The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
AS sHoWN BY THE POLICE COURTS.
Tho Condition or New York In Its Last Year
as Compared with Other Years.

The Condition or New Ysrk In Its Last Yenr
as Compared with Other Years.
The question whether old New York has been
growing better or worse In recent years Is
dealt with In an interesting way, and with the
knowledge of an expert, by City Magistrate
Joseph NJ. Deuel. in the latest number Of Topn
Topics. He writes:
The name. age. sex, color and nativity of
every Police Court prisoner In this city must DO
nscertaincd and entered of record, together
with the nature of the charge. disposition by
the Magistrate and other data not necessary now
to enumerate. At the end Of the statistical year
Oct. Bleach Police Clerk is required by law
to tabulatc and return these facts. under oath.
to the Board of City Magistrates. The several
returns, together with corresponding tables.
into which have been carried the respective
totals for the entire city. constitute the annual
report which the board Is compelled to mako,
file and publish. This has been done annually
since 1874.
The twenty-fourth In the series has Just been
completed and, intelligently used. may serve to
determine whether our people have grown moro
or less law.nbiding. By inventories taken at
etated intervals the merchant accurately gauges
the trend OF his business. and using these police
court reports as sociological inventories in like
manner We may ascertain fairly well the drift
SNN'S IL luCtS upon WHICH uOeO T0pOTIo
are founded hre carefully ascertained and en-
Tered at the time of the prisoners a~rraignment;
the clerks usually are men Of intelligence; there
Is no incentive to Justification. and the returns
are made under oath. 1t would seem, therefore,
that the reports should be reliable sources of in
formation.
Before attempting to institute comparisons
between years widely separated 1t may be inter
estihg and profitable to glance at the present re-
port compare it with that Of the preceding year.
giVeSome explanation of the report itself and the
court practice upon which results are reached.
during the past year ll2.637 prisoners were
efraigned in these courts. This Is an increase
over the preceding year OF 477-51 fewer males
sha o2s more females. OF the total number ar
itigheh, $500 were summarily convicted or
hvnn ior trial in a higher court.
,iomnsnn rhrc exceptions all criminal prosccu-
TIns ~ ms city originate In the police court.
me presiding Magistrate hears the facts and
.noh determines whether no will convict and
~" MS summary jurisdiction or whether he will
oyo yf,.in = charge of felony, or ,misdemeanor,
!ermininss w he hers th mo- a"iE r mrobah HE oe Sanse d to
I|6rye ih9t the, identical defendant before
60 c C3Hindttrd ne rhine charged. II he Is
l rc, Gy IT. GrSHd Jury and then a trial before Q
under bail, to answer. The procedure is the
tSm ~ y a ml-demGGnor is charged, save that
,'hn''it' II hCid. Is sent for trial Al Special
',nN u''nrc rec Justices. without n Jury.
'"l ", %'nrnilcal papers prepared by and used
'"rr mo A!hEislratC at the preliminary hear
80, mus vii he seen. the city Magistrates
r.''iE shape The entire criminal litigation
sn nW C.iiy; say what shall go to General Ses,
3d. "Iili, shtll go to Special Sessions, and
Gi '1all be included within their own juris-
sm'loh 10 hear and determine. A conviction
hnWct On appeal.
n ,NG total number OF prisoners-ll2,6 37-
I,'L,'1l'" curing the wear 70, 9sl were sumnarily
M ,l' ~"l'nO,ct Of by the Magistrates. In re-
o., .nr NuluiCr WAS much larger, for a dismiss
cr W. tN' VI g%!strHtc on felony or misdemcanor
smn,'IE,nts ".tihHTily is regarded as final. Occn-
o~..'!'N a dissatisfied complainant seeks 20
,rn,, lG,i>,HiNNnl by a Grand Jury investigh-
H., ri'mi .lIN'lmcnl; but Grand Jurics Rre not
ir,nn.l 20 ih"lr' upon their partisan. One.sidcd
,o' '''9h when a Magistrate, having heart
lin. '''H NNH granted u discharge. II some
ir ~lhll"ls, however. In such cases that an
'urci.' 'I lulQw- aud even n conviction is oh.
r, nli such instances are rare ana almost
Tr., IN" Magistrates discharge.
d' j numHcr Of felony complaints taken
49, 'h' lcpr WINS 5000. 0f which 3,GO5 were
re"m . li,G43 miSdemeanor complaints
tn,,G ,nL,,r'a!rrd and 7. 100 dismissed. The sum
nm, W lh''" dlsmissala-ll ,O7I added TO tho
fD,""', ~ Wherein the Magistrates assumed to act
VIII EINes lnl ,ui5 ms tho number OF cases
rrG a.. H'r,hE the 'uar, had Their beginning and
nrr ~, - ,i' nn..rc 'nuris. This Is nearly 90
crr,sn,na. "i me "nijrc husinuSq n higher per-
To rrTHr "a u ~ prev Gus years aud due mainly
Al rrsep lnr!' icliOn Of the Mng'strat's.
''"''u with last yea there were l,Ol2