The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-07-01
DRY EFFECT0NCR|ME
Statistics Gathered From
Cities Do Vary
OHIO SHOWS DECREASE
In Indiana Number Prison In
mates Falling of; Result In
Other States

Milwaukee, June 29.-Evidence has
been found which seems to indicate
that prohibition, even with the diff
ftculty Of perfect enforcement, seems
to have decided effect upon criminal
ty, Professor ]. L. Gillin, of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin told the National
Conference of Social Work at it's SEES
sion here this morning.
"The study Of the situation in
Grand Rapids, Mich" Professor Gillin
stated, showed that during the first
year OF prohibition there, there was
reduction of "a per cent ip court
cases and If as per cent. the Second
year. 1t is well known fact that
the excessive use of alcohol is con-
nected with certain crimes more di-
rectly than with others. Crimes of
violence are more Influenced than
crimes of cunning
DIR. Elwood told us that alcoholic
psychosis had decreased in the New
York state hospital since prohibition
went into effect. The percentage of
first admissions decreased from So
percent. to four percent. in 1919.
In Indiana, in 1920, the average
daily number in the state prison was
only 909 as compared with 1909 in
1917. In the reformatory the number
had decreased from 1876 in 1917 to
709 in 1920: in the woman's prison
from IS to IS. The number of women
miscemeanants in the correctional
department of the women's prison
had decreased from Ill to 81; the
mdsd smeanants of the state farms
had decreased from 693 to 293. There
clt -, h~
in the boys school, and a slight in
crease in the number in the girls
school for those years. The COM
mttments to the state farm dropped
from 1922 in 1916 to 993 in 1920; to
the Correctional department of the
woman's prison from 342 to 81; the
number sentenced to jails from 1896
"a study reported by Mrs. Tyson
In Pennsylvania, shows the number of
non support cases in Pittsburgh
dropped from 1855 in 1919 to 736 in
1920. The jail population of the state
was decreased by half during last
year. In spite of the increase In arrests
and commitments due to this enforce
ment OF the prohibitory law which
tends to increase the number of crimes
and prisoners, In Ohio the secretary
Of the board of charities writes me
that he is convinced that prohibi-
ton has resulted thus, far In a de-
crease of at least twenty per cent In
petty and major offenses which were
crimes prior to the enactment of the
prohibition law.
Illinois in ths three penal institu-
tons of Joliet, Chester, and Pontiac,
the number of inmates showed a de-
cided increase from 1918 to 1917, then
a decrease in 1918 and 1919. With
another increase In 120, attributed by
the fiscal supervisor of the depart
ment of Public Welfare to the return
OF paroled men to the institutions
and more rigid enforcement of the
law in the cities where the news
papers have been devoting consider.
able space to the crime wave
Whether prohibition accounts for
the difference of course, is still an
open question. That it has had some
influence is less doubtful. In the face
of these facts 1t Is not too much to
say that there is close negative
correlation between the enactment
of the prohibition law ad the commit
ments 10 prison, reformatory anc