INDIANA GIRLS' SCHOOL AND WOMAN'S PRISON-INDIANAPOLIS. Miss Emily E. Rhoades, Superintendent. Real estate, 17 3-4 acres. Capacity: School, 160; Prison, 42. There were 213 girls present September 30, 1907, the daily average attendance for the year having been 249.97, a decrease from 1906 of 47 in the number present and 3.19 in the daily average attendance. One hundred and twenty-seven girls were received during the year, and 174 released by discharge or parole. In the prison there were 48 women present on September 30, 1907, the daily average attendance having been 48.42. This shows a decrease from 1906 of four in the number present and 7.52 in the daily average attendance. Seventeen women were received during the year, and 21 released by discharge or parole. The average number of officers and employes for the two institutions was 37. The per capita cost of gross maintenance, based on the operating expenses and the total average daily attendance for the year of both prison and school, 298.39, was $191.62. The value of the produce raised on the institution farm and used during the year is estimated at $781.84, or $2.62 per capita. The long desired separation of the Girls' School from the Woman's Prison is now an accomplished fact. The new institution for the girls has a beautiful location about eight miles northwest of Indianapolis. There are 127 acres in the farm, upon which have been built seven cottages, a power plant and a school house. Each cottage accommodates thirty girls and with its own dining room, kitchen, laundry and other domestic departments affords an excellent opportunity to make good housekeepers of the girls. Except in one cottage, where the younger children live, each girl has her own room. Water, steam heat and electric lights are supplied from a central plant. The lack of screens to the cottage windows. facilitates escapes by the girls. This omission should be supplied. While in many ways the buildings are ideal, there are some serious defects, and many obstacles to the proper conduct of the school are presented by conditions. Time will remedy some of these difficulties. Other buildings are to be erected. The legislature of 1907 appropriated a total of $56,750 for new buildings and permanent improvements, including an additional cottage for the girls, two small cottages for men employes, additional heat and power equipment, store house and cold storage, barn and farm buildings, fences, walks, drives, etc. Some of this work has been done during the past summer. The school is handicapped at present by its limited maintenance. appropriation, and its force of employes is too small. The trustees have been fortunate in securing for their superintendent Miss Sarah L. Montgomery, formerly of Indiana, but more recently of Springfield, Ill., where she was principal of the Training School for Teachers. She comes highly recommended for the responsible position she has been chosen to fill. The girls are showing marked improvement in health and spirits since their removal from their former crowded quarters. As shown above, the number present has been reduced to 213. This has been accomplished through the greater activity in placing the girls in family homes. The investigation of these homes and the after-supervision of the girls is more than one agent can do properly and it is hoped the next legislature will make further provision for this important part of the school's work. It will be noted that the financial statistics given above include the maintenance expenditures of the Indiana Girls' School and the Woman's Prison for the entire fiscal year, though the two institutions have been separated since July 16. This has been done for convenience. On July 16 the school began drawing on the $200 per capita allowance made by the legislature for its mainte nance in the new location until the regular appropriations of the next fiscal year became available. The Woman's Prison remains under the superintendency of Miss Emily E. Rhoades. It has been visited frequently during the year. The usual industries have been maintained and the women receive good care and proper discipline. Of the forty-six present on the occasion of our last visit, September 25th, not one was in punishment or in the hospital. In accordance with an act of the legislature of 1907, that part of the building formerly occupied by the Girls' School is being converted into a workhouse for women, who under the present penal system are sentenced to county jails (Acts of 1907, Chapter 125). This is known as the correctional department of the Woman's Prison. The work of remodeling is going forward at a very satisfactory rate. The board of trustees is to be congratulated on the fact that the bids for the new construction came within the appropriation. INDIANA BOYS' SCHOOL-PLAINFIELD. E. E. York, Superintendent. Real estate, 5277% acres. Capacity, 600. There were 545 boys present September 30, 1907, the daily average attendance for the year having been 563.98, a decrease from 1906 of 23 in the number present and 16.75 in the daily average attendance. Three hundred. and seventy-six boys were received during the year, and 400 were released by discharge or parole. The average number of officers and employes for the year was 49.29. The per capita cost of gross maintenance, based on the operat ing expenses and the daily average attendance for the year, was $143.03. The value of the produce raised on the institution farm and used during the year is estimated at $13,222.48, or $23.45 per capita, and the cost of producing it at $1,500. It is a gratification to say the school was able to complete the year without temporarily decreasing the number of its officers. This was accomplished only by an allowance from the Governor's contingent fund of $5,000 to supplement the regular maintenance appropriation. It is hoped that the school's funds will not again run so short. The appropriation for the ensuing biennial period is the same as for the two years just closed, $75,000, but the per capita allowance for excess population is $120 instead of $115 and the basis is 550 inmates instead of 570. This will relieve the situation to some extent, but the school should have a larger maintenance appropriation. Its population is young and hopeful, and it ought to receive more liberal treatment at the hands of the General Assembly. Another thing that should be taken into account is that one-half its maintenance is repaid to the State by the counties from which the boys are sent. From institution people who have visited the school in the past year, we have heard criticisms of the lack of facilities provided by the State and the notable need of repairs. All that is possible with the amount at its disposal is being done by the school to start the boys toward good citizenship. The health is good. The population was lower last year than for sometime past. One reason assigned for this is the work of the juvenile courts. Investigation of the homes into which boys are to go and after-supervision bring good results; consequently it is a gratification to know that at the beginning of the fiscal year the school is to have an additional parole agent. The usual minor improvements have been made during the fiscal year and much of the new construction begun last year has been completed. The new bakery is in operation. The new hospital, a creditable building, was occupied early in March. Owing to apparently unavoidable delay, the additional cottage and the manual training shop are not yet completed. The heating and power system is being enlarged; arrangements have been made to provide each cottage on the grounds with twelve shower baths; the chapel has been repaired; some new cement side-walks have been laid and in other ways the institution is being put in better physical condition. The farm has yielded but little fruit this year, though other crops were good and the garden was fine. The institution has a good dairy. THE STATE INSTITUTIONS. SUMMARY OF STATISTICS FOR THE ELEVEN MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1907. (Prepared in conformity to resolution adopted by the National Conference of Charities and Correction, Philadelphia, May, 1906.) Daily average attendance of inmates for 3,781.07 9,763.90 1,596.67 722 2,205 4,215 10,587 311 429 740 Grand total expenses for maintenance and construction.... Net total expenses : . $183,994 06 48,784 47 $232,778 53 |