-_ EE AE AE EE aE EE EE A << <i a <a EE ED EE ED <A TE SE AD I EE Ge A I : ery ‘Approximately 50 neighbors of the State Correctional In- stitution at Dallas (SCID) met last Thursday night at the Leh- man Fire Hall to discuss their fears and concerns. Local, state representaii fives George Hasay and Fra 0’Connell, and Schulkyll County represen- tative William Hutchinson, a member of the House Com- mission for Prison Reform, were on hand to hear those concerns. Irene Shaw, the SCID neigh- bor who organized the meeting, stated that she was happy with the meeting and satisfied with the legislators’ response. She said she feels that the politi- cians were aware of public opinion. ‘I think we gave them a little push”, she said. The “direction Mrs. Shaw is pushing is generally toward more security and less prisoner freedom at SCID. Escape warning systems, capital punishment, patrol dogs, and the discontinuation of the current furlough programs are some of her major areas of interest: Mrs. Shaw would like SCID superintendent Leonard Mack to install a better escape whistle system. She, like Anne Jane and Dave Cochran, who complained to Harrisburg when they didn’t hear the escape siren after the recent ‘escape of Francis Tomlinson, lives in a hollow about one mile from the institu- tion. They say they cannot hear the alarm gy At the "Yecent neighbor’s meeting, which Mr. Mack holds monthly at, the institution, he explained that his problem is money. He doesn’t have the funds to purchase a better system. He did however, set up a telephone network to help alert neighbors. Under the new system several neighbors will be called by SCID, they will then call several more and so on, until all are informed, if an inmate should escape. Mrs. Shaw, who is a principal caller on the network, said that she understood that it would be a temporary safeguard, pre- liminary to a better method. She said she would like to see area fire companies join a system all'é@which would have a special wv of blowing their sirens in escape. Mrs. Sg: reports that she can forgivgy a first-offending murderer or rapist, ‘but if he flubs again, he’s muffed it. I don’t think we should waste our time and money on those people.” She. favors capital punishment for the second offender. She told the Post that Rep. 0’Connell explained to the group last Thursday night that Pennsylvania’s attempt at rein- stating capital punishment was only sent back this time, not totally thrown out. If the death penalty is reinstated the whole rehabilitation program will change, Js. Shaw feels. Boomerang short return; } distance return. FREE . . . while they last. “There won’t be all that bail and furloughs and all’, she said. Mrs. Shaw reported that the politiciafls promised to consider new legislation concerning prison procedures and programs. She is unhappy with work furloughs, pre-release programs, and temporary home furloughs because of the added chance of escape and because she fears more crimes will be committed by the furloughed man. She reported that Mr. 0’Connell promised to look into these programs, and that the representative said that the programs are not working well. Thomas Carter, adminis- trative assistant to the Pennsyl- vania Commissioner of Correc- tions, reports that since the inception of the temporary home furlough program, there have been 11,866 furloughs issued. He went on to say that only 220 of those furloughs resulted in prison breach charges; and that 42 other crimes have been committed during those furloughs. The Corrections Commission con- siders the program a success. Mr. Carter's data was taken from an April, 1973 report. Mrs. Shaw has angered superintendent Mack with the suggestion that dogs be used to patrol the fences at SCID; the use of dogs dehumanizing and medieval. She brought this idea up again at last Thursday’s meeting. The politicians promised that they would ‘look into” the idea. Mr. O’Connell, she said, told her that ‘‘dogs are being used effectively in Berks County.” Mr. Carter, however, reported that Berks County does not have a state penal institution. They do, he said, have a county jail at which they might be using guard dogs. He believes, however, that instead, they are only using dogs for tracking of escapees. Mr. Carter pointed out, as Mr. Mack has in the past, that tracking dogs have had poor results in capture attempts. Mrs. Shaw reported that there was some talk of getting SCID prisoners ‘‘back into prison garb’’, and that the politicians promised to “look into’ better security at the prison. She said that the representatives pointed out the difficulty of doing this saying that every institution superintendent has control over how the budgeted money is spent. As Mrs. Shaw explained it, Mr. Mack could get more money, yet leave the number of guards the same, spending the money on more outside programs, or whatever. At the last neighbor's meeting, Mr. Mack emphasized that of $5 million budgeted to him, $4 million:mandated is for salaries. He has only 20 percent which he can use as he sees fit. Mr. Mack also pointed out that the entire Pennsylvania Correc- tions Department is hoping for un- FAIRVIEW an additional $8 million over last year’s budget. Mr. Mack would like to use his share of that money to add 28 more of- ficers to his staff, according to his conversation at that meeting. He reported that a Republican caucus, however, has recommended to cut that addition in half. Even if the $8 million addition should be passed, a federal monies cut- back will mean that the most men he can add will be 19. The politicians told the neigh- bors of SCID that Mr. Mack would be getting eight or nine percent more money this year, adding that “No matter what they allot, it is never enough”, according to Mrs. Shaw. The representatives also reported that they would “look into” setting punishment ac- cording to the crime and making SCID more self-sus- taining, two additional concerns of Mrs. Shaw. Mrs. Shaw said that she doesn’t feel that murderers and rapists should be ‘“‘allowed to roam around free’ inside the prison, mingling with lesser offenders. Her idea of setting punishment to suit the crime refers to additional punishment, in addition to length of confine- ment. She would like to see the murderer, for example, not allowed out of his cell as much as the embezzler, if let out at all. Having once lived on the land that now supports the penal institution, Mrs. Shaw said she feels that more farming, besides the dairy farming now done, can be accomplished there. She would like to see the institution more self-sufficient. She would like to see it raise most of the crops it consumes. The politicians showed some interest in this idea, she reports, commenting that such self- sufficiency could take a “burden off the taxpayer’. During the last neighbors’ meeting at SCID, Mr. Mack led a tour of the institution which included the mattress factory. The residents make all the mattresses for all the institu- tions in Pennsylvania there. In return they are traded the specialties of the other institu- tions. Mr. Mack explained that they are, for example, traded vegetables from one of the large-farm penal institutions for their mattresses. When she was asked if she felt she got more than ‘just promises’ out of the meeting, Mrs. Shaw said, ‘Yes, I believe them when they say they’ll do their best. I don’t know who to go to to get help. They may know.” She said that Mr. Hasay noted that he had heard the prisoners’ side of the penal story, and the . Corrections Department side, and that now he was glad to have heard the public’s side. Also invited to the meeting, but unable to attend were Rep. Fred Shupnik and U.S. Congressman Dan Flood. as seen on TV SUPER SNEAKS mis - 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m 5 TR —_— aE A I << << EE EE Ee << i <i ~<a The first of a series of three Home Rule Seminars for the newly elected Charter Study Commissioners was held May 21 in Pomeroy’s Community Room, in the Wyoming Valley Mall. Co-sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Institute of Regional Af- fairs, at Wilkes College, and the Pennsylvania Economy League, and coordinated by the Regional Personnel Service Center, the purpose of the seminars’is to present guidance and direction to the newly elected Charter Study Commis- sioners. : The first seminar dealt with the organization and adminis- tration of Commissions. Thirty commissioners representing all six Home Rule municipalities in Northeastern Pennsylvania were in attendance. The program consisted. of three panelists: John Hibbard, Chairman of the Kingston Township Charter Study Com- mission; Andrew Shaw, Director of the Institute of Regional Affairs, and Timothy Scully, Chairman of the Scran- ton City Charter Study Com- mission. William J. Desciak, Human Resource Coordinator ok dokk BUSTER CRABBE POOLS The second seminar, focusing on government organization, will be held June 4, in Pomeroy’s Community Room, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Panelists will be Bill Hansel, Business Administrator, Allentown; Gus Bauer, Township Manager, Bristol Township; Joseph Banta, City Manager, Potts- town; and Rod Terry, Director, Bureau of Local Government Services, Department of Com- munity Affairs. Poze Completion of the much delayed Dallas School District $1.4 million relocatable school building may occur in the near future. According to William Houston, project manager for Panelfab International Corp., the present delay is due to a carpenters’ strike ‘and indi- cations are that the strike should be settled within a few days. The Wyoming Valley Con- tractors Association sent letters Education Group Donates Treasury The Back Mountain Associa- tion for Better Education has donated its small treasury to the Dallas Senior High School library. The association has dis- banded. Most past members feel that they have accomplish- ed the goals which motivated them to create the organization. Since some dues remained in the group’s treasury, it was de- cided that a donation to the lib- rary would assist all students toward the better education that the group stood for. to each member of the carpen- ters’ union and advised them that since all efforts in the field of negotiations had been exhausted, it is now up to each contractor to settle with his respective unions, Mr. Houston said. Mr. Houston expressed hope that Beretta and R.J. Culp Con- struction companies, sub- contractors for Panelfab, would settle their differences so that the building might be com- pleted. The work could be to see and May 31. YURISH Westie (Centon Tel. finished in five weeks, Mr. Houston noted, once the crews are back to work. fr At the adjouned meeting of the Dallas School Board last week, it was reported that Panelfab would cease opera- tions and put up security, if the carpenters strike continues for any length of time. Wy Construction began: in Oc- tober, 1972, and the building was to be completed by February 1973. Rain and frost were cited as reasons for previous listen to June 1, 2, 3. 225 Wyoming Ave. 288-0152 Kingston, Pa. 288-4295 288-8631 | 09 Silly = \ i i { i i | On UNUSUAL JEWELRY AND GIFTS SHOWERS OR WEDDING GIFTS Visit ty~-Yan THE FAIRY-LAND GIFT BOUTIQUE DALLAS Huntsvilla Rd. a3 the Reservoir EVENINGS CALL 675.2504 EXCLUSIVELY AT 2)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers