The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-12
THE INCREASE OF CRIME AND PAUPERIsM.

Charities, presents some interesting facts
concerning the increase of criminals and
the growing burden of pauperism in this
country. The statistics of the last GEN.
sns show that during the forty ear
from 1850 to 1890 the criminal class in
the United States increased from one in
$500 to one in 7S6 of the population.
This is An increase of AS per cent,
while during the same period the popu-
lation increased only 10 per cent. Dur
ing the last ten years. in which the pop
ulation has increased "a per cent, the
criminal class has increased as per cent,
and this in spite of the multi
plication of churches, schools and Chris
tian agencies of all kinds. Such statis-
tics as these are calculated to set men
thinking.
Among the causes enumerated by Mr..
BOies for this abnormal increase of
crime are. first, the emancipation of the
cOlored race. which, suddenly emerging
from the degradation of slavery and
naturally prone to allow the excitement
of liberty to run into license, has. for
many years past, furnished a much
larger proportion of criminals than it
formerly did. Another cause is the un-
restricted immigration of the lower
class of foreigners. Foreigners of the
first and second generations constitute,
at present. about 20 percent. of our pop
ulation, but they furnish more than 30
per cent. of the inmates of our reforma-
tories, owe one third of our convicts and
nearly three-fifths Of all the paupers
supported in our almshOuses. Other
causes cited by this author for the alb
normal increase of crime and pauperism
during the last few decades are the in
crease of intemperance, the crowding Of
people into cities, the lax administra-
ton of law, the bad organization and
management of our jail system, and
finally, the lack of family government.
parental discipline and Christian train
ing in early life. All these causes are
more or less general in their operation.
In the State of Pennsylvania. with
which the author is most familiar. he
says that, during the last ten years, the
number of criminals has increased more
than 90 per cent. faster than the popula-
ton, the cost of county jails more than
four times us fast. and the public ex-
penditure for State institutions five
times as fast.
The causes which, in the opinion of
this author, are responsible for this
alarming increase of crime and paupeT-
ism, viz, the changed condition of the
colored race, unrestricted immigration,
intemperance. crowded cities. the loose
administration of law. a bad Jail system
and lack of early discipline and train
ing, are discussed with so much intelli-
gence and the conclusions SO strongly
presented as to carry conviction that
the authors views are correct.
We could not in this article present
ever an outline of the authors views on
all these points. but may refer to what
he says on the jail system. "Our jails,"
he says, "are conducted as public
schools of crime and nurseries of GRIM
inals." He regards with horror the
practice common in many, if not most,
of the States Of thrusting all kinds of
criminals. old and young, the utterly
vicious and degraded with the compar-
atively innocent, into a common Jail,
where they herd together in idleness to
propagate crime. He would send none
but confirmed criminals to Jail. and even
then they should be separated. No
child under eighteen years of age should
eve be sent to Jail. There are in the
United States 17.05S county iails and
only forty-four juvenile reformatories.
Twenty-six States and Territories have
no Juvenile reformatory. but all have
jails. The imagination staggers be-
meath the contemplation of the awful
results of such a system. "We fool
ishly maintain in America" says
this author. "forty times as many
criminal hotbeds as reformatories,
recruiting depots for the criminal
class in nearly every county, while
more than half the States make no Off
cial effort for its reduction. Designed,
apparently. as a general rule, without
the faintest conception Of the proper pur-
pose of confinement, with no visible OBJ
ject except security, combined some
times with ~cheapness, sometimes with
an attempt at architectural display,
committed to the management of a pro-
fessiOnal politician as a reward fol-
partisan services rendered or required,
the county jail is an unmitigated curse
upOn the community" He thinks that,
taking the country at large, the man
agement of county jails is a more pro-
life cause of criminality w than in
temperance. He regards the whole system
as radically and fundamentally vicious,
and ono that can only be reformed by
being completely changed in character
and motive.
Other phases of crime and the treat.
ment of criminals and paupers are very
intelligently treated. but we have only
space to give the authors conclusions,
as follows:
The problem il resolved into three ele.
mentary phases, those OF prevention, OF
reformation and of extinctiou-the last the
most important Of all. The efforts to be
made in these different directions are OF
equal importance. necessity and promise
but of wide variation In character, magni.
tude and results. As they concentrate in