Chapter IV: Act 314: empowers the State Highway Commissioner to arrange with the (1)

managers of prisons to employ the inmates thereof at manual labor for “the construction ... or maintenance of the State Highways....”

The workers are to receive wages from 40 to 60 cents per day, and are to be subjected to no cruel treatment.

The law is an excellent one and should result, since there is great scarcity of laborers, in very great benefit to the Commonwealth, in fact, in the settlement of the good roads problem.

Recently the Rhode Island Legislature has made it possible to employ convict labor on the public highways. Two gangs of thirty-one men each were thus employed last summer, and it is reported that the results are very satisfactory to the road officials.

Missouri has also joined the ranks of States that use convict labor in the construction of highways. “The Old Trail highway, running from Kansas City to St. Louis, is being improved ... over a stretch of swampy land that has been the despair of the Old Trail highway promoters, and the work is being done entirely with convict labor under the direction of State engineers.”

DIETARY AT PENAL INSTITUTIONS.

A. H. VOTAW.

The subject of food supply is engaging the attention of the nation. There are a hundred million mouths to feed in this country, and we have undertaken to feed almost that number abroad. Hence we need to study the actual value of various foods and to eliminate all waste.

Not only the food value of the daily menu is to be considered but the preparation of the food is of vital consequence. I am fortunately able to give a concrete instance of the importance and economical value of a scientific method in the selection and preparation of a dinner for a company of 1200 prisoners. I was visiting recently a large prison farm in one of the Southern States. The superintendent had just indicated his progressive spirit by employing a skilled institutional dietitian to spend a few days in their culinary department. Orders were issued for the cooking force to obey implicitly the instructions of the temporary chef.

Two Prison Menus.

The day before he took charge the following stew had been prepared, the method being much the same as in nine-tenths of the public institutions of the United States. The ingredients were as follows:

874 lbs. beef @ 12c. $104.88
200 lbs. rice @ 8c. 16.00
-------
Total cost $120.88

“In this stew the meat was put on, bone and all, in hot water and stewed for about two hours; then it was dipped out and the rice was boiled in the liquor which remained. The meat was tough and unpalatable, and the rice worse, many of the prisoners saying that altho they had not tasted beef for more than a month they could not eat it.” After the meal large quantities of the meat was gathered up for the garbage can.

The day previous to my visit, under this dietitian the following ingredients were used for a stew:

390 lbs. beef @ 12c. $46.80
303 lbs. white potatoes @ $1.25 bushel 8.25
70 lbs. onions @ 5c. 3.50
3 lbs. baking powder @ 10c. .30
40 lbs. flour @ 6c. 2.40
½ lb. pepper @ 30c. .15
5 lbs. lard @ 30c. 1.50
------
Total cost $62.90

“The beef was cut clean from all the bones and cut into small one-inch cubes. It was then put in equal quantities in five thirty-gallon kettles and these were then filled to about two-thirds their depth with cold water at 4 A. M. This was kept simmering till 10 A. M. when the sliced onions were added. At 10.30 the pepper, salt and potatoes were added, and then the dumplings which had been prepared were added, care being taken not to place enough in any one pot at one time to bring it below the boiling point, always putting on the lids immediately in order to prevent the cold air from making the dumplings heavy. The dumplings were a great success considering the crude equipment, and were made as follows:

“Forty lbs. of flour, 2½ lbs. baking powder, 5 lbs. lard. The flour and baking powder were rubbed together until thoroly incorporated, then very cold water was added until the mass was of sufficient thickness for rolling. It was then rolled into sheets one-half inch thick and cut in semi-circular or crescent shapes with a biscuit cutter and added to the stew as above stated. The secret of light dumplings is to see that boiling is uninterrupted, and that the cover is put on immediately after they are put in, and that it be kept on for twenty minutes to hold in the heat which is over the surface of the liquid. It is this top heat which expands the gas produced by the baking powder and also cooks the dough.... Thirty-two cans of strong beef broth were obtained from the bones and were canned. The bones were steadily boiled for many hours and the fat was from time to time skimmed off. Several gallons of fat were thus obtained, which, having been clarified, were used later in seasoning a mess of green beans. The broth was sent to the hospital.”

I have given the formula and also the method of preparation as it was reported in order that the care involved might be shown. There is no lack of help at any of our penal institutions, so that the additional time and labor may not be taken into account.

The next day a pork stew was prepared and was also hailed with enthusiasm. The pigs which were fattening on the contents of the garbage pails lamented the advent of the chef. There was universal commendation of the mess which was served. Happiness reigned. Smiling faces were seen everywhere.

The difference in cost of the two meals was $57.98 in favor of the toothsome meal.

Let us estimate the saving at $50.00 per day.

Saving in one week $350.00. Saving in 52 weeks $18,200. If thus an institution may save $18,000 annually, is it not wise economy to employ an expert dietitian?

But we must not be carried off our feet by mere figures. The actual value of the two meals, one prepared by the old haphazard method, the other in accordance with the true principles of cookery, must be compared.

The beef and rice stew in actual units of food values exceeds the value of the dumpling meal. But the satisfaction afforded by the dumpling meal would carry an almost unanimous vote in its favor.

Let the dumpling meal have about 200 lbs. of meat added, and there will still be a saving of about $36.00 per dinner, or $13,180 annually.

My contention is that it will be wise for all institutions to consider methods of preparation both for the sake of the health and happiness of the inmates, and for economy.

Employment of a Chef.

Recently I visited a large penal institution near Boston, Mass., where a food expert had been employed for more than a year. The experiment was overwhelmingly successful. Formerly the food was prepared altogether under the care of inmates, some of whom were more or less acquainted with cooking and serving, generally less familiar. Men were coming and going, hence there was irregular service in the kitchen, and often novices rendered the food unpalatable. The authorities wisely employed a head chef who should direct the work of the bakery and kitchen. The result amply justified the experiment. A balanced ration was served, the food was appetizing, a large variety appeared on the tables from time to time, the hospital was less frequented, and the expense of provision had not been increased. In every way the institution was benefited by the new method.

Sing Sing.

The most convincing illustration is from Sing Sing. We quote from a report made by Dr. George W. Kirchwey who succeeded Warden Osborne.

“When I assumed the responsibilities of the office of Warden and began to make a closer study of conditions at Sing Sing, I was struck by the amount of ill-health and the lack of proper medical care of the inmates. The men seemed to be generally anaemic and undernourished. Many of them were afflicted with disease of one kind or another. Many of them were stunted and deformed, and a large number, it seemed to me, were mentally defective or mentally diseased.

"The first thing to which I turned my attention was the problem of supplying an adequate and nourishing diet and of improving the unsanitary and unwholesome conditions under which the food was prepared and served to the inmates generally. In this work I had the services of a committee of inmates and of a food expert, Dr. Emily C. Seaman, of Teachers’ College, Columbia University. The task was not an easy one, because it called for something like a revolution in the prison dietary without increasing the cost, limited to 15 cents a day per man. As the result of the painstaking work of Dr. Seaman and the food committee, the quality of the food was so improved that in a short time the attendance in the mess-hall, which is voluntary, increased by 40 per cent.

“They are now serving a diet at Sing Sing which is, upon the whole, satisfactory and comes as near to being a balanced diet as the means at our disposal will permit. What is needed is not so much an increased allowance by the legislature for the purchase of food, as the addition to the prison of an extensive farm which will furnish eggs, vegetables, milk, pork and other supplies at reduced cost. Every prison should have such a farm connected with it. The food reform involved the reconstruction of the old badly ventilated, ill-smelling mess-hall and the building of a new kitchen with modern appliances for the preparation of food, as well as the training of the inmate cooks, waiters, etc., for their duties.

“The large force of men--about 125--employed in the preparation and serving of the food are carefully selected and regularly examined twice a month by the prison physician. The men are required to keep themselves as neat and clean as waiters in a respectable outside restaurant. The kitchen is a model of what an institutional kitchen should be. In the dining hall, the long slate slabs, miscalled tables, at which the men have been required to feed for countless years, are being replaced by attractive tables seating ten each, at which the processes of serving and eating may go on in a civilized fashion.”

Investigation of N. Y. Prison Association.

In the 72d Annual Report of the Prison Association of New York we find an exhaustive study of the rations at the State penal institutions. Two assistant secretaries have given a large amount of time and attention to this matter and we propose to make some quotations from this report.

“The principal defects may be presented under the following headings:

1. Insufficiency in the amount of food allotted.

2. Wrong relative amounts of different classes of food, making it difficult to serve balanced rations.

3. Unsatisfactory method of distribution of food among the prisoners.

4. Inadequate system of food allotment and estimates at the central office.”

Their observations at Sing Sing confirm the report of Warden Kirchwey.

“With a view to varying the daily menu as much as possible a new dietary was established early in the year by Dr. Emily C. Seaman, of Columbia University. A new kitchen was provided in what was formerly known as the old boiler room, with concrete floor, and walls and ceiling enameled white. New equipment was installed, including potato steamers, aluminum kettles, steam kettles, an electric meat chopper, electric potato paring machine, large gas range for roasting meats, and large coffee urns. Those employed in the kitchen and mess hall are dressed in white duck suits. Tables with white enameled tops and chairs with backs are being installed in place of the old tables and stools. The new arrangement is reported to have improved the quality and cleanliness of the food served.”

A Scientific Ration.

In order to make our contention clear, it seems necessary to impart some technical information.

The value of food is estimated in calories. A calorie may be expressed in terms of heat or in terms of work. In the laboratory and by experimentation with human subjects the value of all foods has been very scientifically demonstrated. Foods largely consist of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which have the function of supplying the body with energy or the power to work. The proper proportion of these constituents of food makes up a _balanced ration_ which satisfies our physical needs in the way of nourishment. We get our carbohydrates from bread, fruits, vegetables, sugar and all grain products. Fats are derived from meats, eggs, butter, milk, nuts, etc. The proteins are derived from meats, eggs and some vegetables, especially beans.

A calorie in terms of heat is defined as the amount required to raise one pound of water four degrees Fahrenheit. In terms of work or physical energy a calorie represents the amount of food required to lift 100 pounds about 30 feet.

It has been ascertained that the average amount of calories required daily is about 3000 calories for a man who takes exercise. 2500 calories are regarded sufficient for a man who does not take exercise.

Now a good balanced ration for the average man who is working moderately may be estimated in the following proportion:

Carbohydrates 2000 calories
Fats 800 calories
Proteins 300 calories
----
3100 calories

Dietary for a Prison.

At the request of the Prison Association of New York a dietary, with cost values, was prepared by Mr. William Golden, General Inspector and Dietitian of the Department of Correction, New York City, and Dr. Emily C. Seaman, Instructor in physiology and chemistry in Teachers’ College, Columbia University. They suggested a dietary for fourteen consecutive days and made an estimate of the cost. The average daily cost for each prisoner was 18.4c, based on prices February, 1917.

As a sample we present their proposed bill of fare for three alternate days:

WEDNESDAY.

_Breakfast_--Oatmeal with milk and sugar, fruit, bread, coffee with milk and sugar.

_Dinner_--Roast beef, cornstarch pudding, rice, carrots, raisin sauce, bread, coffee with milk and sugar.

_Supper_--Vermicelli soup, graham bread, tea with sugar.

FRIDAY.

_Breakfast_--Puffed wheat with milk and sugar, bread, coffee with milk and sugar.

_Dinner_--Bread, coffee with milk and sugar, salmon, scalloped rice and tomatoes.

_Supper_--Bread pudding with raisins, bread, tea with sugar.

SUNDAY.

_Breakfast_--Rice with syrup, graham bread, coffee with milk and sugar.

_Dinner_--Roast beef, baked potatoes, peas, graham bread, gelatine, coffee with milk and sugar.

_Supper_--Cornstarch pudding, gingerbread, tea with sugar.

Now the dietary given above was prepared with special reference to the physical requirements of the human system. The ingredients are in the correct proportion to insure health and happiness. Let no one think this menu is extravagant. The following table presents the exact amounts given to each person with the cost value. It will surprise many a warden to note that the total cost is little in excess of the usual monotonous and haphazard dietary.

Daily Amount and Cost for Each Inmate.

WEDNESDAY.

Oatmeal, 1 oz. $ .00234
Milk, ½ pint .01743
Beef, 9 oz. .06283
Coffee, ⅔ oz. .00530
Fruit, 1 piece .01
Cornstarch, ½ oz. .00138
Raisins, 2 oz. .01016
Bread, 24 oz. .03375
Rice, 1 oz. .00219
Cheese, ½ oz. .00735
Vermicelli, 2 oz. .0084 $ .16113
Estimated value in calories, 3000.

FRIDAY.

Puffed wheat, 1 oz. $ .00235
Milk, ½ pint .01743
Salmon, canned, 4 oz. .05313
Rice, 1 oz. .00219
Tomatoes, 2 oz. .00644
Bread, 24 oz. .03375
Raisins, 2 oz. .01016
Coffee, ⅔ oz. .00530
Tea, .11 oz. .00115
Sugar, 2 oz. .00741 $ .13931
Estimated value in calories, 2600.

SUNDAY.

Rice, 1 oz. $ .00219
Syrup, 1 oz. .00226
Milk, ½ pint .01743
Sugar, 2 oz. .00741
Bread, 24 oz. .03375
Roast Beef, 9 oz. .06283
Potatoes, 10 oz. .025
Peas, 2 oz. .01087
Gelatine, 2 oz. .00375
Cornstarch, ½ oz. .00276
Gingerbread, 8 oz. .02
Tea, .11 oz. .00115
Coffee, ⅔ oz. .00530 $ .19470
Estimated value in calories, 3800.

The average cost for these three days for each inmate, 16½ cents.

Now this is an imaginary bill of fare, not supposed to be served in any institution in the world. It is a suggestion of possibilities. The new service at Sing Sing may approximate to this list of eatables.

Eats in a Michigan Prison.

In the report of the Michigan State Prison for two years ending June 30, 1916, we find the daily menu for every meal in a whole year. Twenty-six pages of the report are taken up with this schedule of eatables.

An extract from this report explains the unusual pains to publish the bill of fare.

“An old adage states that one of the avenues to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The now existing system of intensive farming, and of canning the surplus fruits and vegetables not consumed by the prison commissary has furnished the Michigan State Prison with unusual opportunity to supply food products. The opportunity is reflected in the following menu, showing the food actually served during the last fiscal year.”

We present the menu for a few days selected from different times of the year:

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1915.

_Breakfast_--Oatmeal, milk, sugar, bread, butter, coffee.

_Dinner_--Fried pork steak, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, stewed tomatoes, bread, iced tea, cookies, strawberry shortcake.

_Supper_--Lunch from dinner, bread, coffee.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 1915.

_Breakfast_--Hot biscuits, syrup, fried potatoes, bread, butter, coffee.

_Dinner_--Roast beef, browned potatoes, beans, lettuce, radishes, bread, mince pie, iced tea.

_Supper_--Lunch from dinner, bread, coffee.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1915.

_Breakfast_--Liver and bacon, steamed potatoes, bread, gravy, coffee.

_Dinner_--Boiled beef, fried parsnips, steamed potatoes, onions, mashed turnips, tomato pickle, bread.

_Supper_--Bean soup, corn bread, crackers, bread, coffee.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1916.

_Breakfast_--Baked hash, gravy, bread, coffee.

_Dinner_--Baked beans, pork, syrup, steamed potatoes, bread, buttermilk.

_Supper_--Rice soup, corn bread, crackers, bread, coffee.

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1916.

_Breakfast_--Creamed potatoes, apple jelly, bread, coffee.

_Dinner_--Boiled pork, stewed beans, horseradish, mashed rutabagas, green onions, bread, buttermilk.

_Supper_--Rice soup, rhubarb pie, bread, coffee.

Complete menus are given for 364 days, or for 1092 meals. No, we were not quoting from the Ritz-Carlton cuisine, but from the culinary department of a western penal establishment.

Elmira Reformatory.

The daily bill of fare at the Elmira Reformatory shows that the question of the serving and the variety of food has had careful thought. We quote from a recent report of the State Commission of Prisons, N. Y.

“This institution has one of the best equipped kitchens in the State. It is kept scrupulously clean and the waste has been reduced to a minimum. A physician makes frequent inspections which include an examination of the inmates employed in the kitchen and mess halls. Special white suits are provided.”

SUNDAY.

_Breakfast_--Rolled oats, bread, coffee, syrup.

_Dinner_--Beef soup, corned beef, boiled potatoes, bread, coffee, pudding.

_Supper_--Stewed raisins, spice cake, bread, butter, syrup, tea.

MONDAY.

_Breakfast_--Creamed rice, bread, coffee.

_Dinner_--Roast beef, brown gravy, potatoes, bread, coffee, rice pudding.

_Supper_--Roast beef hash, bread, butter, syrup, tea.

FRIDAY.

_Breakfast_--Rolled oats with milk and sugar, bread, coffee.

_Dinner_--Macaroni with tomato sauce, creamed potatoes, rice pudding with raisins, bread, coffee.

_Supper_--Creamed rice, bread, butter, syrup, tea.

Albany, N. Y.

From the same report we learn of a more modest menu at the Albany County Prison. Besides the conventional bread and coffee served every morning, there was always an additional article of food. Beginning with Monday in one week, these articles in consecutive order were oatmeal, hash, rice and syrup, cornbeef hash, oatmeal, hash, rice and jelly.

For supper the invariable ration was bread, beef stew and tea. For dinner, always bread and coffee, meat four times weekly, pea soup one day, bean soup one day, and on Sunday beans and eggs.

This menu is above the average for variety and quantity.

There are many institutions still serving bread and coffee night and morning, and a dinner of weak soup, with more or less meat and vegetables.

Buying for Institutions.

In the last report of the Board of State Charities, Ohio, Mr. Henry C. Eyman, of Massillon, makes some wise suggestions in regard to some economical variation of the dietary.

“By a little care in arranging the diet list a great saving may result. It is easy to reduce the total cost of your food supply 25%. Does that look unreasonable? Well, let us analyze some prices. We must use present-day prices because we know not what tomorrow may bring. Suppose you have potatoes on the bill of fare twice daily, or fourteen times a week, the cost for 1000 persons would be at present prices, $32.00 per meal, or $448.00 per week. Now substitute for potatoes, rice three times, hominy twice and corn meal mush three times, your total cost of potatoes will be six times $192.00; rice three times $6.00; hominy twice $4.00; corn meal mush three times $5.00, or a total of $207.00, as against $448.00, or a saving of $241.00 per week, or $12,532 per year. Now let us substitute evaporated peaches, evaporated apples and evaporated apricots for these same goods canned. _Fruits should be used once daily._ The canned fruits will cost an average of $14.00 a meal for 1000 persons, while the evaporated fruit will cost an average of $4.00 for same number, a saving of $10.00 per day, or $3,650.00 a year. Now you will admit that fish is a desirable article of diet for at least 32 weeks a year. Suppose fish be placed on your bill of fare twice a week for 32 weeks, or in all for 64 meals. Beef, pork or mutton will all cost about the same, or for 1000 persons $45.00. Fish for same number, $18.00 to $20.00, or a saving per meal of $25.00 to $27.00, or for the year, $1670.00. Now, in these three items just mentioned we have effected a saving of $16,000.00, or more than 25% of your entire food cost. The entire food cost for 1000 persons will run between $40,000.00 and $45,000.00 per annum.

“It is an easy matter to take every article of food which makes your dietary, calculate food values and prices and make your bill of fare in accordance therewith. Entirely too much meat is used by all of us. Beans, peas, asparagus, milk, cheese and spinach make an excellent direct substitute. This is conservation, without loss in heat units or even in the tastiness of the food.”

Dietary in Illinois.

In the Institution Quarterly, published by the Public Charity Service of Illinois, Mr. Thomas Carroll, Traveling Steward for the Board, writes in regard to the waste which has been so prevalent in public institutions.

“The lack of proper distribution, indifference as to preparation, lack of proper knowledge of the amounts of food required, have been chief impediments encountered in some of the institutions. Non-utilization of food up to its fullest possibilities has also been a serious drawback in the past.”

Among the defects found in the institutions were:

1. Too much food of one kind. Entire lack of variety.
2. Poorly balanced menus.
3. An overamount of meat, occasionally an under supply.
4. Making of bones into soap instead of stock for soup.
5. Waste of fats.
6. Poor supervision in serving the food.
7. Inadequate chinaware or dishes in general.
8. Unsanitary conditions in the kitchen and in service.

“With the co-operation of managers, storekeepers, cooks and servers, nearly all these defects have been remedied to a large degree.”

One illustration will indicate the nature of the service of Mr. Carroll. “One institution which usually purchased 11,000 to 13,000 pounds of cooking oils and lard annually has not purchased a single pound since the first visit of the Steward. Excessive fats are trimmed from the meats, and are rendered in a large caldron expressly made for that purpose, and there is at present a surplus of nearly 5,000 pounds on hand, notwithstanding the fact that every requisition for fats and oils have been filled.

“By saving all bones the same institution has an excellent supply of soup two or three times each week for the entire institution. It is of excellent quality, superior to that served in most restaurants.”

Dietary for 1000 Persons.

At the special request of the Secretary of the Society, Superintendent Eyman has prepared for our readers the following table, to which we call the attention of all superintendents, wardens and managers of public institutions. The estimates are based on the food requirements for an institution having 1000 inmates, and include the complete menu for every day in a week, with amounts, prices and food values. This table was prepared before the President had issued his request with reference to our abstinence from meats and white bread on certain days of the week. It can readily be modified to meet the present food conditions of the country.

His estimate of the daily cost for each inmate is only 16 cents and thus indicates that a considerable variety may be served without undue expense. It is not intended that any purveyor may follow the exact program, but his suggestions are highly interesting.

BILL OF FARE FOR ONE WEEK FOR AN INSTITUTION OF 1,000 INMATES

BY HENRY C. EYMAN, Superintendent Ohio State Hospital, Massillon, Ohio.

SUNDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Amount Cost
Baked beans 150 lbs. (raw) $11.75
With pork 50 lbs. 11.00
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. 9.45
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Roast pork 300 lbs. 66.00
Gravy 10 lbs. .50
Potatoes 5 bushels 6.25
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Pie 29.50
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

SUPPER.

Tapioca pudding 5.85
Hot biscuit 6.00
Syrup 4.00
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
-------
Total cost Sunday for 1,000 inmates $217.79
Approximate cost for each inmate 21⅘ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,700 calories.

MONDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Amount Cost
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. $ 9.45
Oatmeal 71 lbs. 3.20
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Beef Stew 26.84
Macaroni 85 lbs. 5.95
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

SUPPER.

Cornmeal mush 70 lbs. (meal) 5.85
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. 9.45
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2½ lbs. .60
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
-------
Total cost Monday for 1,000 inmates $132.75
Approximate cost each inmate 13¼ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,631 calories.

TUESDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Quantity Cost
Prunes 54 lbs. $ 4.72
Boiled potatoes 5 bushels 6.25
Rye bread 70 loaves 3.50
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Boiled pork 65 lbs. } 12.50
Boiled cabbage 400 lbs. }
Red beets 8 bushels 8.00
Rye bread 70 loaves 3.50
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .48

SUPPER.

Stewed corn 100 lbs. 4.00
Rye bread 70 loaves 3.50
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2¼ lbs. .52
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sour pickles 25 gal. 3.00
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
-------
Total cost Tuesday for 1,000 inmates $107.70
Approximate cost each inmate 10⅘ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,658 calories.

WEDNESDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Quantity Cost
Sausage 200 lbs. $32.00
Oatmeal 71 lbs. 3.20
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Boiled pork 300 lbs. 66.00
Navy beans 165 lbs. 18.00
Kraut 4.56
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .52
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

SUPPER.

Gingerbread 4.80
Cornmeal mush 70 lbs. 5.85
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. 9.45
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2 lbs. .52
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
-------
Total cost Wednesday for 1,000 inmates $215.83
Approximate cost each inmate 21⅗ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,631 calories.

THURSDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Quantity Cost
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. $ 9.45
Rice 50 lbs. 5.00
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Beef Stew 26.84
Macaroni 85 lbs. 5.95
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

SUPPER.

Stewed tomatoes 50 gal. 12.50
Cinnamon rolls 4.80
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. 9.45
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
--------
Total cost Thursday for 1,000 inmates $145.88
Approximate cost each inmate 14⅗ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,900 calories.

FRIDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Quantity Cost
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. $ 9.45
Farina 45 lbs. 2.70
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Fish 300 lbs. 27.00
Potatoes 5 bushels 6.25
Navy beans 150 lbs. 17.25
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

SUPPER.

Oatmeal 71 lbs. 3.20
Red beets 8 bushels 8.00
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
--------
Total cost Friday for 1,000 inmates $145.74
Approximate cost each inmate 14⅘ cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,627 calories.

SATURDAY.

BREAKFAST.

Items Quantity Cost
Liver 225 lbs. $29.25
Bacon 16 lbs. 9.60
Oatmeal 71 lbs. 3.20
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Coffee 8 lbs. .96
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75

DINNER.

Pork 65 lbs. } 12.50
Cabbage 400 lbs. }
Red beets 8 bushels 8.00
Bread 80 loaves 4.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
Coffee 6 lbs. .72
Tea 2 lbs. .48

SUPPER.

Hot rolls 6.00
Kraut 40 gal. 4.80
Evaporated fruit 90 lbs. 9.45
Butter 25 lbs. 12.50
Tea 2 lbs. .48
Milk 480 lbs. 14.40
Sugar 9 lbs. .75
-------
Total cost Saturday for 1,000 inmates $150.29
Approximate cost each inmate 15 cents

Food value for each inmate, 2,730 calories.

It must be understood that in the preparation of this dietary for a week Mr. Eyman had in mind the food necessities for the general institution, not specializing for an establishment where men and women are sent to repent. However, it is now recognized that a wholesome and appetizing bill of fare should be prepared for inmates of any home or institution in order for both health and economy. Most wardens would cut out the Sunday pie. Something more nutritious and wholesome could readily be substituted. The loaves of bread are reported to weigh 2 lbs. each.

Expert Opinion.

In this connection we are glad to call attention to a portion of an editorial from the Journal of the American Medical Association for November, 1916:

“So long as it was held that a prison is merely an institution for the safe detention of criminals, it was not to be expected that the hygienic conditions prevailing in such a place would be in harmony with the best experience or the newest schemes of sanitary science. Food in such an institution was intended solely to keep the prisoner alive and enable him to perform his allotted daily tasks. Penal institutions are beginning, however, to be the seats of active reform. With the acceptance of such a program as part of the function of our prisons, the problem of nutrition can no longer be neglected entirely. It may reasonably be contended that good housing conditions and suitable diet do not of themselves secure reformation of the misguided or the habitual criminal; but without some consideration of the necessity of proper food, the best ends of the imprisonment for crime cannot be attained. Malnutrition may or may not contribute to the production of criminals; in any event, the physiologic and psychic conditions attending the lack of palatable food and a well-balanced ration are not such as are conducive to those mental attitudes that lead to improved conduct and more wholesome life. It has been remarked that while a prisoner is not incarcerated for the purpose of being fed an ideal diet, nevertheless he should be fed so as to insure good health and a stable nervous system. * * *

“It seems extraordinary that so little judgment is shown by prison officials in varying and improving the dietary. The same unappetizing stuff is served day after day and year after year, with no variety in food or manner of preparation. A large number of the prisoners have stomach troubles from this cause alone. Canned food is served when fresh vegetables would be just as cheap. The meat is cooked to death and is covered by a so-called sauce. The kitchen keepers are not to blame; it is the fault of the system.

“_The remedy for this fault is to be found in the appointment of trained dietitians._ So long as hospitals and other establishments which incidentally cater to mankind have been slow to appreciate the need of expert services in the planning and preparation of meals as well as in the purchasing of rations, we can understand the inertia of the prison management in this respect. But the time has apparently come for the introduction of such efficiency and supervision as will lead not only to economy of service but also to physiologic well-being. If the dietary is as important as the coal supply or the construction accounts, it deserves a dietitian rather than a stoker or a skilled mechanic to be placed in charge of the food problems.”

MICHIGAN STATE PRISON.

We have received the Report of the Board of Control of the Michigan State Prison at Jackson. It is a pamphlet of 140 pages, including 40 full page cuts. There are also four folders of the farm plots. It is a report which reports. We have already spoken of the 26 pages reporting the menu for every meal for a year. We may learn the names and duties of the 90 officers, and their salaries. One table gives the age, nativity, crime, sentence, residence and previous record of each inmate. The names are wisely withheld. The average population was 986. Twenty-five men had escaped in the last two years. We are informed of the date of the escape and the part of the farm and premises from which they absconded. The date of their return is specified. Ten were at large when the pamphlet was made up. They are confident of apprehending these ten. They have _no barred windows, no locked doors, no armed guards_. The men work over a plantation of more than three thousand acres, of which 2,137 belong to the institution. They rent 900 acres. They had 507 cattle when the report was made, having just sold 146 steers for $14,600. The dairy of 200 cows supplies the institution with abundant milk and butter. Horses, hogs, bees and poultry are also in evidence. “The banner record in poultry this year was made by an inmate * * * who without an incubator was responsible for hatching and raising more than two thousand chickens.”

By no means do they confine their attention to farming. To put a thousand men on a farm of three thousand acres and expect them to support themselves and have a surplus is an absurdity. There are various industries.

Twine plant, product 1916 $106,820.79
Canning factory, product 1916 62,949.58
Granite shop, product 1916 16,385.79
Brick and tile plant, product 1916 52,866.44
Brooms, product 1916 5,696.25
The net earnings in two years were $206,206.18
They had paid to the efficient workmen 65,009.35

In the year 1917 they were anticipating a canned pack of $100,000.00. Of the products of the farm “_they eat what they can, and can what they can’t_.”

Canning Factory.

“The intensive production of fruits and vegetables on the farms created a surplus which had to be cared for. * * * Hence the necessity for the canning plant. This industry * * * has accomplished more than any other one industry in the prison to insure the industrial success of the institution.

“From the standpoint of a prison industry it ranks first, inasmuch as the entire produce except the can is the direct result of prison labor. While other industries require the purchase of material for manufacturing, in the canning plant, the material, coming from the prison farms, is also produced by prison labor.

“The refuse from the factory in the lines of fodder, husks, etc., from the sweet corn; vines and pods from the peas; tops from the beets, and pomace from the apples press, furnish largely the ensilage ration for the large herds of cattle.

“The management is adding each year some new item to the pack of canned goods, until now it includes all varieties of fruits and vegetables, apple jelly, sorghum molasses, baked pork and beans, spaghetti, and the generation of pure cider vinegar. (They may soon rival the 57 varieties of Mr. Heinz.)

“The sanitary conditions in the factory are perfect. Any man, in order to be eligible to work in this factory, must have a clean bill of health from the prison physician. To further the sanitary conditions, the equipment and entire interior of the plant is painted white.”

* * * * *

Consumers and any one interested may inspect this plant at any time. Here they see the men, preparing the vegetables for canning, in a white room, dressed in white caps, white coats, white shirts, and white aprons.

They have copyrighted the label “Home Grown,” and adopted as their slogan: “We grow, pack, sell and guarantee our own product.”

Their goods are sold in the open market, being very popular throughout the State and in adjoining States.

They have long ago abolished the contract system which was really a system of slavery. They have gone beyond the policy of raising produce or manufacturing articles for State-use, but transact business on the State-Account plan, disposing of the product wherever they can find a market. They claim that under their system of employing convicts, outside labor has nothing to fear from competition. Contract labor may have been somewhat of a menace to labor on the outside, but these men earning wages are engaged in honest production and the product is distributed just as the fruits of any other industry. Let me illustrate. A man working on a farm, in a canning factory, in a cotton mill, commits a fault and is secluded from the community but continues his work on another farm, in another canning factory, in another cotton mill. He receives wages which maintains his family. Competition is neither increased nor diminished. When the man is released, he may return to his old job. High authority in the labor unions has stated that there is no objection to a system which affords fair play to the prisoner and also to the working man. Laborers have justly opposed the exploitation of prisoners under the lease and contract systems. They have not been opposed to the development of prison industries on a fair basis. They present no objection to a “State-Use” method, and we trust they will not oppose the development of a few industries organized under the State-Account plan which appears to have been so successful in the Michigan State Prison.

Fair Exhibits.

The products of the prison industries and of the farm have been shown at a number of County Fairs and also at the State Fair, and the public has thus been informed of their activities and greatly pleased therewith. Nought has been heard but favorable comment.

Kitchen and Dining Room.

The culinary department is managed on the most approved sanitary scheme. None but healthy men are employed. They use every vegetable which will grow in Michigan, as long as the season lasts, and the canned product when the season is over. Every sanitary precaution is taken in the preparation of the meat from the pasturage and feeding of the stock, the slaughtering and handling of the carcass, in the cooking and serving the various viands on the dining table.

Objects.

It is not the object of the officers to exploit the men to the advantage of the State. In the last two years they may have returned to the State about $9,000, but in the same time they paid out to the men the sum of $65,000 in wages. They are spending their surplus in betterments. They have built dormitories, with rooms, not cells, avoiding particularly the menagerie appearance. They aim to supply the men with a wholesome and natural environment, believing that thus they may accomplish the main object of a penal institution which is the reformation and restoration of the offender.

A. H. V.

THE PRISON AND THE PRISONER.

A Symposium, edited by Julia K. Jaffray, Secretary, National Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor. Boston. Little, Brown and Company. 1917. $2.50.

A volume of 216 pages, containing eleven chapters contributed by fourteen men of high repute. Judge Wadhams, of New York City, comments on the Indeterminate Sentence, favoring a liberal application of the principle. Doctor Glueck and Doctor Salmon describe the necessity for psychiatrical studies of the convict in order to determine the best treatment for his welfare and also for the interest of the community.

Thomas Mott Osborne briefly delineates the self-government plan as instituted by him at Auburn and Sing Sing, and E. Kent Hubbard describes a similar system adopted in the Connecticut State Reformatory. “The Honor System” is condemned and there is no word in its defense.

We commend the book to all those who wish in brief compass to know what progress has been made in humanitarian ideals for the reformation of prisoners and what the scientific analysis of modern conditions indicates as the best measures to attain the cure and prevention of crime. Like other compilations, however, the various themes are not treated with equally judicial tone or comprehensiveness.

THE OFFENDER.

By BURDETTE G. LEWIS, Commissioner of Correction, New York City. Harper and Brothers. 382 pp. $2.00.

In this volume of 382 pages, Commissioner Lewis speaks from careful observation and from conscientious study. The reader will soon perceive that a judicial treatment is applied to the various questions involved in dealing with penological problems. Various systems of government are considered, the differences between the Honor System and the Self-Government clearly indicated, and valuable suggestions made as to the classes of prisoners to which the various systems of government may be adapted. The subjects of Probation and The Indeterminate Sentence are fairly presented and discussed, the author coming to the conclusion that the Indeterminate Sentence is far preferable to the determinate system of the older penology.

The tendency today is to treat the offender in much the same way as the insane are now treated. Originally these unfortunates were dealt with as though possessed of demons. Gradually a reform was introduced. Special institutions were established, and these have been gradually improved to the extent that such afflicted persons are given such occupation and such freedom as compatible with safety. The result is that from 20 to 30 per cent. of them are either released as cured or may be released under the custodial care of their friends or relatives.

Mr. Lewis holds that the tendency to accord similar treatment after a careful diagnosis of each case to the delinquent is likely to produce a similar result. Each offender should be dealt with according to his special peculiarity, the treatment aiming at the substitution of good for bad habits, commitment to prison being used when it is not in the interest of the individual or of society to release the convicted criminal. Mr. Lewis advocates the retaining of old-established methods as long as they are of service. These should not be discarded merely because they are old. He claims that the leaders in the movement agree that the new methods should be wisely tested before they are introduced generally. It is clear that there must have been good reasons for the adoption of any new method, but at the same time he is strongly in favor of studying the human equation, and of differentiating the treatment to suit each case.

In order to administer intelligently the large department under his charge he has “found it necessary to proceed carefully and to experiment widely before effecting a departure from the well-known methods of treatment.” The processes as well as the result of Mr. Lewis’s labors are given in the present volume. In Part I he rehearses the fundamental social forces upon which one must depend in order to check the development of the criminal. Among these are the home, the church, the school, health and sanitation, and the police.

In Part II are outlined the manner of utilizing the forces likely to improve the offender; in short, all the forces of law, order and social development in harmonious co-operation. The book is of serious concern to all interested in social science and in the best means of encouraging normal growth and development through a study of existing conditions.

PRISON ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK.

We acknowledge the receipt of the Seventy-second Annual Report of our sister association in New York. It is a ponderous pamphlet of 648 pages full of information concerning Prison Progress in 1916. This Association was incorporated in 1846.

Our members will be interested in knowing that their Executive Committee, like our Acting Committee, has power to examine, and inspect all prisons of the State. Not only do they have the power but it is also enjoined upon them as a duty to make such visits and to report annually to the State Legislature the condition of the prisons and any circumstances “in regard to them as may enable the Legislature to perfect their government and discipline.” The charter also provides that the State shall print 500 copies of this annual report. Many additional copies are purchased by the Association for general distribution.

Their working staff contains twenty officers who are engaged in parole and probation duties, in the work of inspection and research, in securing employment and in affording relief.

The last 300 pages of this document are devoted to reports of the inspection of the various prisons of the State. The officers do not shrink from sharp criticism of undesirable features, and yet their criticism is of a constructive type. Recommendations are made, and the progress made since the last inspection is duly credited.

We have also received the Report of the New York State Commission of Prisons, a bound volume of 592 pages. 328 pages are devoted to description, recommendations and criticisms connected with the prisons of the State from the large State Prisons to the small village lock-ups. This appears to us a duplication of the work of the Prison Association. Why should there be two organizations doing the same work?

The report of the Prison Association contains much valuable information with regard to legislation both recent and proposed, and to the success of the reformatory measures recently introduced into their penal system. Those who desire copies of the report may write to this Association at 135 E. 15th St., New York City.

NEW JERSEY PRISON INQUIRY COMMISSION.

This Commission was appointed according to the provisions of a bill of the legislature of the State passed in January, 1917. By January 1, 1918, the Commission had prepared an elaborate report of 822 pages giving a history and description of the prisons and penal methods of the State, and also presenting their recommendations.

The historical record in general indicates a series of failures rather than of successes in penal administration. The so-called “Pennsylvania system,” the “Auburn Plan,” the method of contract labor, the State-Use plan, the Parole work, the efforts at Reformation, the partisan Boards, all have their share of more or less condemnation.

The student of penology, however, will discover in this record encouraging tendencies which may ultimately bring about a higher type of treatment of those who go astray.

The Commission believes in giving the largest opportunities for work in the open air and regards with detestation the “_vicious rule of silence_.”

Their discussion with regard to the merits and demerits of a Central Board of Control of all correctional institutions is deeply interesting and illuminating. They have come to the conclusion that a “system may be devised which will give to the State of New Jersey the benefits of a centralized control of its correctional system as a whole, but which will still leave to the separate institutions the advantages of the personal interest and devotion which have been such important factors in their development.” To accomplish this purpose, they recommend the appointment of a Central Board by the Governor, who without compensation, shall have a general power of supervision and visitation of all correctional institutions. The local boards are to be continued with authority to manage the several institutions to which they are attached.

The principal recommendation of this Commission is to advise the appointment of this Central Board with whom should be vested the power to readjust, harmonize and improve the entire penal system of the State.

BILIBID.

As we are going to press, there comes to hand a little pamphlet describing the industries and production of Bilibid.

Why not send our wardens who desire to do things to Bilibid? Perhaps, it would be better to send our legislators, who after observing the practical achievements of Bilibid may be induced to authorize our wardens to inaugurate a sound industrial policy.

Where is Bilibid? Take the train for San Francisco, engage passage on some leviathan of the deep and get off probably at the second station which is Manila. Thence it is a short excursion to Bilibid, a trip taken by twenty thousand visitors in a single year, not to mention those who take involuntary trips thither.

Forty buildings, seventeen acres of ground, plan of main building like Eastern Penitentiary, one of the best ever constructed if we consider continual inspection as an essential factor. 2800 prisoners there; as many others in prisons elsewhere in the islands but all co-ordinated under a central administration.

The great aim is to prepare the inmates for “honorable position in the community upon their release.”

The men work and play. We enumerate some of the industries.

1. Manufacture and repair of carriages, wagons, carts, trucks, trailers, etc.

2. Household and Office Furniture made of mahogany and other native beautiful woods.

3. Concrete work, construction of buildings.

4. Rattan and bamboo furniture. The famous fan-back chair.

5. Hand-wrought articles in silver, gold and other metals; shell-work, horn specialties.

6. Tailoring. Service uniforms.

7. Steam laundry. All the work for the inside and a “considerable civilian trade.”

8. Embroidery, lace making, crochet organized for the female department.

Output per annum $350,000
Profit for the government 100,000

There are two penal colonies on large tracts of land, on one of which the 1200 colonists practically have a government of their own.

The San Remon Farm is where the non-Christian convicts from Moroland are confined. These war-like people have admirable qualities when treated properly, and three-fourths of the inmates are at work on the extensive farm without the presence of an armed guard. Here is found the model prison of the Orient. “Built of reinforced concrete, with grilled walls, dormitories, shower baths, and with every modern feature for the comfort, health and reformation of prisoners confined there, it has proved a wonderful educational institution for the Moro.” The entire credit for this building and the admirable system is due to the genius and sagacity of the former governor, General John J. Pershing.

EMPLOYMENT OF PRISONERS FOR THE GOVERNMENT.

Early in last July, a very earnest assemblage of wardens and superintendents of prisons, and members of the American Prison Association held a conference in Washington with a view of mobilizing the prison industries so as to be helpful to the government in these times of scarcity of labor.

There were forty delegates in attendance, mainly appointed by the Governors of twenty-two States.

After discussions lasting for several sessions, the Conference was unanimous in making certain recommendations.

1. Already the penal institutions possess enormous acreage. If the government will accept the product, the crops may be greatly increased. Over a half million acres are available and 75,000 workers.

2. In many States, where the law permits, selected inmates can be paroled to labor for farmers at reasonable wages. Extensive development of this method is possible.

3. Many of the prisons support industries the outcome of which may be very serviceable. Among the chief industrial products are socks, shirts, underwear, blankets, mattresses, boots and shoes, overalls, harness, and army and navy equipment.

4. The executive order of 1905, providing that no prison-made goods shall be purchased by the National Government, ought at once to be rescinded.

5. “We are convinced that a very large majority of the inmates of our prisons and reformatories are ready and earnestly desirous of ‘doing their bit’ for the country.”

To accomplish these results, a bill has been introduced in the U. S. Senate (S. 3076) and in the House of Representatives (H. R. 7353) whose purpose is to utilize the labor of Federal and other prisoners in manufacturing government supplies.

The prices paid are to be the market prices current in same locality for same commodities.

The hours of labor are to be the same as the time prevalent in the same vicinity for the same sort of labor.