Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-17
JAIL COMMITMENTS
HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF
secretary Mastin Complies Criminal
Statistics for Month OF
November.
WHAT PROHIBITION HAS DONE
Would Watch Express Records to
Sec That Former Prisoners DO Not
OBTAIN IntoNicant>-IIXpcct Back
ward Swing Of Pendulum.

Complete repo5ts from every county
ana city in Virginia except Iiopcwcll.
q digest Of which was made public
yesterday by Secretary J. r. Mastim. OF
Ethc state Board Of Charities and cor
.r"ctons. show that during the month
or November--the first month Of the
dry regime commitments to county
ana city iails numbered l.JS0 as com.
pared with 3,l3i commitments during
wet October, - decrease Of l.551 or
.ta.5 PR cent.
- On the face Of these figures il an
''ears tina, Statewide prohibition has
practically cut in half the drunk
!aii population. The comparison be-
tween November and October accord
ing 10 DIR. Mas'in, is a fair one because
inc records Of the department SHOW
that tho two months arc ordinarily on
par as regards jail commitments. No
comparison has been made by the de-
partincni between November, 1916. and
ihc same month last year.
DECREASE IN CITIES
TWICE: THAT or COT MITES
The assumption that the reduction
III III" number Of commitments bears
a direct relationship to tn" uithdra wal
Of Liquor from the people. is strength
cned by study Of the returns from
the cities and counties. During Octo-
her. III 40 persons were committed To
~ ivy JJllS az tb0lttl cd win go
IN November, AN absolute decrease OF
l.23J or COS per cent. To tho county
jails were committed IN October, aat
persons "a compared with 135 In No
Ncmber An absolute decrease OF go, or
only &c per cent. From these compari-
sons 1t appears that the decrease III
urhan commitments was more than
twice an great proportionatcly as the
decrease in rural commitments. cir
curl2tancc thai ~ explained by the
1 s...
changes III the cities where The saloon
Was the rule. than in the counties where
the saloon was the exception.
NOT CRIMINALS. hut
DISEASED. SAYS MASTIN
The figures seem 10 indicate" said
Or. Mastin yesterday. that during the
month before prohibition went into cf-
feet. thcr" were in Jail 1854 persons
who We're not criminals. b., were dis.
"ased through lack Of self-control.
Tiis means that the state has BEEN
scndiny the sick 10 Jail as criminals
when hospital was what they
needed u means also that If the state
had treated these upfor,unatcs fairly.
they would never have gone to Jail.
thc'r homes wouid not have been over
Swallowed. aud their families would not
have been disgraccdI
I'm prohibiting the sale Of intoxi-
Giants in Virginia the state has taken
might otherwise now hc in jail. Pro-
hbiti"r seems to have accomplished
what his own vii, power could not u"
FOR tho individual !, has thus far
been substitute for inhibition But.
4 in October there were 1854 diseased
persons who crav"d alcohol and who.
when 'hey Corll -"t 81 easily. became
Hwlcss url"r -" influences, then.
should Interstate shipments Of iutoNi-
eating liquors become NOR" frequent.
many OF this number arc apt 10 nc
subjected 10 t"mp'ation again. aud
there will hr then a corresponding in
crease In tho ian pOnulation.
ENrECTs BACKWARD
SWING or PENDULUM
~, will then be the duty OF the
state "a ascertain II the names Of
moss are found on the records OF the
cypress rompanicS or other common
carriers. and ~ not. 30 ascertain where
such prisoners Obtained their inioyi-
cants and effect prosecution where
possible.
AS outined i" the foregoing. a
backward swing ~ the pendulum IS to
10 expected. bu' lust how much tn"
all nopula tion Will bc affected is hard
ia saw However. as time goes on, an
onuiltbrium Will Il. established. and
among tho changes looked for is
lenrthcninC Of tho iail sentences. In
Study ~ Tho iail population made
~ the state Board Of Charities and
Corrections in 1915. the average SEN
iencc was found 10 he hftvfour DAYS.
As drinks are seldom sentenced for
long te'ms, and as in tho majority OF
cases, tho usual sentence is ten days,
The average sentence Will be- without
doubt longer IN proportion to the de-
crease OF tho drunk population OF the