New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-01-06
CRIME STATISTICS.

Andrews article in the October number
bo.h interesting and startling, will DC
equally interested and probably reas-
sured by reading the answer TO it which
appears in the current number of the
same magazine. The article is written
by Mr.. Warren f. Spalding, who, as
secretary of the Massachusetts board of
prison commissioners, is in position
to speak authoritatively. His article is
made up mainly of unimpeachable ref
utations of some of Mr.. A ndrew's state
ments, and of deductions from the facts
as they are, which are quite at variance
with those drawn by the English writer.
times in his article that the population
OF Massachusetts has trebled in the last
fifty years, while the number of prison
ers has increased Gfty-fold. It's shown
that the comparison IS made between
sets of figures which bear no relations
to each other, the total Of prisoners Civ.
en- for 1888 being taken from the numb
ers remaining at the end of the official
year, while those given for 1890 include
the entire commitments for the year;
and, at that, are enormously stated as
being one-third larger than is actually
the case. AS matter of fact, the in
crease in prison population since 1928
has been about seven-fold, which is quite
bad enough, but even then not quite so
bad as it sounds, as Mr.. Spalding goes
on to show.
AS Mr.. Andrews argument is against
the changes in punitive methods, and
the introduction of more reformatorY
measures, it is of interest to note that
the greatest increase of crime within
the fifty years took place between 1888
and 1861, while the old and severer sys-
TENS prevailed. During those years,
prison population increased at the rate
of 76 per cent, while from 1861 to 1890,
the increase was but 10 per cent. With
out using this as an argument for the
modern plan, Mr.. Spaldipg assumes
that it is but fair to conclude that its
introduction has not tended TO increase
crime. Again, and this is most sig
nihcant point, the nature of the ottenses
for which the prisoners of these fifty
years have been sentenced has gradual
ly changed, and the ratio of one kind
of crime to another has been greatly
modified. Since 1858 the number of
commitments for drunkenness has
steadily increased from $3.50 to 25,6 S6
in 1890, while all other ohenses have
actually decreased from 4,0l1 in 1858
to 1926 in 1890. In other words, the
ottenses against persons and property
have decreased in fact us well as in IA
tito, while those against public order,
for under the head of drunkenness are
included such kindred offenses as dis
turbing the peace, vagrancy and other
similar violations of law, have increased
enormously.
The latter fact is certainly not a
pleasant thing to contemplate, nor is it
in certain of its aspects offset by the
other fact OF the decrease in offenses of
a different nature; but it does to a great
extent take away the force from Mr..
Andrews remarks gainst the reform
atory system, since the class of crlmi-
nails among whom this great increase
is found are not in the reformatories.
He has taken his illustrations of the
frequent returns of prisoners from the
Boston House of Industry and the coun-
ty prisons, which are not reformatory in
intention. The attempt to attribute the
increase of crime to system which
reaches only one man out OF every thir-
ty-three annually committed is utterly
absurd and unjust, even if there were
no other weaknesses in the case. FL
nal]y, Mr.. Spalding points out that the
reformatory plan is not preventive
but curative one; that the increase of
crime does not come from any prison
system, good or bad, but from other
and earlier causes. "Wise prison meth
ods'' he says, evil result in the resto-
ration of many who have fallen, but un-
til methods are devised for keeping men
from becoming criminals little comfort
can be derived from statistics of crime.
Multiply and apply the agencies which
have kept the other three hundred and
ninety-nine virtuous and honest, and
the enc in four hundred may be kept
out of the criminal ranks. Reduce the
agencies which make men vicious, and
the solution of the problem will be CON-
paratiyelY easy. The responsibility for
the increase of crime, when there is an
increase, rests upon society, and not
upon sentimentalism in prison manage