(Some of the rules have been edited for length or paraphrased. DCGS)
1. The inside of the prison shall be roughly whitewashed in the months of May and December, in each year, and the cells shall be whitewashed once at the end of every quarter. (Or more if that jailer thought necessary)
2. At sunrise each morning, a bell shall be rung at the jail, at which time each prisoner shall rise and dress himself, fold up his bedclothes and sweep out his cell, all to be done within thirty minutes of the ringing of the bell...
3. Suitable vessels, towels and bowls and other conveniences for washing shall be provided...4. and bedding and clothes shall be washed once a week..
5. The area of the jail shall be swept every morning and the alley shall be scrubbed twice a week, and each cell or room in the jail shall be scrubbed once a month...
6. The bedding and mattresses shall be taken down and shaken out as often as found necessary to keep them clear of vermin, and it is the jailer's job to mak sure the prisoners keep their bedding clean of vermin...and each bed tick shall be well filled with good clean straw in May and November each year...
7. No prisoner shall be allowed to permit any filth or litter about his cell, but each prisoner should be accountable for the cleanliness of his own apartment ...not permitted to cut, carve or write any letters, etc. upon the walls, doors, floor, ceiling or furniture.
9. The labor necessary to carry out these rules shall be done, as practicable, by the prisoners themselves.
10.Each prisoner shall be furnished a comb, and each cell shall have a broom, a vessel for drinking water, with a night bucket, wash basin and spitoon.
11./ 12. Male and female prisoners shall be kept separate. As much as possible, the younger prisoners should be separate from the older, more experienced criminals, and those charged, but not convicted, should be kept separated.
Other rights the prisoners had included, warmth in winter, lights at least until 9 p.m., a respectable physician who could be called upon, a copy of the Bible which they would be encouraged to read, visitation by counsel, clergy, and family with the jailer present at all times. A room was set aside for counsel and client to speak privately, where they would be locked in.
However, they could not have spiritous liquors, tobacco, gaming or card playing. Breaking the rules could end with the prisoner on bread and water for a period of time, at the discretion of the jailer. If the prisoner objected to his treatment, he was to be given paper and pen so he could write to the judge a complaint. A record of the deportment of each prisoner, along with all visitors, was kept.
The jail at the time of these rules was a log building, and by September 1865, folks began to notice it was unsafe with decayed timbers, and generally just in bad shape. The fact that prisoners could easily escape also came into public notice. So the first vote for a new jail was held in October, 1865. It took awhile to get there, though, and by August 7, 1869, the Defiance Democrat reported that the contract for the new jail was agreed upon, with a $24,645 price tag and a completion date set for August 1, 1879.
The new jail actually opened in January 1880.
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