County Jail Found ‘Unfit Place For Man Or Beast’

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County Jail Found ‘Unfit Place For Man Or Beast’

Kingsport Times – …We recommend that future grand juries just simply look back over the reports, change the date on any one of them, and turn it in as their report… This would save the members of the grand jury some valuable time.  Read More

County Jail Found 'Unfit Place For Man Or Beast' Jury’s Blistering Report Says Prison Food 'Would Make Good Hog Slop And Nothing Else' That the County Jail is “an unfit place for man or beast" and that “the food served to the prisoners would make good hog slop and nothing more" were two statements made in the annual report to Judge Shelburne Ferguson from the Sullivan County Grand Jury, which was dismissed Monday Sheol the completion of its work. The report minced no words in describing conditions at the jail, “We visited the County Jail and find that we do not have proper words to express the deplorable conditions that exist there. It is possible that the sheriff and jailer are doing the best they can with what they have to do with, but this Grand Jury condemns our County Jail as an unfit place for either man or beast," the report on the jail stated: The members of the jury recommend a new jail be built at once; pointing out that reports from Grand Juries for 10 to 15 years had revealed the same conditions at the jail. ‘The ironic introduction to the report read, “We recommend that future grand juries just simply look back over the reports, change the date on any one of them, and turn it in as their report, as we feel sure any of their reports would practically cover conditions as they exist today. This would save the members of the grand jury some valuable time.” The report revealed that in one section of cells on the second floor, 31 prisoners were being kept where there should have been not more than 15. Here 11 persons were sleeping on the concrete floor. In other cells there were two men to a bunk. The women's cell is 10 feet in size. There were four bunks, with seven women to sleep in them, There was one toilet for their use and no bathing facilities. The jury found that inmates were sleeping on bunks in the kitchen and that a toilet and bath tub was located in the same room. The daily menu served to ‘the prisoners included bacon or baloney, bread and water for breakfast, and bread, beans, potatoes, and water for lunch. No supper is served unless the prisoners are working. Of the food, the jury commented, “it would make good hog slop and nothing more.’ Three direct questions were addressed to Judge Ferguson: Why are three meals a day not served? Why is there no better variety of food served? Why has nothing been done regarding previous Grand Jury recommendations for the past 10 or 15 years, particularly regarding our County Jail? Judge Ferguson’s comment to the report was that gentlemen of the jury had raised “pertinent questions" and made some “splendid suggestions.” Judge Ferguson thanked them for the good work done in acting on 225 cases on the criminal docket.
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