Report of general court-martial prisoners for fiscal year 1914.

Report of general court-martial prisoners for fiscal year 1914-Continued.

Miscellaneous:

PRISON REPORTS.

The annual reports from the naval prisons and disciplinary barracks show them to be in an efficient and satisfactory condition. The naval prison at Boston was closed on April 25, 1914, owing to the necessity for the transfer to expeditionary duty of the officers and enlisted men of the Marine Corps employed as guards for prisoners. The prisoners confined in the naval prison, Boston, were transferred to the naval prison, Portsmouth, N. H., on the date of closing of the Boston prison.

The following excerpts from the annual reports of naval prisons and disciplinary barracks are deemed worthy of publication:

From the report of the commanding officer, disciplinary barracks, Port Royal, S. C.:

The discipline in the detention barracks has been very good, but has suffered from frequent changes and shortage of officers, noncommissioned officers, and guards.

During the first 10 months of the past fiscal year the scope of drills was extended, and much care was exercised in properly training all detentioners. The detentioners in all the various rates were drilled for at least one month before assignment to special details for such work as would be required of their rates on board ship. Detentioners are also required to perform a certain amount of guard duty within the stockade. The result has been most satisfactory, as has been shown by the trim, soldierly, and well set up appearance of the battalion of detentioners attested during all inspections. During the first part of the year schools were inaugurated for the instruction of radio operators, electricians, machinists, yeomen, bakers, and cooks. The men under instruction were all transferred, but new classes have been started for radio operators and as far as possible men of all ratings receive a certain amount of instruction from practical work of the class for which they are best qualified to succeed. There have been transferred from here 15 men who have qualified as radio operators at this station, and unofficial reports of their progress in the service at large have been excellent. The class hours are 8 a. m. to 11.30 a. m. and 1 p. m. to 4.30 p. m., with lectures from 7 p. m. to 8.15 p. m.

It is not believed that all detentioners who serve their period in detention, even with conduct excellent, should be restored to duty. These men are under constant observation, during which the character of the man is carefully noted, and there are a few instances where lack of efficiency and mental incapacity have been pronounced. It is recommended that in such cases the commanding officer of the disciplinary barracks be authorized to discharge these men from the service upon expiration of two-thirds of their sentence.

In each company in the detention barracks there are detailed from its members acting petty officers, who are given as much authority and responsibility as possible. There are also a number of excellent men in the detention barracks who are detailed as mechanics and clerks.

From the medical officer's report:

The health of the detentioners has been excellent, as will be seen from the percentage of sick. During the year 17 cases were transferred to the hospital. Only cases of a severe nature or those requiring special treatment are sent to the hospital on account of inadequate means of guarding them while there. While under treatment at the sick bay the duty men and probationers are separated from the detentioners. In the annual report of the disciplinary barracks, Puget Sound, are found the following statements:

From the commanding officer's report:

From April 27, 1914, until the end of the fiscal year the disciplinary barracks has been temporarily located on board the Philadelephia, under the command of the commanding officer of the receiving ship at Puget Sound.

After a few days, necessary to develop a suitable reorganization for the detentioners and probationers quartered on board ship, the regular routine of the disciplinary barracks, modified as necessary to suit the changed conditions under which the men were quartered, was resumed. Owing to the transfer of nearly all of the regular crew of the Philadelphia for service in Mexican waters, detentioners have been employed for

the routine work of upkeep and cleaning on board the Philadelphia. In view of the facilities for carrying them on, boat drills and battery drills have been added to the routine.

Owing to the depletion of the marine detachment of the Philadelphia, it has been necessary to assign several petty officers for duty in connection with the drill and instruction of detentioners. With this exception no difficulties have been experienced, and it is believed that the general principles of the detention system have been as well and as satisfactorily carried out on board the Philadelphia as they could be in a barracks. On the Philadelphia the prisoners and detentioners do not come in contact with one another, being quartered in separate compartments, and, in fact, one class of men might be unaware of the others' presence on board except as they meet in their way to or from their work or drills. With the exception of the fact that the Philadelphia is a prison ship, and that in general it is well to make as broad a distinction as possible between prisoners and detentioners, it is believed that this ship is better suited for carrying out the general idea of the detention system for naval detentioners than are shore barracks. A large proportion of the men at the disciplinary barracks are deserters-70 per cent of the whole. Many of these deserted because of their dissatisfaction with life on board ship, and all it involves. Since one of the avowed objects of the detention system is, by giving these men "another chance," to endeavor to reconcile them to the necessary disciplinary restrictions of a naval life, thereby making them of future value to the service, it seems that a better way to accomplish this object is by having them quartered on board ship, where their environment and mode of life more nearly resemble that in active service, than in barracks. At the barracks they sleep in beds, live in houses, are organized, drilled, and in every way treated more like soldiers than sailors. They do not even see the waters of the harbor. On board the Philadelphia they are berthed, messed, organized, and in general handled as they would be on a ship in commission. Boat drills, which they could not get at the barracks, have been added to their routine, as well as battery drills on board the receiving ship (Charleston). In short, every effort is being made to make their daily life, instruction, drills, and routine, resemble as closely as possible what these would be on board a ship in full commission, while at the same time maintaining the strictest discipline. The foregoing remarks do not, of course, apply to Marine detentioners, for whom the barracks system would seem to be better adapted.

From the medical officer's report:

The sanitary inspection is made weekly, and the ship has always been found clean and in excellent condition.

A large space of ground near the receiving ship building has been inclosed with a stockade and is used by prisoners and detentioners for recreation on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. This was proposed and built by the commanding officer with the idea of giving the prisoners something to occupy their time between Saturday noon and Monday. The result is excellent.

The commandant of the navy yard, Puget Sound, in an indorsement to the Department, says:

So far as may be observed the disciplinary barracks have been very successfully administered by the commanding officer of the receiving ship, and in my opinion naval detentioners can be better trained on board the Philadelphia than at the barracks and without duplication of plant and consequent expense.

From the report of the commanding officer, naval prison, Mare Island, Cal.:

The sanitary condition of the prison is excellent, and there are no recommendations to be made under this heading.

The classes in geography, history, spelling, high school and grammar school arithmetic are maintained under the direct supervision of a head teacher (a prisoner) and as many teachers from among the prisoners as may be necessary to conduct the classes. This school is held three times a week. Seamanship classes are held twice a week for instruction in knotting, splicing, weaving, and sennit work.

For amusements the prisoners are forced to depend upon checkerboards, books, and magazines, it not being possible to supply any outdoor amusements, as the prisoners are confined indoors all the time, but as the men receive so much work in the open air, and the prison is so well ventilated, it is not considered necessary that the prisoners be sent out for recreation. The prisoners are organized in such a manner as to facilitate the proper management and care of the prison, and details are so changed from time to time that all prisoners get an opportunity to work outside.

The report of the chaplain states:

The chaplain has conducted divine service in the prison on every Sunday afternoon about 1 o'clock, the service lasting for 45 or 50 minutes.

The report of the warden of the naval prison, U. S. S. Philadelphia, states:

The general court-martial prisoners confined aboard have been employed, except Sundays and holidays, at labor in the yard, at such work as the commandant directed, to wit: Printing office, repairing roads, cutting grass, constructing drains, building gutters, sifting gravel, barbering, tailoring, shoe repairing, clerking, gardening, and

messmen.

When prisoners are not employed outside they are confined on board, for safe-keeping, in the berth deck compartment. Those whose duty requires that they be kept aboard are confined within a large cell compartment on the top gallant forecastle, and required to work one day a week outside, and the messmen are changed every 30 days. During inclement weather prisoners are employed in making deck swabs, hand swabs, and fenders, etc., on board this vessel.

Considering the class of men confined, their conduct has been very good. There has been but one summary court-martial awarded.

The rations have been well chosen, well cooked, and properly served, at all times. There is no chaplain attached to this ship, but the local Young Men's Christian Association naval branch conducts the usual services.

The report of the medical officer of the naval prison on the U. S. S. Philadelphia states:

The general sanitary condition of the prison ship Philadelphia has been excellent. She is clean, well ventilated, and has been remarkably free from contagious and infectious diseases.

The food has been excellent; no complaints have been registered and no cases of food poisoning have appeared.

The sanitary inspection is made weekly, and the ship has always been found in excellent condition.

The report of the commanding officer, naval prison, Portsmouth, N. II., states:

As in the previous year, the marine guard has been depleted in numbers by reason of expeditionary forces, which renders insufficient guards to keep all prisoners employed every working day. When practicable all prisoners are worked outside from 7 to 11.30 a. m. and from 12.40 to 4.30 p. m., and the inside details for the kitchen, bakery, laundry, etc., employed at such hours as the nature of their employment requires. Prisoners regularly detailed for inside work are sent outside on certain half days weekly for benefit of their physical condition. Efforts have been made to concentrate jobs so that the maximum number of prisoners are employed.

The prison school has advanced in rapid strides in the past year. A more comprehensive and thorough course of study has been set out for the pupils. The school is first divided into two main classes which attend on alternate nights, the intervening night being reserved for studying the lessons assigned the previous night. Each main division is subdivided into six classes, with studies so graded in each as to provide a gradual advancement from the lowest or sixth grade to the first grade, consisting of the most advanced pupils and where algebra, commercial arithmetic, United States and general history, and higher mathematics are taught. When a new man enters the school, he is carefully examined by the overseer as to the extent of his previous schooling and apparent ability and assigned to the class for which he seems fitted. Upon mastering the lessons of the class first assigned to, the pupil is advanced to the next higher, and so on. This system of promotion affords an incentive to the pupil to work and provides for every grade of ability or energy. The instructors are prisoners detailed for the work under the supervision of the inside overseer and the officer of the day. The great improvement in conditions in the school has been further advanced by the energy of the inside overseer coupled with the intelligent cooperation of the prisoner instructors.

The prison library has been greatly increased during the past year, and at present embraces about 6,500 volumes. Each prisoner is visited by the prison librarian as often as possible for the purpose of distributing books. In this manner each prisoner is enabled to secure a maximum of good clean reading matter.