The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-04-13
The Influence of Alcohol
in the Production of Grim
inol. Pauper and Insane
Bv John L. Whitman. Supt. Bridewell

BY John L. Whitman, Supt. Bridewell
The Chicago House OF Correction
has daily average population of
about 2000 not less than 10000 conf
mitments arc made to the institution
in the course of year, making very
floating and large population. My
personal experience has extended be-
You'd the House of Correction for, |
was connected with the Cook county
Jail for 18 years in an official capac-
ity, and my observations extend over
that period as we'll as over 10 years
at the House of Correction.
While professional men have been
studying VIC, as laymen responsible
for the care of large population,
have been making observations and
adding to those observations the cx-
perience had years before. l feel per-
fectly justified in saying that fully rs
per cent of the inmates of the Chi
cago House of Correction are suffer
ing from alcoholism. Fifteen per
cent have passed through the various
stages of alcoholism and are broken
down physically and mentally to the
extent that they are useless members
of society. They can no longer prop
erly care for themselves. They are
the ones who are called the repeat
ers;" the facts are that they spend
approximately 500 out of the 365 days
Of the year in either the House of
Correction or some similar institu-
ticf1. The probability is that they
WI spend the balance of their days
either in the insane asylum or some
such institution as the House of Cor
rection.
Thirty per cent of the inmates are
in an advanced stage of alcoholism;
the doctors will tell you that the
chances of their being rehabilitated
are not very good, yet there is pos
sibility in some individual cases OF
making them, after scientific treat
ment, better citizens than when they
came in, but the effects of alcohol are
there and they are looked upon as the
criminal class, while the possibility is
that their only fault has been their
habit of drinking.
In this class arc not only those
who have had little opportunity jim
| life, but the ones who may be found
to be mentally deficient and some of
them come from the higher walks of
life. | have witnessed the downfall
of many men and recall the case of a
man who was Clerk of the Criminal
Court at one time and presided with
the Judge over the sessions of the
court Gradually he drifted into the
IS per cent, and is there now just
because of the use of strong drink.
Strikes Down the Strong
I have in mind two cases which
came from even higher walks in life
One was a physician who had aspira-
tions in other lines as we'll, who was
connected with the scientific service
of the country and was, at one time
United States Consul, but dropped
into the Is per cent. Men of proni-
nence in this city that / have known
for many years have not as yet
! reached the Is per cent, but have
made desperate struggle to take adj
vantage of whatever has been offered
in the way of treatment to stem the
tide of degradation.
The reason we, as laymen who are
responsible for the management of
such institutions, are so interested is
that the remaining group of rs per
cent are the recruits and we are anx-
ious to solve the many problems that
are presented to the managers OF Pc
nal institutions to aid in bringing to
better citizenship the 10000 that
are committed every year, but we
realize that until the medical profess
sion comes to the rescue and presents
plans whereby these people can be
better treated, and plan that is bet
ter than any prison, this cannot be
accomplished. These problems can
not be solved until the problems of
alcoholism are solved. The prison is
not the proper place for those suf-
fering from alcoholism or physical
disability. We look to the medical
profession TO help US work out this
problem, and | am glad an oppor-
tunity was presented for discussion
of this subject under these auspices.