| Volume 107, Page 1766 View pdf image (33K) |
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10 You will notice the increase in the cumber of female con- victs in the course of the year.* It is almost certain that the number of females as well as males will he still further increased during the ensuing Jan- uary and may terms of' the courts. To accommodate this in- crease, we have two dormitories; the eastern dormitory with 320 cells, 64 of which are on the basement and though used 'for want of other room, have always been considered unfit for the purpose, by those who have examined them. Seven of them are used as dark cells and three of them unfit for use. The western dormitory or old building, is used as hospital and sleeping apartments for those prisoners the eastern dormi- tory will not accommodate. We have nine rooms now occu- pied, six prisoners in each room. The basement and second story of the old building are used by the female convicts and I would earnestly call your attention to the necessity existing for more room in that department. We now have inconfine- ment 72 female prisoners. The average for the last ten years has been 33. For that number there was not sufficient nor suitable room to successfully carry out the requirements of the law, or administer proper discipline, owing to the crowded state of that department. I have been compelled to open the basement rooms which have not been used for a long time on account of their unfitness, being partly under- ground, damp and poorly ventilated. I had them put in as good condition as possible. They are now occupied as sleep- ing apartments by 51 of the female prisoners, an average of more than eight-to a room. I refer you to the remarks of the Physician, Dr. J. W. Hank on that subject and I would re- commend that the rooms now occupied by the females on the second story as'sleeping apartments, be altered if possible, into workshops, and a dormitory built in the yard connecting with the old building. Until this ba done, or some other plan devised by which the prisoners can be separated at night, a wholesome and perfect discipline cannot be main- tained. Beside repairing the rooms mentioned, I have thrown three rooms into one in order to make a shop for caning chairs and have 20 female convicts at that labor, and have had built at the north end of the wash-house a bath-room for the use of the females; a desirable improvement which has ad- ded much to the sanitary condition of that department. Owing to the defective condition of the steam boilers con- nected with the engine, noticed in my last report, two new boilers have been put in, with modern improvements, of steam guages and alarm, at a cost. of about $1,000 00. I am pleased to report the moral condition of the prisoners much improved. We have had no cases of gross insubordi- |
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Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly, 1866
| Volume 107, Page 1766 View pdf image (33K) |
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