The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-28
CROWDING The CELLS
INDIANAS PRIsON POPULATION HAS
MADE LARGE GAINS.
Interesting Information from the
Quarterly Report Of State Board of
Charities-Cost of Maintenance.

Some interesting information is contained
in the forthcoming quarterly report OF the
Board Of State Charities, which was COM
piled by Secretary Bicknell, and will be
ready for distribution in a few days. In
the nine months ending July 81, 1894, the
grand net total maintenance Of the State
charitable and correctional institutions was
500, 1868; in the corresponding period last
year it was $6SS, 1918: the net increase in
1894. therefore. is s69,26S.S1.
The return of earnings is not complete
from the southern prison. They will prob
ably largely reduce the apparent net in
crease in the cost of maintenance.
On July 81, 1894, there were enrolled in
the four Indiana insane hospitals 2,907 pa
tents. The number Of patients received in
the four hospitals during the nine months
ending July 81, 1894, was CSC. The average
annual increase in the population Of the
four hospitals in the last two years has
been 154. If this rate of increase should
continue the growth of insane population
would be 70 in five y~ears-enough to fill
a large hospital. 1t is not believed, how
ever, hat this rate Of increase in hospital
population is permanent. A rough calcu-
lation of the increase in insanity in Indiana
indicates that ar average of one person be-
comes insane In the State every ten hours,
day and night, seven days in the week.
The most reliable index of the economy
or extravaganza with which an institution
is managed Is the per capita cost-that is,
the cost of maintaining each patient or in
mate. The four Indiana insane hospitals
are making a gratifying showing this year
in Per capita cost Of maintenance. In the
nine months ending July 81. 1894. the aver
age cost of maintaining each patient in the
hospitals was $131.95. In the corresponding
period OF last year the average per capita
maintenance was $780, o.. There has then
been a saving in this year of $tO9 per cap
ita over last year. This saving is due TO
maintenance in the Northern and Eastern
hospitals. The per capita saving at the
Northern in the nine months ending July
1898. was $7.73, and at the Eastern s6.42.
While this saving may seem small when
applied to a single individual, it is very
large when the number of individuals runs
into the thousands.
The prison population of the State July
81 was Lao. A year ago it was I46S, SHOW
ing an increase in one year OF 212, or 1872
per cent. Both prisons for men are now
badly crowded. y large number of the
cells contain two prisoners each, though
only large enough for one with comfort
and healthfulness. Every addition to the
prison population now means the putting
Of w prisoners where there is room for
only one.
In the ten years from 1880 to 1890 the pop
ulatiOn of Indiana increased 1872 per cent,
an average increase of LOS per cent. per
mum. Presenting this to be still the rate
of growth Of population We have the fact
that in the year ending July 81, 1894. the
prison population IN Indiana increased
eighteen times as much as the population
of the State. The average number of pris-
oners during the nine months ending July
81 last was 26 greater than during the
corresponding nine months of the previous
year. If this eighteen to one relation be-
tween the increase of prison population
and State population continues it will af-
ford a chance for some enterprlsing indi-
vidual TO figure out how long it will be
until the entire population of Indiana is
behind the bars.
In the nine months ending July 81, 751
persons were sent 10 States prison in In
diana. If equally distributed as to time
this would have been one person convicted
of crime and sent to the penitentiary ev-
cry eight hours, day and night, Sundays
included, during the nine months. The
Northern prison. IN the nine months end
ing July 81, earned S1,227.43 which was
more than its cost of maintenance by
$l01.3l.