The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-05

The population of the State in 1860 was
1850 42S; in 1870, 16SO637; in 1850, 197S,OOo in
1890. 2,192,4 in 1900, 2.5l6,462
1.-THE proportionate population of our
state correctional institutions for the past
three reports, covering two decades, re-
mains quite stable. There Is some in
crease, but we believe it is not so much
as many have been led to suppose. The
figures for the earlier census periods can
not mean much more than the fact that
so many persons were In prison The
smaller prisons, the jails, were used more
extensively and other means of punishment
provided in the earlier years of our his
tory were employed, perhaps, to great
er extent than to-day. The small number
of women prisoners VIII be noted also, the
further fact that the increase in their
number has been quite small in the past
twenty years.
1.-The largest number of persons reported
in recent years in all the state correctional
institutions was In $685. when there were
1853. From that year TO this there has
been decrease annually, but 1T mas not
been regular. The number this year is
2,4S5, and the two years last preceding 1t
was lower than this.
MEASURES OF CRIMINALITY.
'The figures given serve to show, in an
imperfect way, one of the measures of
criminality in our State. Like the fish
brought home by the fisherman, they only
tell of those that are caught. Nothing Is
given as to the causes or results of their
crimes, their effect upon others or the con-
sequences to society. Nothing is told of the
cost of crime or OF the expense incurred in
the detection, prosecution, retention and
confinement of the offender. In the study
of this great problem all OF these factors
and many others must be taken into ac-
count
IAN interesting statement regarding the
cost of crime was recently given by Mr..
Eugene Smith, of New York, who, after
careful study, estimated the total cost of
crime I'm the United States at $50. 900. 900 for
the cities and counties, and s50,0OO.O00 for
the states and Nation. While these figures
are not definite they show that the largest
factor with which we have to deal in our
economic relations is crime The only other
item that approaches it Is that for the
the same year, amounted to $l39, 000, 600. 1t
should be stated that the enormous ex-
penditure given above is only for the pre-
veption of crime.
1T is only within the past thirty years
that intelligent attention has been given to
the reformation of the criminal. The re-
suit is that some OF the causes OF crime have
been revealed. The work of reforming
these offenders is a great one. In this
splendid work Indiana has had share.
Both our reformatory institutions and pris-
they have achieved under the indeterminate
sentence and parole laws The advances
our state institutions have made are nota-
BILE. This cannot be said, however, of our
county jails. which are schools of crime.
pools of pollution, propagators of vice and
hotbeds of disease. The provision made
for women in some of our jails is indescrib-
able. In many the separation of sexes is
only such in name, and in most of them the
women have no one to wait upon them
but men. The conditions cannot be writ
ten. Could the citizens of our State know
In small degree the conditions as they are
they would rise unitedly and demand a
change. Our jail system has not improved
in half a century, and as long as 1t con-
tInues unprogressive and nonreformatory,
how can We expect it otherwise than that
crime will increase?
at is sale that the only country where
crime has decreased is Great Britain and
some of her dependencies, where all the
prisons, large and small, have been placed
Under government control. In England, in
| the past twenty years, they have had q
| reduction of 1900 prisoners and an increase
| CT pupils attending the elementary schools
| OF 4,666. 900. In 1870 there were S577 Juvenile
| offenders in the jails Of England In 1860
| the number had decreased to 1,723."