New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-09
EVILS OF THE PRISON LAW.
unpNG TO THE TAXPAYERS BURDEN AND
MAKING CoNvICTS INSANE.

nurpcyrIoNs URGED AGAINST TIE SAVERY BILL
-,r WOULD PUT ENORMOUS FEES IN THE
uASps or THE NEw-YoRK SHERIFF.
fsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRTBuNEl
Albany April S.-The taxpayers Of the State will
..,.restes TO know that the law which the
y.;sIot,re Of 1888 passed in July last, providing
ss,antially that the State Prison convicts should
-. A. anv remunerative labor, has largely in
s....ed the cost of supporting the prisons. Under
=. sontraot.labor and State account system of
49,, in the prisons they were self-supporting
y,raer the law passed in July last the prisons
have become burden yearly upon the people
AZ the State Of 100000. The reports OF Con-
roller Wemple made public to-day, show that
cha urison deficiency for the past six months
amonnts to sl92,388 e7, and it is estimated that
for the coming six months there wall be additional
, expenses which will bring up the deficiency for
the wear TO 100000 Nor Is this the worst
feature of the present system Oh legalzed idle
ness In the prisons. The convicts not being at
work. the prison authorities are compelled to keep
them in their cells, with the result that in some
cases insanity followed. LII the past six months
th,rtyseyen conviets have been sent to the State
Asylum for Insane Criminals at Auburn. This
Is an increase of twenty-five cases over the same
six months Of last year.
ons the largest number In the history of the State
This increase in the prison population does not
mean any increase in crime, bnt merely that the
counties which formerly put oonyicts in peniten-
tsries, finding that they are forbidden to keep
those convicts at work earning their own food,
have thrown the support of them upon the State.
In other words, the convict no longer supports
himself by remunerative labor and the county
taxpayers naturally resenting the idea OF feeding
idle man, have transferred the idle creature TO
the care of the State. The State prisons SO
crowded that they are close up to their cell capac
ity. As stated, there are 8, 737 conviets; there
are only 3,587 cells in the prisons There only
fifty more cells, therefore, for the convicts.
Opposition is arising to the Savery bill p oviding
them among the various prisons. The classifca-
ton Of the convicts would compel the sheriffs Of
the various counties to make long journeys with
She convicts, and as the sherjffs are paid large
mileage fees under these circumstances their reg
ular compe nsation would be greatly increased. 1t
would enormously increase the fees of the Sheriff
Of New-York. Now he merely has to take his
from New-York Under the Savery law he would
have to take them t6 Auburn, about $50 miles; or
to Dannemora, about 800 miles. 1t is estimated
that the Sheriff would make about 100000 net
under such law their mikage fees being so
enormous. The bulk of this money, probably
about $4,000, would go to the Sheriff OF New
York; as that county supplies 2,200 of the =, 737
It's Sheriff Of New-Yor]x would thus have the big
gest plum Of fees within the limits of the State
Of New, York. Moreover, the classification pro-
posed By the Savery law would crowd into Sing
Sing Prison l $50 eonvicts, or 500 more conv1cts
than there are cells in that prison.