga-
tors of jail administration fail to go
behind the record of suggested capital
improvements for the institution or the
human frailties of police detailed as
prison guards, they will miss completely
the root of the trouble. This root goes
far beyond structural strengthening of
the plant or moral strengthening Of
the watch, extending into the field of
penal philosophy and overall welfare
administration.
Two pending proposals strike at the
heart of the defects now existing-of
which the jailbreak is merely another
symptom-and deserve the fullest con-
Sideration.
| They are:
l. Strip the welfare board of its ad-
mlnlstrative powers and make it purely
advisory to welfare department under
the Commissioners.
Z Separate from welfare administra-
ton the operation Of penal institutions
ana nt them into corrections program
tled IN with law enforcement, parole
and rehabilitation.
In combination of these two NAV
rest the answer to the welfare woes of
the past 10 years.
Under an act of 1926, the welfare board
Is charged with responsibility for adj
minlstering public welfare in the Dis
trlct but the board has never had the
tools to carry out its mission. It can
neither hire nor fire personnel. 1t can
merely recommend to the Commits
slonerS. The Commissioners, for their
part, While they may hire and fire, NAV
act only on recommendations of the
boaro OF Public Welfare This results
IN the ridiculous situation that neither
the board nor the Commissioners can
hlre or fire person of their own
choosing in event of conflict In 1e41
the board recommended Ray Huff, penal
superintendent, to succeed Robert E.
6onoy as welfare director. The Com
Ih!sSloners favored Paul Edwards, then
OlsIrlct WPA director, for the post
Neither side gave in. For weeks tho
city was without director until Conrad
van Hyning was finally accepted as a
compromise
Although the board is charged with
responsibility for the institutions. these
are oullt by the Engineer Department
under the Commissioners. They can
completely ignore the Board of Public
"ehare on plans and design, if they
cnoose to do SO. The law merely re-
qulres that the plans be submitted n
Tue BOARD Tor criticism and suggestion.
ON top Of this confusion of authority
tne Board OF Public Welfare has thrown
complete cloak of secrecy around its
proceeolngs. 1t gives to the public
only what it wants the public to know
Inc pages OF welfare history are sniff
clent testimony that the system is not
working. In the appropriation bill ~
1888 Congress took copnizance ~
ianiy nigh rate that placed Washing
Ton IN AN unfavorable light" compared
WIN other Jurisdictions and trans
ierreo the control of the hospitals to
'iie Health Department. About the
same time the Burdette Lewis investi-
saCon spread relief scandal on the
iront pages. Complaints were freouent
against the conditions at the National
framing School for Girls, the Indus-
traal Home School and the Home for
the Aged and Infirm. Congressional
committees and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt
investigated. In 1941 came the Ed
"aros-HuH incident, followed last fall
ny the battle between the board and a
segment OF community opinion on the
plans Tor new Receiving Home for
children. The city heads finally an.
proved board plans, but gave the mem
oers a tongue lashing such as no other
6oard OF Commissioners ever gave q
group OF its own appointees.
X X X Y
AT the same time the welfare ad-
mlnstratlon tossed to the Commission
ers the hot potato of the case of
Howard B. Gill. Mr.. Gill's trial before
BOARD OF inquiry still is proceeding
result OF the failure by the Commits
sloners-and the public-to agree with
the Board of Public Welfare in it's at
tempt to pin responsibility on Mr.. Gill
Tor the Jailbreak of November "a.
During the early months of this wear
the Board of Public Welfare has heen
feuding with Auditor A. r. Pilkerton.
whose spot check of relief cases for
Congress indicated that 10 per cent
were "chiselers." The battle also covers
the welfare plan for central business
office and the question of Mr.. Pilker-
tons pre-audits of relief expenditures.
For the existing setup, this much
should be said. 1t was the result of long
study and eliminated a lot of overlap
that previously existed between various
agencies. Since the enactment of the
original legislation, creating it, the
Board Of Public Welfare has been
handed burdens in the form of heavy
relief administration not previously
existing. 1t has suffered from con-
siderable turnover in welfare directors,
each one looking at District problems
from different background. And it
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