The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1898-12-23
w. c T. u.
WARDENS OF PNIETENTIA-
RIES TELL TIE CAUSE OF
CRIME.

Wardens Of Thirty Leading Pententi-
aries Tell The Voice that Sixty-Two
per Cent of Their Prisoners Were
Brought to Prison through Drink.
non. c. R. DRockwAY, PRESIDENT OF
THE PRISON CONGRESS. ESTIMATES THAT |
NEARLY HALF or TIE coSvIcrs HAVE
DRUNKEE ANcEssERs.
Some months ago, THE VOICE sent q let |
ter Of inquiry to the wardeus Of various
penitentiaries scattered over the country.
asking them to give a reply to this prop
dstion:
Iu your opinion, what proportion Of the
prisoners OF your penitentiary were
brought there through the use Of stroug
d-inkY'
There we're 30 replies received. Many
OF these estimated only the number Of
convicts whose trouble was caused ''di-
rectly" by liquor, while others estimated
both the direct and the Indirect influence
Of liquor But taking the estimates DIS
they stand, the average of all the replies
received was that e2 per cent Of the con
vets were made ST. by liquor Ore ia
nous prision man. Mr.. L. r. Brockway
late president Of the prison congress, aud
for many wears general superintendent of
the New York State Reformatory at Ell
mira, ventured no estimates on the ques-
tiou asked, but gave interesting data Of
the results Of his studies of drunken an
cestrv of convicts. In his letter, Mr.
Brockway said:
'INTENPERANcE A A CAUSE Or CRIME
IS ALMOST ALWAYS INTERVIEWED
WITH OTHER CAUSES, 50 that criminal
admitted to prison, conicssedly iutemper-
ate. can not be claSsed with any assur-
auce OF certainty among criminals vino
were imprisoned solely or mainly because
they were drunk at the time OF the crime.
, So little importance have we attached tc
the statistics of temperate or iutemperatt
habits with prisoners admitted here. that
we have long ago decided not to tabulatc
them, and recently not take such statis
tics. The unrAvorable outward crcum
stances which are supposed to precipitat,
crimes with the degenerate criminal class
at large in society may be divided under
three general heads:
la Uniavorable environment Of birtl
aud early life, such as parental neglect
want of education, etc.
'tb) Lack of industrial training
'(c) lntemperance, either personal in
temperance by the prisoner himself,
> transmitted tendency and degeneracy re
~ sulting from the intemperance of his an
=, cesters. or the Incorporate habits uf hi
" associates.
" My observation and examination o
p" prisoners show. that THESE three genera
D" subdivisions of crime are generally all O
them associated with each other in IN
'U history of criminals. Scarcely ever hay
found q case where at least two OF thes
'' general clacihed calses were not SO assC
~ ciated in the history OF the prisoner; bu
'' when take up the inquiry OF Tie relaiio
'' Of intemperance to the crimina, act q
.' the crlmiual. find that 10 can 5e trace
- as often to The Influence Of ialemperauc
ui his associates or ancestors as to hi
80 personal drink habit. So much more ia
portaut as "a cause of crime do We estecI
the degeucracy of the prisoner, ppssibi
'' traceable iodrunkenness in ancestry. IN,
- that have kept trace 0t ancestral drunl
enncss, while giving up entirely the tas
~ To gather statistics Of the drunkenness
Tive p! .soner himself.
v "rt 7,705 prisoners, drunkenness Of al
IN cesjry is CLEARLY traced with ; SG5 p,
'f- cent. or the above number. sol, ur I.
hi per lt..are of d.uOlfUi auccs' raj hlSt'
no ry in tnis respect. leaving of the go
IS, - : per cent, 'or 1850, decrnded iroT
+ ancestors supposed 30 be ordinarily ien
lperaIe."