Show I Utah Prison Inmates Rot in Idleness' Idleness II I Overcrowded Conditions of State Stat Penitentiary Are Narrated 1 V V. Editors Editor's note not ft This Is II th the he first of ft K rIes rles of Of articles title I by John U. U Terrell Telegram talf writer criter condition condi tion tlona at mt the Utah state prison Others Other wilt Mill follow dall By JOHN U U. TERRELL Early in tho the morning they are arc re returned turned out of at their cells like JUte sheep being turned out to pasture for t the thc e day For a short time th they y stand In silence blinking in the the bright sunlight looking helpless Gradually Gradually ally aUy they begin to drift about the prison yard ard falling into small groups Some find shaded places beneath the rough stone walls and sit down They sit there with Immobile immobile im Im- mobile faces staring at nothing This is the beginning of a day within the high barriers of at the Utah state prison at Sugarhouse It Is the he beginning of a day of complete Idleness a day like Jike every other day like ike years of no variation following each other In the ceaseless procession procession procession sion of time In this prison time is marked by bythe bythe the he rising and setting of the sun the coming out of cell ceU blocks to indolence and then tho the returning to the thc cells the clicking of ot the thc barred doors another night of stillness and solitary confinement Warden Varden Richard E. E Davis says All AU day the they lie ho like Jike dogs in the prison yard There is nothing for them to do Perhaps they could stand it and come out all aU right if they could stop th thinking Rot in Idleness Idleness' The story of ot the Utah state prison is the tho story of conditions called deplorable by hardened prison attaches at at- aches and even by those men who might use their power to bring about Improvements No story about a prison prison any any prison could irison could be anything but tragic ragic But white while some prisons give I convicts an opportunity to regain their heir lost foothold on the path path of of life ife the Utah state pris prison lets lets' them thim rot in idleness More than a tragic story it contains contains con con- con con- ains the r record of a decadent sis sis- tern em of neglect on the part of state stat I officials who have hav failed to fulfill fulfil sworn duty of ot interfering politicians politicians clans of moral obligations avoided avoid d dby by y one legislature after another and of a n lack of facilities as a a. result And it offers suggestions for corr cor correcting cor- cor r existing evils and carries carries carri s the he messages of those who are strivIng ing ng to bring about reforms Time for Truth j Undoubtedly the major part of the he population of the tho state has at some ome time passed the prison Warden War War- den len Davis said People driving by byee bysee bysee see ee the walls with armed guards on them hem They know that inside those walls are unfortunate men and wamen AO- AO men who have broken tho the law Per Per- haps laps that thought and the sight of ho tho prison make mako them shudder They would shudder a lot jot more if It they knew the truth if they under under- r- r i 1 J V is isi i Vf f i Z- Z t t 4 A A cy 4 I 4 1 4 I i LW m at 4 ft MJ a lt ii P 44 4 4 v F A C 4 t ftfe y j e r e 9 t tir ir z rI I 1 p 3 J 4 S j ir w i 0 m f a I 1 K S S 1 m m m dV i j S i a V i n w W r v A illustration of idleness at the prison The prisoners spend the thc day gambling with twigs toothpicks and pebbles Others pace back and forth across across' the thc recreation grou ground d for hours like caged animals Others just sit and stood what was going on behind those walls walts aIts t a tIts Its time tune the truth were told Its It's time the p people ople- ople of Utah learn how lives are b being ing ruined how cr criminals are being made how men and women are arc being driven to mental mental men men- tal tat and moral destruction in the thc prison the citizens are supporting T That at is b the outside stage The Thc inside is different Approximately men mon and women wo wo- wo women women men are arc confined ed in the state pris prison m now now The cells number slightly less All males have individual cells but jut the w women men do not This is is one of the f few w assets assets' of at which the prison may boast that it has a cell in which each prisoner prisoner ma may be c confined fined at night The prison prison including including its yards yaris and farm lands occupies acres Much of this land is useless Only 60 acres are suitable for f farming And during the last f few w years there has las not been enough water for irrigation The state has been buying buying buying buy buy- ing food for the inmates which might be raised on the prison farm In his last report to to the board of ot corrections Wilford F. F Giles deputy warden and farm s superintendent stated Due to the drouth the entire Water water water wa wa- ter supply for for the tho farm for this present resent season will wUI be pumped from the he well wen prison In a little second floor room stand seven beds There is one ono entrance to the room up an unpainted stairway built on tho the outside The Tho floor of the of-the the room is wood thc walLs the arc are old appearing ready to crumble I Come in and see one of the best or the worst fire traps I in the world Warden Varden Davis said Its lilts our hospital When he was asked what he would do in the event a serious epidemic epidemic epidemic epi epi- epi- epi demic broke out ut in the prison he replied fH Hire re some some gr grave grae c diggers But Buthe the isn't the only room at the thc prison which can be termed a fire ire trap The whole prison stands as a veritable tinder Under box Three hundred and twenty and twenty nien men and women live in constant danger i of being destroyed by fire perhaps burnt to death while they scream helplessly in their cells Its It's happened other places said Mr Davis The recent fire in the Ohio penitentiary killed some ome men They died like rats An outsider might raise the question question ques ques- tion Why Why Why-aren't aren't arent new buildings put up and why are not improvements made New buildings and improvements would be a waste of money in the present location of oC the prison OfficIals Officials are unanimously agreed on on Continued on Pago Paso Two Column One j i t 4 d 4 5 5 r rS S E. E Davis AU All day they lie like dogs UTAH'S AH'S PRISON b FACTS FACTS' BARED i Continued from Pico Par ae One J that point But eff effort rt after effort to move the prison has met with de de- de feat fent Bill BUI after bill offered the legislatures legis has been pigeonholed I and forgotten Conditions ona Worse Me Meanwhile fe con conditions UtIon grow steadily stead stead- fly ily Wore worse ore Y Youths who ha have e made madea ade adea a a. mistake and havo been sent to prison for the first time are ao turned out every year with their heads Mads filled tilled with the tales of confirmed criminals They have served emd th their lr time in complete completo Idleness hearing nothing but the tho talk taUt of ot rats mb end arid men whose minds are arc warped who are are beyond redemption degraded immoral individuals whose l last t shred of ot dc decency ncy and a self respect lies has vanished I Society g gets ts these young criminals crimi nals nab back I They might have havo been placed on probation If It tho the state tate of t Utah had bad a probationary system worth the notice of judges It hasn't In InmoSt Inmost Inmost most cases case the trial Judge would rather send a young man to prison than chance placing him hint on proba proba- tion Despite circumstances he may anay be benefited Probation in Utah means turning a young man loose without supervision or help And that is is' where the tho criticism of ot the tho present probation system lies Warden Davis and some members of the board of corrections know what must be done There is J no reticence on ori their parts when it comes to making suggestions The question of greatest import is do What can they Social l Problem Its one of the the- greatest social problems facing the people of at Utah de do- today the year old warden dared It is one thing we ve have n neglected and forgotten It is one thing the state powers power steadfastly avoid evoid In the prison yard as he t talked snore moro than inmates of all ages were lying about in idleness Some Somo were playing gambling games on overturned boxes The stakes were toothpicks and twigs and stones They had no cards but they had in invented invented invented in- in vented games of chance They would Mr Davis said spit at marks marIa and bet on their r respective tive skill kilL Farther out in th the y yard rd a few were playing ball baIl Others were pitching pitching quoits quoits rubber ones Most of them were were sprawled out in silence thinking While we weve we've ve made progress in Inthis inthis this state in other ways Warden Davis Dav continued weve ignored this matter We have havea a horse and buggy prison an out outmoded oded penal system We stand at the bottom of the list of states Were making criminals and at atthe atthe atthe the same me time crying in despair over the extent of crime |