Evening star., 1951-09-27

$4,S2S,25S Outlay
For Department of
Corrections Asked
A 40-bed tuberculosis hospital
at the Occoquan (Va.) Workhouse
is proposed by the Department Of
Corrections as part of a $4,828.-
$50 budget outlay requested for
the fiscal year beginning next
July /.
In the proposals made public
by the Commissioners today, the
seeks $424, $50 for cap
ltal improvements, including $780,
900 for the hospital.
1t also asks $4,403, 900 for OPP
Grating expenses, including 35 new
jobs. This represents an increase
of $725 900 over the present years
appropriation.
Higher Costs Cited.
The department cites increasing
population rates, as we'll as higher
costs in everything from false
teeth to tin cans.
Federal officials have advised
the department they cannot &C
commodate tubercular District
prisoners at the Springfield (MoJ
Medical Center operated by the
Federal Bureau Of Prisons, the
Commissioners were told.
Also. there repeatedly are about
so persons with pulmonary tuber-
culosis who refuse to cooperate
with health authorities here and
could be sent to jail.
Male tubercular prisoners now
are kept on the second floor of the
present workhouse hospital. The
floor has a top capacity of Is beds.
1t Is crowded. has no facilities for
segregation of the acute cases and
is otherwise unsatisfactory, the
department said.
Rain Falls Through Roof.
The hospital itself is inadequate
for general medical care, it added,
and is in such poor physical shape
that rain falls through the walls
and roof.
The department also wants to
build an armory and entrance
tower at the Lorton (Va.) Re-
formatory at a cost of $11 900, and
restore the reformatory heating
plant at $55,000.
Erection of a fence around the
'reformatory puts the buildings
now used as an armory inside the
guard line. the department ex-
planned. This is considered un-
safe, with the armory subject to
capture by assault or trickery of
inmates" It is planned to move
the armory outside the new main
entrance.
Also proposed are the construc-
tion and equipping of REFRIGERATED
food storage and icemaking IA
cllities at the workhouse for $65.-
600. building and equipping of
COW barns and dairy facilities at
$62, 500. and relocation of the
swinery for $4,000.
Tract of Land Sought.
The department wants to buy a
1H2-acre tract of land at the
southeast corner of the Virginia
reservation, which indents into the
Government property, at an out
lay of $1,750.
1t is estimated it will cost the
District $787 1896 to keep 600 of it's
Iconvicts in Federal prisons. The
District reformatory is over ca
pacity, and also, some prisoners
are transferred for special REQUIRE
ments at Federal institutions, in
tcluding Lexington. Atlanta, Leav-
Ienworth and Alcatraz.
Increasing numbers of District
prisoners in Federal institutions.
the department said, bring up the
question of whether the District
should expand its own system.
While the drug addiction treat
ment at Lexington probably could
not be duplicated, the District
could provide the facilities avail
able in the other Federal prisons,
| it said.
This would mean renovating the
present walled unit at the re-
formatory into a ull-f1edged peni-
tentialy and building small,
modern Institution for youthful
offenders on the reservation about
a mile from the reformatory.
The department estimated these
two projects would cost $6 mil
lion, bu. it pointed to the growing
cost Of care for District prisoners
in the Federal institutions. The
number has risen from 234 in
1s47 to 521 for the third quar-
ter OF 1851.
The District cares for about 100
Federal prisoners, for which it
is reimbursed at it's per capita
cost now averaging $3.50 a day.
1t costs the District an average
lof So so a day for it's prisoners
in Federal institutions.
Among new Jobs, the depart
ment wants to add a second
dentist for the reservation institu-
ltions, hire a recreation officer.
and OBTAIN a psychiatrist, a group
Itheraplst, a personnel training
officer and an inmate training
officer for the jail.
The jail also wants an X-ray
for Identification of tuberculosis
cases among the approximately
"a 900 prisoners going through it's
doors in a year, and for other
use. At present, jail inmates must
be taken to Gallinger Hospital
when an X-ray is needed.