Probers Lash Missouri Prisons

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Jan.,diate comment. He said hejsystem was prevalent and en1-P-A special penal survey would make his comments to couraged; guards took bribes committee condemned Missouri's the 1955 legislature when he and borrowed money from prisriot-scarred prison system today laid the prison reform problem oners which they did not repay: and laid on the line a drastic, in its lap next week. discrimination was practiced in

The committee, headed by re-on administrators in places. It

too much idleness.

long range program as a cure. The committee blistered pris-job assignments; and there was tired Maj. Gen. Ralph E. Trudid not mention the governor by Sweeping Changes Urged name but it criticized his apThe committee urged a repointment of former highway vamped administrative setup patrol officers to top positions with a clean-cut chain of com in the State Department of Cor-mand; higher pay and higher! rection and the Board of Probastandards for guards; better, tion and Parole. more sanitary housekeeping: Committeemen, who talked to fulltime medical men and rigid many of the 2,600 convicts at health standards; better food the prison, said they heard with and better menus (Truman said impressive repetition complaints this already was being done); an that prisoners were beaten by expanded, modernized parole guards; food was dirty and bad-system.

man of Springfield, cousin of the former president, made an exhaustive study of the state penitentiary where a riot flared Sept. 22 Four convicts were killed, millions of dollars worth of the prison plant destroyed by fire and 40 prisoners injured. More disturbances erupted a month later both at the main penitentiary and the nearby women's prison.

The committee said that ly prepared; homosexual activA broad educational program, doesn't have to happen if Mis-ity was "wide open"; plenty of both for classroom and trade souri will spend the millions money was smuggled in by varitraining; preventing inmates necessary to get away from the ous means, including the confrom having keys and records old "lock 'em up and forget 'em" nivance of guards, and prisoners and improving the whole securphilosophy. It suggested, in a without means were at the mer-ity system; a ful scale recreation 25,000-word, 92-page report to ey of others in "too many in-program, and immediate transGov. Phil M. Donnelly, how the stances." state could modernize its whole penal system. It did not estimate the cost.

fer of some of the inmates to the

The doctor was not seen in the Algoa Intermediate Reformatory hospital and no inspections were and the prison's Church Farm made of the institution by med-west of Jefferson City to relieve The governor had no imme-lical officers; the stool pigeon | overcrowding.

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