| Show UTAH PRISON IS CONDEMNED BY WICKERSHAM LAW COMMISSION Salt Lake Institution Listed With Scores of Others in Scathing Denunciation B Br By Associated Press Irus WASHINGTON V AS INGTON July 27 The 27 The Wickersham law enforcement commission commission com corn mission today condemned the Utah state prison along with nith a score score of or others as 3 an antiquated and In Inefficient Inefficient Inefficient In- In efficient institution The Utah prison was specifically criticised d for i its lack of adequate employment for Its inmates a a. sit situation situation sit sit- the commission pointed out wherein unrest and contempt for lor authority are bred Submitting its seventh se report to President Hoover dealing with penal institutions probation and parole the commission advocated creation of or a new system in which Iron bars would play but a a. small part and education would be upper upper- most Much of the report was a denunciation denunciation denunciation of ot prison conditions characterized characterized characterized charac charac- as almost incredible under which men were imprisoned In overcrowded overcrowded overcrowded over over- crowded cells without suit sufficient light or fresh air or benefit of modem modern modern mod mod- ern em pl plumbing FLAYS DISCIPLINE It lashed out also at the system of prison discipline described as tra tm traditional antiquated unintelligent and not infrequently cruel and in inhuman in- in human Asserting these methods contribute to the increase of ot crime by hardening the prisoner the commission commission com corn mission urged they be e blamed by t Among the punishments recalled many o of them visited upon prisoners prison prison- ers for lor slight offenses were the shackling of men to doors for 12 hours a day whipping placing them in straitjackets lashing them down under streams of cold water confining confining con con- fining lining them in cages so small that movement was Impossible and ke keepIng keep keep- Ing them in complete darkness for days at a n. time on a ration o of four ounces of or bread every 24 hours CITES EVIDENCE After asserting flatly that the American prison had failed as a a. business enterprise and as an an educational educational edu edu- Institution since men were rele released ed no better than when committed com corn the commission added The prison has failed as a disciplinary disciplinary disciplinary institution the rIo riots the fire the use of ot cruel and brutal measures of punishment the persistent recurrence recurrence recurrence recur recur- rence of murder within the prison the presence of narcotics the frequent fre Ire quent atmosphere of hatred and bl- bl on Pate PAU Two 0 Utah Prison Condemned in Report Of Wickersham Crime Commission Salt Lake Institution Listed S With Scores of Others in Scathing Denunciation Continued from irons Pl Page Pace e One t are arc sufficient evidence It is clear at present that the themore themore themore more punishment In prison the more discontent the more discontent the themore themore themore more irritation the more Irritation the more plotting the more plotting the more violation of at rules and the greater need for tor more severe punish punish- ment The whole procedure is Inthe in inthe inthe the nature of a n vicious circle for which there seems to be no rem rem- edy URGES SEGREGATION Outlining what it considered the Ideal the commission asserted segregation segregation segregation segre segre- gation of the diseased Insane dope- dope addicted and hardened criminal was one of the first requisites it held like fortress-like prisons of the Auburn type were unnecessary save for the worst types The millions of ot dollars now employed employed employed em em- to construct elaborate maxi maxI- security mum-security prisons it it said could with much better advantage be used in the development and proper financing of adequate systems systems systems of probation and parole Under the proposed system all prisoners would be paid pair wages their treatment would be more humanized the choosing of prison officials would be removed from politics and guards would be trained specifically for their then task FAVORS PAROLES It was advocated that no man should be sent to a penal Institution institution institution tion until it is definitely determined that he Is not a fit subject for pro pro- bation Extension of the parole system also was ur urged ed as ns the best means yet devised for releasing pr prisoners pris from confinement Nevertheless the commission as asserted asserted asserted as- as the present system of parole In most sections was little more than a huge joke It scored the loose supervision of parolees which In 18 states was carried on by correspondence correspondence corre corre- making it easy casy to beat I Ithe the game Disc Discussing conditions within 1 exist exist- I ing prisons the report said the overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding over over- crowding In federal institutions durIng durIng during dur dur- ing 1930 wa was per cent more than capacity and that the system as a whole was probably worse than It ever has been CELLS TOO S SMALL It said well over third one-third of all the major prisons in the country were between 70 and years jears old and that 21 per cent of them were without without without with with- out plumbing Many of the cells now housing two men are arc so small the report asserted that tho air ah- would have to be changed every three or four minutes to prevent objectionable objection obJection- able odors Some of the Institutions specifically teal teal- ly criticized were the state prison In Oregon the Charleston prison In Massachusetts the Auburn and ClInton Clinton Clin CUn- ton prisons In New York the Folsom prison in California and anti the old prison prison pris pris- I on at Joliet Ill IlLIn In the face of ot such conditions the commission said unemployment adds a burden and strain upon both the prison administration and the in inmates inmates inmates in- in mates which becomes almost able It cited some Instances in which m men n were kept In hi their cells almost 24 hours a day and others where they were made to sit on benches In a loft from breakfast until until until un un- til noon or to noon until supper simply simply sim sim- pl ply for lack of work MENTIONS RIOTS Mentioning the riots riots' at Folsom the Colorado state prison rison Columbus Leavenworth Jefferson City Mo Auburn and Clinton the commission commission commission commis commis- sion said in general that If It the l prisoners prisoners pris pris- were unnecessarily irritated then no amount of discipline or cruelty will save the Institution from Internal violence riot fire ire and mur miss der It disclosed that after strict disciplinary disciplinary dis dis- methods were Instituted at Jefferson City five men committed committed com corn suicide four were killed J. by other prisoners and 78 escaped Appended to the commissions commission's re report report report re- re port was a lengthy study by an advisory advisory advisory ad ad- committee of ot 24 experts I among them Sanford Bates director of federal prisons It occurred with the commission that the pre present ent prison system was falling failing In its purpose purpose purpose pur pur- I pose of reforming criminals URGES LABOR LAnOn Among its recommendations was one that prison industry be expanded to wl which ch was added that such industry must of necessity come into competition tion with that of free labor A third report prepared by Hastings Hast Hast- ings togs H H. Hart chairman of the committee committee com corn condemned the present system system tem tern of or police Jails and village lockups lockups lockups lock lock- ups as overrun by filth and vern vermin n as often constituting fire traps in which prisoners have be been n cremated and as the setting for third degree methods often accompanied by Illegal megal Ille me- gal treatment and torture In the course of Its criticism of conditions in specified prisons the tile commission reported that at the new Institution at Joliet men are held heir in cells celIs on a n diet consisting of four ounces of bread and one quart of water a day from a n day to a week If confined for a longer period it was added they are given a full ration ration ra ra- ra- ra tion lion one day each week While on this restricted diet the commission said the men arc are handcuffed hand handcuffed cuffed to a n. door for about 12 hours a day It added that a man recently died In the old Joliet prison on while held in this position CITES EXAMPLES Criticising prison unemployment the commission cited as examples such prisons as ns Walla Walla in Washington Auburn and Clinton in New NeVI York the state prison at Columbus Columbus Co Co- Co- Co lumbus where for tor years jears over a tl third rd of the prison population has been kept in Idleness the prison in Colorado Colo Cob rado the Eastern and Western penitentiaries peni in Pennsylvania the state prison in Wisconsin the prisons in Maryland Nevada Utah Montana Michigan arid and others Although condemning many of the habits and anti actions of or prison guards the report said their lot was a hard and often uninviting one The commission said ald a a. study of or conditions in New York City had revealed revealed re re- re- re that In recent years jears four guards had committed suicide and 10 had gone insane |
