The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-25

The Bureau of Census has just pub
1ished a special report on prisoners
and Juvenile delinquents in lnsutu-
tons. The investigation was planned
by DR.. Roland +. Falkner. formerly
expert special agent who is response
Bile for the methods pursued and the
scope of the inquiry. Upon his reslS-
nation from the service the work was
carried on under the direction of John
KOren, expert special agent.
In this report two classes or status
tics are presented. The first class
deals with the prisoners and juvenile
delinquents who were confined in in
situations on June 80. 1904, and the
second with those who were COM
mitted during the year 1904. The
presentation of figures for the com
mitments during the year is marked
improvement over the former meth
DDS OF former censuses, when status
tics We're given only for the persons
in institutions on a fixed date.
Defective Data.
As many persons serve long SEN
+ences, the institutional population on
d given day includes many committed
in former years and some even who
have appeared in former censuses-
Statistics of this class, therefore, are
not particularly accurate as a reflec-
tion of existing conditions, since they
are partly determined by the cOndi-
tions of former years, but may be re-
garded as a statistical measure of
the use that is being made of insti-
tutions for criminals and as fairly
accurate indication of the classes of
the population from which the Grim
inals are drawn. The figures for the
prisoners enumerated on June so,
1904, are of value, however, since they
furnish a basis for comparisons with
previous censuses.
61,772 Behind the Bars.
Exclusive of the juvenile delin-
quents in special institutions for that
class, and exclusive of persons i'm
prisoned for the nOn-payment of fines,
SITE sane persons at least i years
of age were serving sentences in
civil prisons on June so. 1904. One
of every 100000 persons in the es-
Gmated population of that date 1.006
were prisoners. On June l, 1890, the
total number of prisoners was only
$500. but the number of each ,000,-
600 of the population was 1867
The fact that the ratio of prisoners
to population has decreased should
not be regarded, however, as indicat-
ing a diminished tendency toward
crime. The fOurtcen-year period be-
tween the CenSuses has been marked
by the establishment of probation and
parole systems. by a movement apa'nst
the use of short prison sentences for
minor OffenSeS, and by the intrOduc-
ton of other forms Of leniency. AS
result many minor offenders who
would have been sent to prison in
1890 escaped that penalty in the later
years of the period, and thus the ra-
ito OF prisoners 10 population has de-
creased. Whether crime has also de-
creased cannot be determined from
the figures.
The Center Sex.
Possibly the greater leniency in
the present treatment of the criminal
affects the female offenders more
than the male, for the proportion of
women among prisoners has constant
~ decreased In 1880 women formed
S-5 per cent. and in 1894. SIS per
cent. The decrease between 1890 and
1904 is common to all sections of the
country.
Colored persons We're more COM
mon among the prisoners on June 80.
1904, than they were on June I, 1890.
In 1904 the percentage of cOlored was
B2.6. wnlle in 1890 it was 30.4. This
Increase in the proportion of colored
prisoners Is shown by all the geo
graphic divisions of the country EXCEPT
the South Atlantic and the Western
1t was particularly notable in the
North Central states, where 142 per
cent of the prisoners enumerated in
1890 were cOlOred as cOntrasted with
EOS per cent. in 1904
Foreigners Not Increasing.
The fOreign-born whites. unlike lie
colored. appear to he OF decreasing i'm
portance among prisoners. In 1890
the immigrant class formed 2S.3 per
cent, OF all white prisoners of known
nativity, but by 1904 this percentage
had decreased to 23-T- The native
whites, on the other hand, show an