Ear on Chicago; House of Correction; Part 2

The sound of marching men introduces our second report on the House of Correction, or the Bridewell, if you prefer, Chicago City Jail. Our guide is the Reverend King, the prison chaplain. While Reverend King we've come over now to the school and it's one of the most modern buildings that I've seen. In fact, I would imagine there are many high schools that are housed in buildings which are poorer than this one right here. Very true, Miss Dale. Have you also noticed a distance from where we walked originally to this place where the teenage boy is segregated from the old man? Now that's what we're going to talk about here, is that true? Yes, and now right here we have this Mr. U. McGuire, the principal and charge of this school. Mr. McGuire. Now Mr. McGuire, first of all, let's talk about this particular dorm before we talk about general aspects of the school portion of the institution. Now how many beds do you have here? There are 52 beds in this room that you're looking at, the purpose being the house 52 inmates. And how big is the room itself? The dimensions are approximately 85 feet long, that is north to south,

and about 35 to 40 feet east to west. So they don't get the wrong idea, there is about two or three feet between each bed, is that true? That's true. And the walls are done in sort of a beige and the ceiling in a green, so it does have a very attractive atmosphere. Now Mr. McGuire, generally speaking, this school is nothing more or less than a high school, is that true? It's a school operated by the board of education whose students range in age and ability from 16 years in chronological age up to 19 and an ability from the non -learner, the very low IQ, up to the boy that's rather bright and not too well school. Our selection here is not identical with a high school, but it's a cross -section of a teenage group. Well I might mention that just a moment ago we took a brief tour of the classrooms and it looks exactly like a high school wood look. That's true, we conduct a school here, it looks like a school and we intend to

have it look just like that, rather than look like an institution. Is there any special class or course that they would take that would not be offered to them in a high school simply because of their social background? I wouldn't say there's anything different, but here we do more of certain things. We spend quite a bit of time on tool subjects because of the educational lack and we also spend quite a little time on the modifying of what we consider anti -social attitude. We do something to modify the individual's behavior and as much as society is wanting a full -developed individual. Now we know this fellow that comes into us is a delinquent, the court said so. We do the best we can to educate him, to bring him up to a standard that's more in conformity with what society would like to have. Along those lines a moment ago you were mentioning how you used to give private rooms, would you tell us that story again? Well in the building, in the developing of the plans for this building, there

were security sections built to house a boy that was wanted. What we consider a wanted boy, a boy that has a warrant that is committed to crime someplace else or that has to leave the custody of this institution when he finishes his time and do some time someplace else or go back to court. He falls in the category of a wanted boy. We found ourselves faced with a psychological problem. Here by the very fact of our facilities, we were creating boys that we consider big shots. Well more professionally described the more aggressive type that had status because we gave it to him by the fact that we labeled him with a warrant. So to counteract that, we developed in our group the notion that in order to get to the private room which these places actually are, he must work up and an honor idea. He must work up through the group. He must achieve certain things in the classrooms and his behavior when

he's not under the custody of the schoolteachers must be exemplary or he cannot get downstairs. So we have what we consider a very wholesome notion and it's working. Before we leave let's talk about one other room and that's on the other side of the dormitory or just another room adjoining the dorm. The shower room is this it? This is the shower room, yes sir. The boys come in here every morning or evening. That's one of the advantages of a building such as this. There's no reason for a boy not to be clean and be tidy. If you'll notice here we have three showers over here or other bathing facilities. A fellow can keep himself clean without any too much trouble. Now there are no boys here right now are in the dormitory Mr. McGuire. So where are they? Those boys are in school. School is in session right now and that's where they are. Well suppose we visit one of the classes. Discussion on the pronouns that we had yesterday. Now can anybody tell me what a pronoun is? How many cases of pronouns are

there? So there are three types. Now would you name those please? Nominative, objective and possessive. All right. And what is the purpose of the nominative case? What nouns would you find in the nominative case? We believe she is. All right. Now he mentioned one pronoun in the nominative case that actually isn't that. Can anybody tell me where he made the mistake? Go out. All right. Now what is an objective now? What is the purpose of an objective now? This boy there. It's the subject. It isn't the subject and in the nominative case. Why is that correct? Why is it called objective? Because it is the usually what part of a verb? That's correct. Now

can you give me several objective pronouns? Let's boy here. Him, her, us, them, me, myself. No. Myself isn't. What would myself be? Possessive. Possessive. That's correct. Now here we have. Very good Mr. McGuire. This class obviously is in grammar. That's right. That's right, grammar. Well, the boys are pretty smart today. Well, they are. They are. As you noticed, he said this is a review of what they had yesterday. You just see an example of how well they learned their lesson. Yes, very good. Well, suppose we better get out of here and let the boys continue their classroom studies. Well, Mr. McGuire, this is the woodworking shop, I suppose, isn't it? That's

correct. Now what do the boys learn here? Is this just another part of the class, the same as another high school? It's another part of our curriculum here. Some of these, as you see in this shop now, they're about 25 boys are all engaged in learning woodworking. What if we could talk with just a couple of them? Anybody want to? Could you tell us some of the things that you learn in here? Well, they have a class where you learn mathematics, English, learn how to read and write more properly than you have been used to. You have a woodworking shop down here where you learn how to build things with your hands where they might be useful later to you in your life after you leave here. Do you ever take any of these courses when you were on the outside? No, I never had the opportunity. You never did? No. Did you ever go to school? Yes, I went to school. But you never took woodworking? No. How do you like it? Well, it's kind of interesting, it gives you something that I can buy your time and do with your hands. You like to work with your hands? Yeah, it helps pass your time. How long, how old are you, son? 18 years old? Yes.

How long have you been here? About three, four months. Three, four months. What have you learned here in the school? I've learned out of woodcraft in the wood shop, in other rooms I've learned arithmetic and history and so forth. Did you get that in school when you were on the outside? Some in some I've probably got a little bit more in, you know. You're that right? That's right. Did you graduate from high school? No, I went to the third year, you know, I didn't get a chance to finish. I did have a chance but I didn't finish. Third year in high school? Yes, sir. Well, would you be able to get a high school degree here? No, sir. I think I will. You know, I'll try when I get outside to continue though. What about that, Mr. McGuire? Can they get a high school diploma? No, sir. Why is that? Well, for several reasons, you see, the accident or residence here in many cases is not long enough. Duration here, our average stay of those people that we discharge is 90 days. But if I should predict the number of people that is the number of days these boys had spent on the basis of those that have come in here every day, it's more like 240

days. So you see, some of these fellows are only here for 60 days, some for 30 days, some for 20, some for six months, and some for a year. Well, obviously they wouldn't have enough days at the point. We're standing now in the gymnasium of the school. Mr. McGuire, is this the same type of thing that we would know as gym or gym classes in high school? Corresponds exactly the

same idea, same notion, exactly the same thing goes on here as goes on in any physical ed program in any school. Who's in charge here, Mr. McGuire? Mr. Sternad. Is that Joe Sternad? That's Joe Sternad, right there. I think I'll call him Joe. Is that all right, you, sir? Joe, tell us a little bit about, first of all, what they're doing now. Is that just a marching unit, a marching drill? That's right. It has a sort of a foundation for a little disciplinary action because we feel this is a part of our formal program, the marching. However, the rest of the program is more diversified. Well, what are some of the other things that you have here, Joe? Well, we try and take care of all the individual differences. We possibly can, such as weightlifting, a little boxing. We have some pink pong tables that we're going to be setting up now. On a day or two, the awarding and Mr. McGuire are sort of expanding the program a little bit. It used to be a little too formal at one time.

As you notice, the awarding has given us this whole area here and it will be a recreational center for the whole institution here. However, basically, during the day, the school kids will use the recreational center. Well, now this gymnasium here, what was it, formally, another building or something? Originally, this was a car barn. That is the used to repair autos, old autos here for the city and the warden wanted a gymnasium here for the kids. So, all this you see here, the baskets, the whole program, as it is set up the handball court and the volleyball court down the under over there, has been set up by the kids, of course, with the awarding supervision. Now, this would include winter activities, I suppose, right? Oh, yes. That is one of the primary reasons for this big area and through here

to take care of the winter program. The summertime they work outside? Outside, yes. That's what the warden wanted to do. He wanted to bring them indoors and, well, let them expend their energies during the winter as they do during the summer. Thank you very much, Joe. Just outside of the gymnasium at the school, out at the ride well, is what is known as the tree yard, I guess this is called, isn't it, Reverend King? Uh, this must be, it was called the tree project of the house correction. What they do is bring in all the trees, the dead trees that are cut down in the city of Chicago and these trees are pulverized. If you'll notice the machine over there pulverizing the trees and the remains are filled up in freight cars and carried out the institution. Where does all that sought us to go? Well, the city gets some returns from it. Uh, through warden sayings, efforts and interest in this project, the city is getting some returns. I don't know exactly what companies or

what they use for, but I know the city is getting some benefit by it. In the meantime, it is putting many people, does many of these inmates to wake who ordinarily would be locked up in their cells, perhaps 24 hours a day because of lack of work and things for them to do. We've come now to the women's division of the ride well and we want to ask Reverend King a few things about this particular room. I think it's a flight above the cell block and in here they have a sewing class, classes in which they have a number of books back there. They have a beauty partner back on this end, Reverend King. So apparently there's quite a good deal of activity in this room. I'd like to introduce it to Miss Perez who's taking the place of the chief major and who is off today. And I believe she can give you more details and tell you more about the room. Miss Perez. Miss Perez, before we go into any particular discussion of what's going on in here now, I'd like for you to

tell me about this picture up here with which I noticed just as soon as we came in the room, it's a very, very fine picture. That was drawn by Lupi Gonzalez. She's now serving time in Allenton, West Virginia. She painted very many pictures like that. She was a noted artist and she was also a good at literature. Well, that's a beautiful picture. It certainly is. When did she do that? She did that in 1953 and she was here in 1954 too. And she do others than that here? She did many others, many others. In her cell or in this room? In her cell and in this room too. I see. Well now what about back here, Miss Perez? You have at least six sewing machines. Do you teach the girls sewing? Yes, sir. We do. We teach them sewing. They make pursuits, dresses, gowns, pillowcases and sheets and everything they use, the

towels to put the institution, they make them up here. Some of them not know anything about sewing when they come in. Some of them don't know anything at all about sewing when they come here. They learn here. The teachers teach them. How long does it usually take to learn there? Well, it doesn't take very long, about two or weeks or three weeks. Now what about the classes back over here? I see the girl studying books? The women girls that to further their education, high school education, if a girl didn't finish grandma school, she can finish her grandma school here. She didn't finish her high school, she can finish her high school here. And the beauty parlor? The beauty parlor, that's so that every woman can look nice so that she will feel at home and that she won't have a feel that she's in prison or anything like that. She has a better feeling for herself. So when her hair is done, she feels better. Do you also teach some of the girls to become beauty operators? Beauty operators. Some of the girls don't know anything about beauty operating until they come here and we teach them to become beauty operators. As far as how many girls do you have in the

institution usually? We have right now, we have 78, but sometimes we have a hundred, a hundred and fifty. Like I said, we had close to 200. Is that right? Yes. But they're all short terms. All short terms. Thank you very much, Miss Perez. Excuse me, while you're sitting here, I thought perhaps we might talk to you. Could we interrupt you just a minute? Sure. Are you learning to sew? Did you know how to sew before you came here? Learning to sew. Did you ever know anything about it? No, not really. Never sewed a thing in your life? No. Is that right? Well, how good are you now? Well, pretty good. Pretty good. Could you sew a shirt for the hand? Thanks so. Thank you very much. How about you? Did you know how to sew before you came over here? A little bit, but I wasn't too well experienced with it. And you're pretty good now? I guess all you girls are. It looks like you're pretty good. What do you sew? You sew things for yourselves or for other girls or for the institution or what? For the institution and then if we have time, we're going to allow to make things for ourselves. I see. What is this particular

thing you're working on now? This is the headpiece for a mask on Sunday. A headpiece for a mask on Sunday. I see. The girls know where hats or they wear headpieces. I see. Well, thank you very much, girls. Here's a young lady who's getting her hair done. How do you feel about this beauty parlor up here? I think it's fine. Helps the girls look better all the time, I guess, doesn't it? Sure it does. And I know they feel better about that. Now, how about the girl that's doing the work here? Did you know how to do this before you got here? Yes. Yes, I did. In other words, you're not learning. You're an experienced hand at this type of thing. Yes, I guess so. How do you feel about working up here? Well, that's all right. You just soon do it on the outside there, wouldn't you? Oh, yeah. Okay, thank you very much. Doing a fine job, too. We've come now to the boulevard, which is a long cell block area.

About 150 yards long, and the boulevard itself is about 30 feet across. And on each side of the boulevard, as they call it here at the bride well, are the cells for the women. Ms. Perez, do you differentiate in the cells here? That is, do you have some cells for some prisoners and some for others? Yes, sir. The cells on your right here is for the holdovers, the women that are going back to court. The cells on your left are for regulars, the women who already have time. I have a fine. Now, I noticed as we came down that the cells were very neat, clean, to the girls take care of them themselves. Yes, to the girls clean their own cells, scrub them, make up their beds, but we generally do their linen altogether. Ms. Perez, what about these tables in the right in the center of the boulevard? Are those for eating? No, sir, we eat in our dining room, our regular dining room. Those are for recreation, for sitting down, they play

cards, and they chat with each other. You see, they're facing each other on the table, the two seats on each side. Well, the girls can face each other and chat our play cards, whatever they like, and they dance on the boulevard to doing recreation. And for music, they use that old upright piano down there? Yes, sir. Now, Ms. Perez, how much do they have to stand themselves? What time do they have to be in, and what time can they get out? Well, they're going at 4 p .m., and they come out at 7 .30 p .m., at 8 .00 p .m., yes, sir. They're not out during the evening hours at all. Not unless it's during the holidays, for instance, Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve or some big holiday, they're allowed to stay out until 8 o 'clock. We've come out of the North Cell House, and some of the men who live in the North Cell House have just finished eating lunch, and they are coming through the door now and passing down the line, and I suppose that they're going into

their cells. We'll find out in just a second. North Cell House is a very interesting portion of the bride well. It's a maximum security division. Sergeant Churchill is the man in charge. Sergeant, I suppose that these men are going back to the cells, is that true? That's correct, sir. After eating. Now, what about work hours? Tell us a little bit about that. Well, these men, they left the cell houses morning at 8 o 'clock, going to work, and of course, they're coming in now, as you see from eating at 10 minutes after 11. Now, they will go back to their cells, and they will remain there until 1 o 'clock. Then at 1 o 'clock, they'll go back over to their workshop. Of course, these men that are coming in now, they not only have a workshop, but a school also, because they're known as the North Cell House electric shop men. And then after they finish their routine of the day in the school and with the electric shop, then they'll come back in around 4 o 'clock this

evening. I mentioned that this is an interesting place because it's the maximum security division of the prison, isn't that true? That's correct. What about the men that work here? Are they the rough tough ones? Well, in the North Cell House, we have quite a few men that have been sent here to us because of being undesirable in other parts of the institution. For many reasons. That's right for any many number of reasons. And then we also have the North Cell House here, the Wartman, the Wartman that doing long stretches of time that wanted in other states. One follow me come here, he may have a year here, but he may have 10 years to do somewhere else. There may be another charge on him. So actually, he is a long -term prisoner, except that he's going to have to suffer that term somewhere else. That's correct. After he finishes here? That's correct. So you'd have to hold them as maximum security. And that is correct because we couldn't allow a follow that is wanted by another state to escape

from us. Well, I see. Well, I want about the men that come in here from the outside that, oh, perhaps get into fights or something like that. Are they sent here immediately? What they have trouble on the street? No, right out here in the prison. Well, I tell you, if whatever man does out of the community, that's not held against him here. What is held against him here is his action after he comes here because we don't feel like no man is sent here to be punished. The punishment is the loss of his freedom. But then that man has to go along with the rules and regulation and the program that we have here. And we determine his character by the way he acts while he's here in jail. They're not by the crime that he committed. And if he doesn't follow the rules and regulations when he's here, any comes to the north south. That's correct. We're now in the lobby next to Warden Sains office and we're going to listen in as some of the discharged inmates apply

for assistance. What kind of work have you been doing? Rajwin. And whereabouts do you live? So he told us me and there and everyone did? You did. That means you have no place to stay. I don't know if I'm standing there now. How long have you been living in Chicago since 28? It's long enough. What is your last name? My name is Johnson. Where's my name is Preston? You know H &SON, PRSTON, right? That's correct. Are you a veteran? Yes. Okay, you have no place to stay, right? I've been a giant for you in the ring. Well, I better give you one of these. If you don't have any place to stay, the first thing you have to worry about is a place to stay or if you're coming right back here. Take this to 1841 West Madison Street, get there as soon as you can. That's the first thing I want you to do. Hmm? What do you say? 1841 West Madison. That's, if you haven't got a place to stay, as soon as you find out that

there is no roof over here that you use this. When you get through with that, take this other little card to 60 -21 South Excellent. We'll see if we can get you a job. All right, thank you. And stay out of here. No, I think for our final portion of this program that which we've done on the bride well, we ought to talk to the man in charge, Warden Francine. Warden, you've done a lot of things out here in the last year. And I want to congratulate you on the many improvements which we've seen in the bride well since the last time we visited here a year ago. Out of all the new things that you put in in the last year or two, would you say that the school would be the one about which you'd be most proud? Without a doubt, we've never had a set up for the younger offenders here in Cook County. It was way back in 34 when I started the first school in the county jail. We didn't have this space then and we had a good school. Of course, our outdoor recreation improved that over in the jail. And we never had a place for the miners.

When we opened our youth unit up here a year ago, that was a first complete unit for the boys in Cook County and the history of Cook County. And without a doubt, that new youth center for the younger boys here and of course, it's so important that it's pretty hard to rehabilitate the old timers. I was glad when I had the opportunity to come back into the bride well. Of course, I knew how important the first offenders and knew how important the youth were. And that's why I came back to do a job to save some of those youngsters before they grew up in crime. Warden, saying what's your philosophy for a penal institution? Well, I suppose, as I said before, when a man's in front of the court and receives his sentence, that's his

punishment. The Warden's job is to set him out of his institution a lot better than he came in. So the judge has given him the punishment. It's up to me to rehabilitate him and send him back into the community and back to his family where they'll be proud of him again.