Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-04-01
Increase OF Crime.

garu the interests OF society, and the safety
OF our institutions. The statistics of prisons
and jalls, show that the increase of crime is
much more rapid than the increase of popu-
lation. In the city of Milwaukee there are
now forty persons confined in the county
jall-nine of whom are females! The sher-
if of that county has announced that the jail
must either be enlarged or the officers of the
law must stop arrestiug criminals. In this
city the county Jail has never been so full as
during the past few months, since the coun-
ty organization. There are now fifteen per-
sons in confinement, ten of whom are men;
four are boys, and one female In the city
Of Racine. we are informed similar condi-
ton Of things exists-:hc county Jail is full.
The same fearful indication of the prevalence
of crime exists in other places. Nor is this
criminal aspect of the times confined to the
west; many of the older states exhibit sim
liar state of affairs.
There must be causes for this increasing
tendency to crime, and it is useless for any
one to attempt to hush or silence public in
quiry. Some persons seem to think it mex
pedent to unfold and expose to public view
our criminal statistics, lest we bring reproach
upon our American name, or suffer by COM
parison with other countries. But the only
true and safe policy is, to deal with facts,
however unwelcome or disagreeable they may
be. If it be true that crime is fearfully on
the increase the sooner the causes are inyes-
tigated, and the remedies applied the better;
no time is to be lost. for the interests of hui
mainly are hazarded. 1t is not our purpose
at this time, however, to attempt to fathom
the causes, but to speak of the appliances of
the law for the protection of society and to
deter the commission of crime. Are our
laws too stringent or are they too lenient to
the cul prit? Is the punishment Of the trans
greSsor to grieyous, or is milder and more
soothing treatment of the offender demand
ed? On the question of proper treatment for
law breakers, there are various PHILOSOPHERS,
and many extremes. Some would hang for
all sorts Of offences, as in the times of Charles
the |; others would have nothing admins
tered but soft, balmy, rose-water treatment;
they would have the criminal fed on chicken
pie, sleep on a downy bed and have all his
physical comforts carefully attended to. The
philosophy Of this course Of treatment is, that
by kind attention to the physical wants of
man, his moral nature is developed. There
Is some truth in this, but there is danger of
extreme. To reward the commission of
crime with the perfumery of kindness, with
out any severity of punishment, would hard
1y do in this perverse age, to restrain the
low, the unprincipled, and those who are
lost to all selfrespect, from deeds of violence
and wrong
But it is said that the great object of pun
ishment should be the reformation of the Of
fender: 1t is true, this should be one of the
great objects, but not the only one. The re-
formation Of criminals has not hitherto been
uncared for. All the well regulated prisons
in our country, have provisions made for
moral and religious instruction, with the
view of reforming and retaining offenders.
That these moral appliances to reclaim, are
not as faithfully discharged as they should
be, is doubtless in too many instances the
case.
But 1t was our purpose more particularly
to notice some of the apparent defects Of our
system Of Imprisonment in our county iails
1t is doubtful whether any of those who are
imprisoned are at all improved in morals, or
in any way deferred from the commission of
crime after their liberation from confinement.
The inmates Of our jails are now well fed, and
comfortably provided for; they spend their
days IN various sports, obscene jests and fiji.
thy conversations. Their chief aim is to con-
trive ways to kill time and idle away their
hours. a large proportion Of those in our
county jails, probably have better fare and
more comfortable quarters than they were
accustomed to at home, besides being reliev-
ed from work and the necessity of providing
the means of living The Imprisonment of
Juvenile offenders with old criminals cannot
be otherwise than destructive to the future
hope of reclamation. Our system supports
at the expense of taxpayers, set of able
bodied, strong and healthy men, without re-
enumeration. Living in jail has no terrors
TO the man whose moral sensibilities have
become blunted by being long stepped in
whiekey, and the frequent indulgence of
crime Under the present arrangements it
will soon be considered, by reckless and shame
less villains, mere resting spell-a past time,
to take n turn now and then, in jail
There should be some plan devised by
which able bodied men, inmates of iails .