The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-05

''From the above comparison it will be seen that,
taking the last fifteen years OF the Massachusetts
State Prison, which under its superior management
is perhaps its best period, and comparing it with
the Eastern State Penitentary the reformatory in
nuence Of the separate system Is 46S per cent supe-
ror to that OF the congregate system. To this we
have to add the statement OF State authority, who
after two years experience in Massachusetts prisons
thus writes his official opinion in 1s65:'But do our
prisons work reformation Of the criminal? Go to our
PRISONS as have done the past year. inquire OF the
officers, hear the story OF the convcts, watcn the
workings OF the system, and you will see that instead
OF reforming they harden the criminal"
The report then proceeds to discuss the subject
OF mental disease az a cause OF crime, and says:-
"From Investigations was deduced the fact that
disturbed mental condition developed itself in crimes
as well as in other well-ascertancd FORMS The
most ordinary observer cannot fail TO have dis
covered that the increase OF crimes which can only
be satisfactorily cOmprehended or explained on the
now admitted cause of mental unsoundness, is
yearly made manifest Insanity, or some degree of
mental madness, is likewise increasing. This is the
result OF causes well understood IL Is not proposed
here to discuss them. IL may be mentioned that
there 1925 convicts in Sing Sing, of the
three State prisons in New York, with but 1900
cells This is larger number than I'm the two State
penitentiaries OF Pennsylvania. The report for the
year 1868 OF the New York Commissioners of Public
Charities and Correction, shows that under their
care were 1880 persons in the Lunattc Asylum,
public charity, receiving those committed by the
municipal authorities Of that city. or these 1876 died
This does not include 1903 idiots under the same
tody This fact is here presented to show that in
sanity in form, is the established condition OF
a certain number of persons i'm communities. Taking
this fact, the deduction is undenable that certain
p.t vi ~ i % t pr
insane before conviction, it is no objection to the
insane nersons are convicted to its cmstndv S or
ii P'i in,it 81 W ' ,,ri "J' & ~
develop insanity oos afterwards. During a. the
persons sent to this Penitentiary recorded as insane
by the resident physician on his examination of
W III az ac .ie ~, VI t @ p DuCi
to prove the proposition now under consideration,
quote from special authority that at one of the
Iree otate alIsllouses iocaeu AZ w %dGmks9ulS' Mus MIS-
hits It e a % oSo netes W are ere rcaioI u m %
iast ySo ~ 1tt vi "a
cnangeu T0in te otiler HCate ulihsnOisSs, us anu re-
poI1Su nearly every 4ne m isWu @ vi nouy w.
ne salle IePoitV tS I w aio t Ill
slanty niaking SUCH Iansiess anu teceIyng . sucn
bn Si at 9 SrS S.d 6od
last year AN average number OF 20. inmates report
ny ny zoo uoatS; @ th foYii T ino
toa % we H4hS Ii, tno tT, ,i Srd th hs+ ido y,
the extent to which a commonwealth con iio may be
aMGteu VIII Ilefi'al f - anu mo- w. N H,S,. -
cIUSinH "IUH IRI0 insane Tsfg " n ase
Whole n55nber Of persons committed to State and '
county prisons 10 s85
Whole number of pupils in refomatores exclusive
- Of almshopsesl :; 1859
"noe a3HOeI o, insane at all hospitals anu aSSiuS' a2s
except ansnouses'' 141o
Total - 10 26l
oAdopting these figures as approximating
~ he in an nnheaIthfnl social condition
With its population of 1851, ,O8I, they give
SO per cent Of the whole as class in which crime
is nroiuced and latent or patent INSANITY or some
condition of mental disease is therefore necessarily
existing or these 3T2s were insane
nnt hn nut nf nj IN OiV 10 o.
statement az throwing Some lighf on the cause of
crime th1 character Of criminals and the ne
cpssity for close scrutiny into that branch
T socia Sciences Which, indipectiv % paIates
70 the best preventive means against a crime
class In Massachusetts there are 385 towns In
the wear 1868 these towns supported or cared for In
various wavs 81 $40 paupers besides 2411 sent out of
the State or transported to their friends II this be
true of a community professedly so far advanced
towards perfection in social development, it is not
surprising that in other less favored populations the
crime cause more largely exists II, then, mental
ctiVao NJ erin pf
criminal insane should bear an ascertainable pro-
portion to the whole number of convicts."
After further quotations, the report proceeds to
discuss the subject OF the proportion of insane
vcts to the populations OF State penitentiaries 1t
saws
:For the past forty years out of the 5642 different
persons committed to the separate or Philadelphia
Pcntentary six were sent to the State Lunatc Asy-
lum, or O1O per cent
persons committed to- the congregate Chariestown
tMassN Penitentlary a less number in the same
ASYLUM or O:I4 per cent
.IFor the past fifteen wears the annual average
mortality of all prisoners in the separate or Pha
delphia Penitentiary was O.9s percent.
'|For the past fifteen years the annual average
mortality of all prisoners in the congregate, or
Charlestown Nhass.) Pententiary was 096 per cent.
Since the year 1925, out of 4T23 different convicts
sent to Charlestown Penitentiary, the mortality has
been 391 and the insanity 0'74 The average yearly
population of that penitentiary is, by the same au
thOrity, stated as 'being about 375, and as the
annual mortality, being an average yearly mortality
OF ! '33 per cent.
1T is shown also tnat l4oO per cent OF tle l9o con-
cent, or 81 conyicts, were pardoned; and 10 were
discharged in other ways. 40, nj. a,...
Nv leave tnls oIanch Oh ,lS ihe SUBJECT c9nnaent
tat every lnteigeiII anu "a Salu mlu " ~ t aul on
as to the mortality and insanity in the separate
and cOngregate systems, tnat thlS Penltentlary OF
the separate Imprisonment OF cohVlcts, Oy actua
laGIs, mas Nlhuicaleu lts cldn W supeIloLlty,