Salt Lake Telegram | 1935-12-24 | Page 2 | Survey Finds 5 Utah Jails Fit for Federal Usage

Survey Finds 5 Utah Jails Fit for Federal Usage WASHINGTON Dec 24 AP Out AP-Out Out of 26 jails inspected in Utah United States inspectors have found only live five with high enough nough safety standards to house federal prisoners Twenty one jails were condemned condemned con eon for federal usage in Utah because of at unfit or unsafe condi condi- One jail was rated on a percentage basis of 80 to 89 and four received a 50 to 59 per cent rating Sanford Bates director of the bureau bureau bureau bu bu- bu- bu reau of prisons disclosed today that 1273 of at the 2894 jails inspected by his men from July 1 1930 to June 30 1935 were barred from housing federal prisoners The inspectors visited city and county institutions in a majority of the country's cities The local jails w were re not judged on the high standards required by federal federal fed fed- federal feds eral institutions but on requirements requirements requirements require require- ments considered necessary for safekeeping safe sate keeping persons over short periods Bates said The government houses In local jails some prisoners awaiting awaiting await await- awaits ing lug trial or serving short terms Three Rate 90 Per cent Only three jails in the country rated over 90 per cent on the prison bureaus bureau's score sheet Although Bates did not name them they are located in California Idaho and Minnesota More than half of the jails in- in rated 1772 1772 rated under 50 o per percent percent cent ent of requirements Food and buildings and equipment equipment equip equip- equipment ment are heavily weighted in the governments government's estimate of a jails jail's fitness Next in importance come administration and discipline and personnel Other elements on the score sheet are cleanliness and sanitation sanitation san- san tation medical service employ employ- employment ment nent and industries rehabilitation hospital personal hygiene and re religious religious re- re instructions Bates attributes poor conditions to o the fee system under which a sheriff or constable is paid on the aI I basis of oC the number of men In the jail runs the jail out of at the fees and pockets the remainder Obviously a system that starves the prisoner to pay the jailer is anevil an anevil evil he observed The pris prison n director offered two suggestions for improving the country's country's coun coun- try's term short-term jail system A Amore Anore more nore efficient method of identifying identify identify- ing prisoners ng and of reporting so SC I it t would not be necessary to keep keei a man without a previous criminal 1 record locked up awaiting trial an and I state prison farms to replace local loca 1 jails for prisoners serving sentences Third Degree Place Under present deplorable conditions condi condi- lions Bates said the local jail is L 3 I often a sort of at third degree place for the innocent where a decent t man would be tempted to confess confes S to a crime whether he committed 1 I it or not in order to get out of th the e local jail and into a state Bureau officials said they were C following their general policy in no not t disclosing the locations of the jails jail S condemned We dont don't want to pick a fight figh t with anyone Bates said We V ar are e really guests at the local jails We need them in order to house all aU the federal prisoners under our care The percentage ratings of jails by states includes 90 80 70 GO 80 Un 50 der State oo 00 a IS' IS 79 69 Sri 50 80 O Arizona California i 1 1 8 o 8 21 11 32 27 7 Colorado i 1 1 1 i a O 39 Idaho i 1 i 10 10 n 26 Montana 14 40 0 Nebraska 1 2 40 Nevada T 01 New Mexico V A f- f 1 J 21 1 12 o n 20 T Texas 2 66 56 Utah M i 1 4 21 1 1 17 25 2 I I s j j 6 f 16