The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-10
COUNTY PRISON.

TwENTY-FoURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IN
sPEoToRs-CoNMITNENTs DURING 1870 A
REFORM ADVOCATED IN THE POLICE MAGIs-
TRACY-INCREAsED ACCOMMODATIONS RE
QUIRED SANITARY CONDITION OF THE
PRIsoN-ExPENsEs DURING THE YEAR.
The Philadelphia County Prison is at
present in an excellent condition and we'll
managed. Its discipline has never been so
perfect, and, taken altogether, it cannot be
excelled by any similar establishment in the
country.
We have received advance copies of the
Twenty.fourth Annual Report of the Inspec-
tors, made to the Legislature, for the year
ending on the 31st of December, showing the
number of prisoners committed to the prison
during the year, distinguishing the convicts,
the prisoners for trial, witnesses, and other
persons committed, and the offenses of which
they have been convicted, or discharged, and
other causes of commitment, etc. This is
done by act of Assembly of February %,
1S47. From this report the following inte-
resting information is obtained:-
During the year just closed
THE NUMBER OF COMMITMENTS
was -, 2SS, marked decrease from those of
1869, which reached 1906, and presenting
also striking diminution of numbers, upon
a comparison of the annual returns for the
last five years. The commitments for 1868
were 1920; for 1867, 1855; for 1866,
10, 46S. General deductions, from variations
in the annual exhibit of the prison for
short period, are hardly warranted. The de-
crease in the commitments for the past year
may, however be received as an acceptable
fact, and when compared with the number
ten years ago, In 1860 (the year preceding
the war, when they reached 20, S01 }, must be
considered as significant.
The commitments for the past year were
about equally distributed, having been from
January l, 7446; from July l to December
81, 1912. OF the whole number there were-
Black males, 1000, against 1888 for 1869, 979
for 1868, and 1925 for 1867; black females,
Az against 574 for 1869, 494 for 1868, and
go for 1867. There were white males,
1O,5O2, against -, 22S for 1869, 1906 for
1868, ~, 1861 for 1867, and 13, 0j3 for 1866;
white females, 1899, against 1920 for 1869,
1851 for 1868, aud 4619 for 1867. About the
usual proportion of
COMMITMENTS FOR INTEMPERANCE
is noticeable for the past year. Thus, there
were for intoxication, 1898, against 3546 for
1869, and POPS for 1868; for vagrancy, 1871
against 1913 for 1869, and 1898 for 1868; for
assault and battery, 1876, against 1857 for
1869, and 1862 for 1868; for disordery con-
duct and breach of the peace, 1898, against
1850 for 1869, and S132 for 1868; for assault
with intent to kill, 1872, against 146 for 1869,
Der of commitments, 15,2SS, about four
ffths, or 49, 266, are traceable to intempe-
rance, drunkenness being, with few excep-
| tions, the exciting cause of all the offenses
in the foregoing list. During the year, out
of the whole number of
PERSONS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.
1900, were discharged by the committing
magistrates, 1899, and ignored by the Grand
Jury, 431. Thus, as usual, about two-thIrds
of the whole number of persons committed
TO the prison for trial were discharged with
out being tried, or, as it is termed, settled
their cases with the committing magistrates.
The presumption cannot be avoided that a
large proportion of these commitments was
for trivial or unnecessary causes, and makes
up great aggregate of oppression and per-
secution. The board express the opinion of
the necessity of a reform in the police magis-
tracy of Philadelphia, and, in view of the
proposed convention to reform the State Con-
stitution, it would invoke the aid of all good
citizens to secure the necessary change in our
organic law for this purpose.
The great and foremost evil in the criminal
department of Philadelphia is the system of
police magistracy, and no reform is SO much
needed as a change, at least in the mode of
compensation of our committing magistrates.
So long as their receipts are directly depen-
dent upon and swollen by what must be stated
TO be simply traffic in the manipulation of
petty crime, it is idle to anticipate radical
Improvement in the treatment of this class of
criminals. 1t is difficult to believe that such
system of magistracy can be tolerated in a
city like Philadelphia, and that her citizens
can sit quietly under so great reproach. II
our police magistrates were removed from the
sphere of politics, by a change in the mode OF
selections if they held their offices by a good
behavior tenure; were required to be learned
in the law; and were compensated by ade.
quate, fixed salaries in place of fees, a reform
would be accomplished the effects of which
upon social improvement can scarcely be
estimated.
THE EXTENSION OF THE PRISON.
During the past year the initial steps fo
the erection OF a House of Correction have
been taken by the City Councils But House
= of Correction, however desirable, will no
relieve the overcrowded condition of the con
yict blocks in the male department of th'
prison.
For several years past, the separate sys
tenn" has been practically abandoned in tn
male department of the prison, and fearful
increase of moral corruption must result from
the Congregation of two, three, and evel
more convicts in single CELL The improves
character of the female department, since tn
addition of the old ''debtors' apartment" &
this side of the prison, gives evidence of tn
: : good effects of ample accommodation, and O
the order, propriety, discipline, and mora
ameliorRtion which increased space aud sepS
rate confinement secure. Until the capabili
ties of the prison shall be brought up to tn
; requirements of the law, the male conViC
!. department must remain an exception to tn
= system To which we have 80 long pointed viii