The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-04-30

VIV UUOTE Il In
CRIMIN0L0Cy
Judge Mackenzie C|eIand Writes a Strong
Article in Which he Gives his 0bseNa
tions of Criminal Conditions and
What Creates them.
SUSPENDED SENTENCE
The Municipal Court of Chicago
began it's existence December 3rd
1906. Besides transacting civil
business, it is the trial court of all
misdemeanors as we'll as for all vio-
lations of city ordinances. The
Maxwell Street criminal branch
where | presided for thirteen months
is on the west side, about mile
from the city hall, in what is known
as the Ghetto district. This district
not more than a mile square-bas
between two and three hundred
thousand inhabitants, of thirty diff
ferent nationalities. many Of them
from the poorest laboring class. In
one schoo, district near the court,
three and one-half blocks long and
two blocks wide, there are fourteen
hundred public school children, be-
sides hundreds who attend parochlal
schools, and many who attend none.
1t is the Maxwell street district
of which leading Chicago news
paper, afterward quoted in Nc
Clure's Magazine, said: In this
territory murderers, robbers, and
thieves of the worst kind are born,
reared. and grown to maturity in
numbers which exceed the record of
any similar district anywhere on the
face of the globe; murders by the
score, shooting and stabbing affrays
by the hundred. assaults. burglaries,
and robberies by the thousand-such
is the crime record each year for
this fostering place of evil which
lies a scant mile from the heart of
Chicago"
Within a few days from my going
into this court, l was confronted
with the problem of what to do with
vlolators of the city laws who had
others dependent upon them for
support. To impose a fine upon
such persons would. if the fine were
paid, ordinarily deprive the family
of some of the necessaries of life.
On the other hand, if the fine were
not paid and the offender were COM
mitted to the House of Correction
to work it out at the rate of fifty
cents a day, not only would the
family be deprived of their means
of support during his imprisonment,
but the defendant, when released.
would be without employment or
the ability then TO provide for his
family. l observed that frequently
women whose husbands had been
fined for beating them would go out
and borrow money with which to
pay the fine.
1t was very apparent that such
proceedings operated most harshly
upon the poor. A person able to
pay a fine had comparatively little
to fear if he violated the city laws,
while inability 10 pay meant the loss
of liberty twentv-four hours for
each fifty cents of the fine and costs,
which was nothing more or less than
Imprisonment for debt.
Homes of the ''Repeaters'
Persons were often brought before
me who had been imprisoned many
times and who were no better but
obviously much worse as result of
such treatment. 1 found upon in
vestigation that the city contained
very large number of persons. who
were known as repeaters," and
that the time of the police and the
courts was much occupied in re-
arresting and recommitting them to
the House of Correction. Upon ex-
amining the records of this insritu-
ton, I found that of the nine thou
sand persons imprisoned the previous
year because of their inability to pay
the fines imposed, nearly one-half
had been there from two to two
hundred and one times each. | was
therefore convinced that this method
of correction" was not only harsh
and unjust to the families of such
persons, but was of no value as
corrective to the defendants them
selves.
Startled by such disclosures, [
resolved to study conditions at close
range and went into the homes of
some of these offenders against the
law. taking with me Interpreters. for