Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-24
PRISONERS
INDIANA JAILS
AT LOW MARK
Only 456 Persons Locked Up on
Sept. 30, 1919, Says Chari-
ties Board.
DRY LAW IS CREDITED

The population Of jails in Indiana Is
the smallest in the twenty years the state
board of charities has been gathering
jail statistics, according to a report
made public by the board today. Pro-
hibition is given as the principal reason
for the decrease.
There were only 456 inmates of jails
in Indiana on Sept. 80, 1919, according to
the report. On the same day of 1913
there were $40 prisoners. For twelve
years Immediately preceding 1918 the
population never was below 1000 and IN
1914 1t reached 1,459.
"Of the 456 now present, 402 are men
and boys, fftyfour are women and girls"
the report says. "Of the men and boys,
222 are awaiting trial, ninety eight are
serving sentences, thirty-twO are insane
held for safe-keeping, fifty are held for
various other reasons.
'Of the hfty-four women and girls,
fifteen are awaiting trial, thirteen are
serving sentences, seventeen are insane
and nine are held for various other rea-
sons. Counting both males and females,
237 are awaiting trial, Ill are serving
sentence, forty-nine are insane and fifty
nine are held for miscellaneous reasons.
'Thirty-four jails were empty Sept. 80,
1919. Six others would have been empty
but for the presence Of insane persons
or Of convicted law brea kers who ought
to have been in the state institutions
Sixteen jails had but one inmate, seven
had two inmates each. seven had three
each, four had four each. There were
thirteen which had from five to ten
each, and eleven which had more than
ten. These eleven were as follows: Hen
ry and Howard counties, each, II La
porte, Is; Madison, IA; st. Joseph, 16;
Wayne, IS; Allen, %; Vigo, q; Wander
burg, %; Lake, 90. and Marion. 81. These
eleven counties, together had 3O1 Jail
inma tes-two- thirds of the number in the
entire state.
The whole number of persons admitted
to the jails during the year which ended
Sept. 80, 1919, was q ,476-19, AGO men and
boys, 2,016 women and girls. OF this
number, 3,J55 served sentence. 1855 were
insane, held for safe keeping, and sos
were tramps. The remaining 16,O59 in
cludes those who were discharged after
trial or who had been held as wit
nesses, or who were convicted and sent
to one of the state penal or correctional
Institutions"
The number Of prisoners at the state
farm is half that of previous years, ac-
eording to the report. On Sept 80 Of
last year it was only 314, as compared
with 636 in 1917. In the correctional de-
partment of the wOman's prison a like
reduction in the number Of prisoners is
noted
There were in the jaiIs during the
year 1915 tramps and Migrants and 1888
persons committed for drunkenness,
total of 5.514 for these two classes" the
report continues. They have always COM
posed a large proportion of. jail inmates,
but the percentage is decreasing. Usually
close to 90 per cent. it fell last year to
34.5 per cent. this year to 25.6 per cent.
THE number Of insane cared for IN
the jails from year to year remains about
the same. There were 1,O56 during the
fiscal year just closed, and $751;. 1922, $50
and 920 respectively, during each Of the
four preceding years. While the number
present any one day is never large, as
numbers go. 1t is a disgrace to the state
that an insane person should ever be 50
confined"