The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-12-26
AN idea OF
CRIMES COST
HALF A MILLION PEOPLE LIVE
BY IT.
Not Less Than Hundred Thousand
Derive Their Livelihood from
Crime, While Not Them selves
Committing 1t-An Interesting
Statistical Study.

FROM lH" 'hlrngo lflbhhr
Not less than 100000 of the good citi-
zens of this land live by crimes which
they do rot commit Although among
the law-abiding and often most re-
spected citizens of their several COM
nunitcs they are supported entirely
by offenses against the law ana against
right Their living depends on the ell
ersies of 100000 other persons who
commit The offenses. Were these $50
900 suddenly to become upright citizens
and cease to break the laws. not only
the 900 but four times as many more
who depend upon them would be
thrown out of their livelihood and must
depend upon charity for support until
some other occupation should be found
for them
If it be true that there Is honesty
among thieves this time cannot be as
far distant as might be supposed, for
by the national census it appears that
the country is rapidly approaching a
time when all the inhabitants shall be
malefactors. and therefore. according
to the proverh. being honest among
themselves. viii no longer require su
pervision. In 1880 but one out of every
3422 inhabitants was Il criminal. In
1870 thieves ana other evil doers had
increased so that one out of every
LII inhabitants served . term in Jail.
In 1890 one out of every l,O0o vas in
rarcerated. and the proportion has
steadily increased. so that now it prob
ably approNinates one out of every 800.
TO look after these evil doers the
United states maintains Il police force
estimated at 5000 men. costing an
nually more than S5O,000,000 for their
support. In ~ of the chief cities of the
land there are over $4,000 police. whose
maintenance costs over $13.000.O0 In
addition to these police is Il great army
OF men who are employed in the ma
chinery of trying and Furnishing Grim
inals. They are police magistrates.
trial judges. clerks. baliffs. jailers and
penitentiary guards. in all amounting
10 several thousand more. On an av
eragc one guard is required for every
10 prisoners iii Jail. On the list of June
this year there We're upward of $1,000
prisoners in ials in this country. This
is taken as Il fair daily average. so that
there must have been $500 guards car
ing for them.
This army of 100000 men engaged in
catching. trying guarding and watch
ing thieves and other evil dOerS. reck-
Oning at the usual rate for this cOlln-
try of one to Il family of five. is the
support of 100000 persons. The cost
to Il nation in wages, court expenses
and support of these men, not counting
the civil courts is not less than $125,-
900. 900 All this expense is brought
upon the nation through the desire of
many people to break the laws. The
expense is even greater than this. for
there are the criminals in Jail to be
fed and housed, which. if the average
cost is but little more than 500 per
criminal. amounts to $10,O00,OO0
AS MUCH AS PENSIONS.
If Bill Sykes" as the English term
the malefactor, should therefore sud-
denly reform he would save the nation
an expense of $135,OOOOOC annually. in
addition to what he steals and the dam
age he does. But what calamity he
would plunge it into. or the criminals
out of Jail probably 10000 have no other
occupation. Add these to the $1,000 who
would be released and these again to
the 100000 honest folk thrown out OF
employment. and the nation would be
left in some such plight as it was at
the close of the Rebellion. with 200. 900
men out of employment to be absorbed
into various lines of trade. and these
same persons with all dependent upon
them to be pensioned and supported un-
til they could be cared for. The eX-
pense of the pensoning and the PEN
sion bureau would probably equal
the present policing expense for time,
but the problem of caring for all the
people and finding them employment
would be great