The Penn's Grove record., 1894-07-27
State Prison Statistics.
Rcport From the Inspectors ofthe
Institution.

information. Inc S'"'C lN"
tuition. in point of population, wouio
make a good sized town, there being
9GS convicts there at the date OF the re-
port. This is all increase of q over
last year. Last year AL prisoners
were received, and the number dis
charged by remittance of sentence was
351, There were but Il prisoners par
dontd during the year and 81 paroled
under the law of 1892. There were IL
deaths.
There are ) prisoners in the institu-
ton for life. 5 for so years and two
for 81 years. Also % who will have TO
remain 20 years, "a for Is years, lO7
for 10 years., 1jG for 4 years, l26 for .
wears. 179 for > years and 131 under a
II year sentence.
OF the whole number OF prisoners
but % are in for murder. There are
but S for passing counterfeit money, l
for perjury and 4 for pOlygamy. The
Youngest prisoners in the institution is
but fourteen years old. and the Oldest
IS owe eighty years. But 1853 of the
prisoners are %Jerseymen, l42 are New
Workers and 60 Pennsylyanians.
Twenty seven other States are repre-
scented at the prison, and IL foreign
countries, including far Norway, the
West Indies, Finland and Austria.
Germany leads in the list, with 60 of
the Emperor's subjects, and Ireland
follows with g. and Italy with "A. Eli
gland is represented by 30 and Scotland
had 10. The oldest prisoner in the in.
stitutlon was received in 1867.
Every prisoner in the institution a
read, although many of them could not
when received, and this speaks wellsfor
Keeper PattersOn's management.
In his report John II. Patterson says
the parole system continues to meet his
unqualified appreciation. He believes
New Jersey has the best parole law of
any of the States in the Union, He
supports this assertion by the facts that
of the 144 prisoners paroled since the
enactment of the law but five have
been returned for breaking its condi-
tons.
Of the 351 prisoners discharged I'M
der the Communication act, Keeper Pat
terson says all but sixty earned the full
allowance of the law for good conduct.
The sixty forfeited from Gge 20 sos days
for violations Of tue prison rules.
Alter discussing thu oyercrowded
condition of the prison and regrettiDg
the fact the management has been un.
able up to date to secure the 100000
appropriated by the Legislature in 1890,
Mr.. Patterson takes up the question of
an indeterminate sentence. After say
ing that many conyicts, after their dis
charge, are recommitted to prisons for
the repetitions of the same offence he
says:
OF the 997 convicts present at the
close of the fiscal year 1890, 172 were
recidiyists, the period of their return
varying from the second 10 the ninth
incarceration. OF recidivists of the
SAME grade, and of 947 at the close Of
the year 1893, the number was 1872.
For the whole three years ending Oc-
tober 30th, 1893, the percentage of re.
ciiiyisits was 1871.
GLOW many more discharged here
were committed to prisons elsewhere it
is impossible to state. 1t is concluded,
and experience elsewhere in this direc-
tion sanctions the conclusion, that this
alarming recidiVison may be moderated
by the kindly efforts of the State and
charitable organizations in securing
employment for those worthy of it, on
their exit from the prison.
SIN seems probable, and it is hoped
that the State Charities Aid Associa-
ton of New Jersey, assisted by the
State, may charge itself with this noble
work, as fruitful in operation in some
of our sister States.
"While we heap Indignation upon
foreign nations who are banishing their
vilest refuse of humanity to our over
h%ospitable shores, we forget that, un-
der laws of our own enacting, prison
wardens all over the land are being
compelled to empty their vilest and
worst material in Il streets and thor
oughfares, %unrefOrmel, burning with
revengeful ire, fully able aud amply
willing to repeat, on a more terrible
scale, the very etfenses for which they
were incarcerated. The. indeterminate
sentence puts an end to all this"
The total cost of maintaining the
prison during the fiscal year just ended
was Sl60,S2G,34 "a. The amount received
from the earning of convic.s and other
sources was SG0,425.03 L, as against &c.
O5S,93 last year.
The Democrats of Illinois have put
on their State ticket the name of Mrs.
DR.. Julia Holmes Smith as a candidate
for Trustee of the State University.
The Republicans are now talking of
nominating a female for the same posi-
ton aud a large number of candidates
OF the gentler sex are already in the
Held. When womens' suffrage becomes
the law of the land the women will lie
as eager for Office as the men.