New-York tribune., 1901-01-14
INCREASE IN DRUNKENNESS.
MORE THAN A THIRD OF COMMITMENTS
LAST YEAR DUE TO INToXICATIoN.

Albany, Jan. 13-According to the annual report
OF the State Commission of Prisons. drunkenness
throughout the State has increased 10 an alarming
extent During the year ending October last there
were 2,s59 commitments the penitentiaries, jas
and workhouses of the State for intoxcation. More
than one-third of all the commitments jails and
warehouses, and nearly one-third the commit
ments to the penitentiaries, for this offence.
This makes no account OF many thousand other
convictions for the offence punished by fine,
which was paid before commitment. Adding the
probable number Of these to the foregoing gives the
astonishing fact that nearly if quite, one-half
of the convictions of this State in the last year
were for intoxication. Under the head of Treat
ment of Drunkenness" the report says:
Whether the punishment is by fine or imprison-
d9ent it usually falls more heavily upon the family
man man Of y. means ans suffers no inconvenience In the
goes to prison his family is nnntshed ra4bar 5 me bsn
himself. we recommend that. in the case Of first
oender paroed Habituai p Is anu s
treated bT te sa af o he onTed anG thon be
ished. The Probation law in operation since 1891
in that State and source OF great economy land
nesota) is commended Under IN this IaW. Judges of
criminal courts authorized to appoint probation
The judge has the discretion to suspend Sentence
f6e % ndrs de S OF nth this class and put the offender in
period OF probation; At the end of this period the
and presents report If favorable. the offender is
discharged: if adverse. sentence is imposed
The total prison population Of the State is 1o761
The State prisons contain $3.50 and the penitenti-
aries 2.1S convfcts. The remainder of the popula-
ton is in the reformatories, jails and warehouses
The report states that If the population Of the
prisons had kept pace with the increased popula-
ton of the State during this there would have
been now approximately 1900 inmates in our
prisons instead of the 10.761 The cost OF arrest
Ing. convicting and maintaining these additional
AooO prisoners would be approximately SS00.O00 an
nually The report shows that during the year
1ails and warehouses; for intoxication.
The report maintains that Il is essential to the
success OF the present industrial plan that there
should be no industries exempted by the Legs-
iature No one industry should be favored at the
expense OF other industries. The Commission
makes the following other recommendations:
The establishment Of a State reformatory for
male rnisdemeanants: the enactment of probation
ary law for drunkenness and other petty offences,
modelled on the lines of the Massachusetts law;
me enactment OF a law aboshing the State prison
districts and requiring convicts to be sentenced
me nearest State prison subject to transfer by the
superintendent Of Prisons, provided by
law; an appropriation to repair rebuild the
tension of the domestic building, the engine and
boiler house, and the manual training building of
the Elmira Reformatory, as to render them
safe Tor occupancy; the erection of a separate
bulldlng for the confinement and execution of
demned men: the employment OF convicts in road
building In the Palisades Park; appropriations
Tor new hreproof roof of the principal cell build
ing, for a central power house and for rebuilding
a part of the prison wall at Sing Sing Prison and
Tor a new storehouse at Auburn.