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December 14th, 19~%,
<br />
<br /> ~ne boiler room is on this floor. The building is heated by steam, and
<br />the facilities are apparently ample for convenient and comfortable heating. Water for bath-
<br />ing, etc., is heated in the winter by furnace, and in the s~mer by a small cosl stove. How-
<br />~ever, orisoners on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors tell ns that there has n6t been
<br /> any ho~ water available for quite some time, particularly during the summer months.
<br /> The entryway ar detention hslt should be scrubbed more often. In the
<br /> large storage room on this floor, the odor was bad. This room contained a barrel of molasses
<br /> and half a barrel of fish therein. The windows were closed, no ventilation and the floors
<br /> dirty.
<br /> Toilet for officers on first floor appears to be in fair condition.
<br /> Could not enter sm~ll storage room on first floor as the key was not
<br /> ava£1able. No toilet paper appears to be provided for orisonerso This applies to all floors.
<br /> This must necessarily increase the maintenance of plumbing. 'Prisoners complain that there is
<br /> not sufficient blankets for each to have one.
<br />
<br />SECOND FLOOR
<br />
<br />This floor contains two apartments with ten cells each, which are kept
<br />fairly clean. Sixteen cells ha~e mattresses, which are fair in condition, and blankets, all
<br /> zrty, the showers in'fair condition, but in one no ~pray. ~eputy tergesmt Green says that
<br />the water pipes are corroded~ This is general, so he says. The paint on this floor is fair-
<br />ly good, needs scrubbing; the condition isfamr.'
<br />
<br />THIRD FLOOR
<br />
<br /> This floor has two apartments with ten cells each, and is practieal!y in
<br />the same condition as the second floor. Ten cells have mattresses, and ten hav~ blankets;
<br />seven of the mattresses and blsmkets are clean, and thirteen are dirty. This floor s~so needs
<br />scrubbing, condition fair. ~ ~
<br />
<br />FOURTH FLOOR
<br />
<br /> This floor consists of two apartments with Zen cells each. Fifteen cells
<br />have mattresses, four are clean, and eleven are dirty;'thirteen cells have blankets, four are
<br />clean and nine are dirty. The paint is fairly good in condit~on: but the cells and floor need
<br />scrubbing. -
<br /> FIFTH FLOOR
<br />
<br /> Two ~oartments with seven cells each are on this floor. Eleven of the
<br />cells have mattresses, six clean and five dirty, four of them have blankets~ two clean mud
<br />two dirty; one tub stopped up.. The no,th side of this apartment is reserved for cooks smd
<br />trusties. -
<br /> PANTRY
<br />
<br /> Pantry is on the fifth floor. The walls need painting~ the floors need
<br />scrubbing, b~t there wa~ practically no food s%loply in the pantry.
<br />
<br />KITCHEN
<br />
<br /> The kitchen is on ~his floorl same needs painting, floors need scrub-
<br />bing; trash behind the stove.
<br />
<br />PIOtPiT~[L
<br />
<br /> Contains four beds, four clean mattresses and four blsm~kets, all dirty.
<br />Room and equipment unfit for hospital purPoses.
<br />
<br />WONEN'S QUARTERS - WHITE
<br />
<br /> Contains four beds, three clesn mattresses, two dirty, five dirty blan-
<br />kets, floor dirty; no chairs, no tables, no place for prisoners to sit except on beds; badly
<br />in need of scrubbing and cleaning.
<br />
<br /> COUNTS
<br /> The entire interio~ of the various compartments where prisoners are
<br />held, is as a whole in a fair c ndmtmon, aside from the dirty mattresses and blankets, and
<br />the lack ef regUlar scrubbing and cleaning. Vnile the Jail has beeJ painted within the last
<br />two years, it is beginning to show somewhat dirty appearances from wear. we note that in
<br />the various cell blocks on all of the floors that there are not sufficient benches for the
<br />prisoners to sit on, and as result thereof they are compelled to sit on a concrete~ floor.
<br />This itself makes an insanitary condition, we are told tha. t the scrubbing and cleaming are
<br />lef~ to the prisoners; that they are required to keep the cell blocks clean, but the great-
<br />est difficulty, we believe, in this condition im leaving it up to the prisoners to keep the
<br />various Cell blocks cle~u and the trusties to keep the hallways ctes~u is the lack of super-
<br />vision to see that the scrubbing ~ud cleaning a~e prcper.ly and regularly done. -
<br /> Since our last repor~ in ~uly, 193~, tn Wh~h attention was called to
<br />section 2857 of the Code-of Virginia, which requires that the jail should be well whitewash-
<br />ed at least twice in eve?y year, and the same should be welI~aired~ .and always kept olean,
<br />it is apparen~ that the Portsmouth City Jail has been painted since this reoort, and as stat-
<br />ed previously, the paint is beginning to wear, ~ad the walla and paint work- are beginning to
<br />show some appearances of dirt, but generally spe~ng, from this sta~udpoint, the paint is in
<br />a faimly good condition. We do not believe, howe~er, that it should be painted again in the
<br />immediate future- probably within the next six months or year, a cOSt of paint Will be needed.
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