The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-13 00:00:00

A Yeai's Crime in the West Riding.

Captain Armytage, the governor of the West
Riding prison, at Wakefield, has issued to the
magistrates of that division of Yorkshire a tabulated
statement showing the offences that have been corn'
mitted in the West Riding, and the number of pri-
soners in custody for the year ending the 30th of
September last. Notwithstanding an increase of the
population in the West Riding, the number of pri-
soners in 1865 and 1866 is less by about 250 than
for the preceding year. There are now in the West
Riding prison 4,578 males, and 1,178 female pri-
Boners, making a total of 5,756. The offences are
classified as follows :—Felons committed from the
assizes or sessions, 977 ; juvenile offenders, 123 ;
summarily convicted larcenies, 585 ; rogues and
vagabonds, 564 ; vagrants, 210 ; neglect of family,
166 ; disorderly paupers, 91 ; common prostitutes,
131 ; common assaults, 643 ; aggravated assaults,
80 ; want of sureties, 136 ; military offenders, 56 ;
for breach of revenue laws, 12 ; misdemeanants sent
from the assizes and sessions, 283; for wilful damage;
220 ; for drunkenness, 1,009 ; for neglect of wore
and being disorderly apprentices, 104 ; under al
bastardy laws, 90 ; under the game laws, 71 ; other
summary convictions, 364 ; and prisoners in custody'
58. Of these prisoners, 951 have been committed
once ; 449 twice ; 227 thrice ; 166 four times ; 130
five times ; 159 six and seven times ; 84 eight, nine,
and ten times, and 237 above ten times—total,
2,453. The remainder, 3,303, entered the prisoa,
the first time ; 26 of the prisoners were under
12 years of age ; 207, 12 and under 16 ; 920
between 16 and 21; 2,006 between 21 and 301
1,319 between 30 and 40; 767 between 40 and
50 ; 351 between 50 and 60 ; and 160 were 60 and
upwards. Of the total number 3,157 were residepts
of the West Riding; 48 came from the North and
East Riding; 472 from Lancashire ; 948 from other
English counties; 25 from Wales ; 85 from Soot:
land ; 974 from Ireland ; 13 from the colonies anc,l.
East Indies ; 23 from foreign countries ; and the
nationality of 11 was unknown. 2,089 of the Prl;
soners could neither read nor write; 980 could read
only ; 2,589 could read and write imperfectly ; .96
read and wrote well ; and two were of super°r,
education. The petty sessional districts have con
tributed prisoners in the following proportions .1,
1,
Aberford, 11 ; Barnsley, 173 ; Bingley, 35 ; 13°
ton-by-Bowland, 9; Boroughbridge, 2 ; Bradford
(West Riding), 181—borough, 631 ; Dewsbury
(West Riding), 260—borough, 218 ; Doncaster.
(West Riding), 57—borough, 183 ; Goole, 46:
Halifax (West Riding), 68—borough, 232 ;
field, 9 ; Holmfirth, 54; Huddersfield, 634 ; Inge
ton, 5 ; Keeley, 129 ; Knaresborough, 114 ; Leeds'
77 (Leeds has its own borough gaol); Otley/.
Pontefract (West Riding), 85—borough, 36; RIP°I
5 ; Rotherham, 373 ; Saddleworth, 26 ; SedgeberPo
21; Selby, 36 ; Settle, 17 ; Sheffield (West llidl
46—borough, 1,223 ; Sherburn, 10 ; Skipton,
Snaith, 19 ; Tadcaster, 15 ; Thorne, '4 ; Tod°l°l:
den, 41 ; Wakefield (West Riding), 188—boroagi33.
292 ; Wentbridge, 2 ; Wetherby, 36 ; and 'VeTic',
Of military offenders there were 52 ; militirytuai,
fenders, 4 ; and from other prisons, 2. x°