The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1958-12-12
Existing Facilities

LAASGAARB d oSAutlCS
The Montana State Prison at Deer
Lodge is housed in a physical plant
designed for custodial purposes only,
with little or no thought given to re-
Mobilization. Within the lowered COM
pound walls, two main cell blocks are
connected by what is referred to as
''the inside administration building"
A separate building houses an infirm-
airy, library, and license plate manu-
featuring plant. A mathematician
completes the principal ''inside" struc-
lures.
Outside the walls, a small building
surrounded by a high cement wall
houses women prisoners. TRUSTEES are
housed outside of the walls in bar
racks surrounded by 12-foot fence
contiguous to the main compound.
A dormitory designed to accom-
modate approximately 800 minimum
security inmates is under construc-
ton miles west of the main prison
on the prison ranch. A few TRUSTEES
are housed in non-security quarters
at the several divisions of the prison
ranch.
The total inmate population of the
prison is about 600. Less than third
of these are TRUSTEES; the rest are con-
fined continuously within the COM
pound walls.
"OLD" CELL BLOCK
SHOULD BE Quilted"
The cell blocks are distinguished as
"new" or "old". The cold" cell block
was constructed in 1896. There is no
plumbing, little ventilation in the
summer and none in the winter; the
heating system is inadequate and err
ratio; sanitation is extremely difficult |
and seldom achieved; the roof is in
need of repair; Individual cells meas
uring 6x8 are inadequate by any !
modern standard; effective lighting
would be impossible to achieve, even |
if the wiring could carry double the
amount of current it now carries; the
building itself is structurally unsound;
human spoil is disposed of by bucket
brigade each morning; occupancy
is, to quite an extent, on voluntary
basis by those who do not wish to
associate with inmates in the new
cell block. After a four-day tour Of
the state prison in February of 1857,
Wardens Joseph E. Ragen, Illinois
state penitentiary; G. Norton Jane
son. South Dakota penitentiary, and
Harry C. Tinsley, Colorado state peni-
tertiary, concluded the "old" cell
house 'has outlived it's usefulness as
such and should be entirely Quilted"
NEW" CELL BLOCK
NOT MUCH BETTER
The ''new" cell block was con-
structed in 1912 and more than shows
the infirmities of it's age. Cells meas
uring 6x8 are uniformly occupied by
two inmates. Modern standards indi-
cate that a single occupancy cell ;
should be at least 6x9, There is, prac- [
tically speaking, no facility for segre- II
cation; 18-year-old check passers get
their criminal education there from
hardened burglars, rapists and MUIR {
derers. Because conduits are incap-
able of carrying sufficient current
the light in each cell is supplied by IA
one 25 watt bulb. {
In both the new and old cell blocks, t
segregation areas are crude improvis- i
ations, insecure, unsanitary and in
adequate in size. They permit no I
more than two segregation classified t
lions. and rehabilitation treatment v
for those in segregation is out of the t
question, due to lack of space. There t
is no exercise area for segregated S
The minimum security barracks e