The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1901-02-09
Missouri Prisoners.

w AAALa ~ I
,Our, state p~enitentiary, Tuesday sub
his second biennial report to
the 4lst general assembly upon the
condition Of the state penitentiary.
The report not only disclOses some
very interesting facts, but also con-
tains many valuable statistics. The
big penal institution, situated At the
state capital, Is one of the largest IN
su~,utions Of its kind II the United
States. and il is without doubt The
best managed and most systematically
arranged Of all the prisons in the
country. Under the democratic man
Aeement, which has had charge Of the
.penitentiary for the past thirty years.
the institution has been placed upon a
sound business basis and is a credit to
the democratic administration.
The ~penitentiary has not only been
seli-sustaining for several years past,
but has also been q source OF revenue
to the state under the efficient man
agement which has been exercised, has
turned into the state treasury during
the past two years the sum Of sS,sso.2l
above expenses despite the fact that the
price Of many necessaries a the prison
have increased in some instances to 100
per cent.
To 8 student Of sociology, GRIMM
ology and economic conditions leading
TO penal servitude, the statistics IN
the report present many remarkable
comparisons and analogies. During
the past two years the number oil
~convicts confined in the state prison
has been above 1000, and during that
same time there were l,72S persons
sent here 10 serve terms for different
o~fenses, but the number Of released
has kept pace with the dotentions and
thus The number Of %convicts confined
has nearly been stable during the
biennial period. The number OF con-
yicts discharged IN the past two years
has been under the three-fourths rule
1898, only 10 have served full Time
while ISL have been psrdoned, seven
have escaped, Of which two were re-
s@r.AssA, and SIS have died behind
the bars. OF the total number Of per
sons in the pe~nitentiary at present
there are t,esa ~hiie men and %
white women, 727 negroes, males ant
40 negroes, females. The warden re
ports that the daily average eScess'
Of earnings over expenses is 5.Sl
cents. OF the convicts received with
10 the past two years there were l'oS:
native born and IS foreigners, whit
Sc states and ten territories had repre-
s~entstives. Nearly 30 per cent Of tn
~eonyicts received were less than q
years Of age when convicted. Thr
occupations OF the men who are doinl
|, time in the %penltentiary is interestini
as it shows that about 60 per cen
were laborers and q very low per cen
/. we're educated persons. There wer
% prisoners received within the las
. two years. There are 459 convict
behind the walls who can neither reA
q nor write. The fact that Is per Ger
. Of the men confined are single me
e may be taken n an argument thi
marriage has = tendency TO decrea'
! crime. The number Of intempera'
men who are serving sentences Il
CRIME Is slightly In excess Of the mt
n who are not drinking men, but Il
difference ia not striking. OF Il
conYicts who belong 10 some churt
denomination at or before they cor
uitted the crimes Of which they a
guilty, the Baptists Outrank the 9th
Of congregations, having 1894 10 the
= discredit, II may be said, while the
Al are sSi Catholics up for various Sc
fences, Christians 1ls, Methodists 80
be PresbyteriAns So, Duukards !, ~b
DO there Is left . good field for religiO
'6s work with 425 persons who eTpr'
DO religious belief at all. The repo
,,t Is 9 whole and in detail, i a 4
Of showing tor the democratic party
ri Missouri and the systematic meth
ms pursued IN the handling Of this !
Il portant state concern Is In strikl
contrast 10 the conditions which ?
vailed when the republicans were
Jas power In this state and had charge
the Missouri state %penitentiary %
years ago.
lOQI