The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-21
PENS ARE LOSING
Their POPULATION
Statistics Of Sixteen Prisons
Show a Decrease of
Inhabitants
FACT PERPLEXES
REFORM EXPERTS

Some Attribute Condition Sole to High
Wages and Short Labor supply
Others Insist Prohibition Alone Is Re
spOnsibIe.
CHICAGO. March 2l.-Decrease in the
total population of state prisons in the
middle and southwestern states Is at
tributed in par To prohibition by a mum
Der of state prison authorities. Other
reasons noted included nigh wages and
shortage of labor, the indeterminate
sentence and the merit system. The
falling off OF 10 states, as noted in re
ports collected here by The Associated
Press, amounted on December /. 1920,
TO nearly one-eighth of the total on
December /, 1914.
In commenting on the decrease in
states where it occurred, more prison
officials named prohibition than any
other single reason. Several, citing in
dustrial conditions, gave this cause
greater weight than prohibition.
From one of the states that reported
an increase. Ohio, the warden of the
state penitentiary reported he did not
believe that prohibition had DECREASED
, crime
The decrease in prisoners was not I'm
form, but took place in nine states,
where the total decrease wiped out an
increase in six states and showed a net
decrease for the entire sixteen, one re-
manning stationary. New features in
the character of crime and criminals
were noted by several state officials.
! Credits Prohibition.
/ I believe that there has been a gem
| eTal decrease in the prison population
/ OF the country" said Henry Town,
warden OF the Wisconsin state prison
at Naupun. This can be attributed in
part TO the restricted sale of intoXl-
eating liquor and also to the fact that
/ labor has been scarce and high wages
have been paid.
/ we do not get as many petit offend
! crs as formerly, but the crimes com
! mltted are of a much more serious ma
/ ture. | believe it is also true that q
great many of these serious crimes are
| being committed and the offenders are
not being caught. | think you can sum
up the situation by saying that petit
crime has decreased and more serious
/ form of crime has taken its place and
greatly increased and that the percent
age OF arrests for the more serious
crimes j. much less than the arrests
| formerly for petit crimes
! Prohibition was said by Downer Null
len, secretary of the Minnesota state
board of control, to be one of the 'prin-
icipal reasons for the decrease in the
number of inmates in the Minnesota
kett, secretary of the Arkansas peni-
ltentlary commission, gave the passage
and enforcement of prohibition laws
Icredit for the decrease there in the
| number of state eonvicts.
| Officials of the Kent aeky prisons,
/ ,xbar no a. JrD,, II ~ Of al
We're noted, said that the 2ec.ine there
was due in LARGE part to the unprece-
denied period of employment and high
wages, probably more than to prohibit
| ton They said they did not expect
their prison population to stay at it's
| low point Iona.
| Says ProhibitOrs Are Joking.
| In Ohio. Warden Thomas said that
the main reason why the state peniten
tiaYy population had not decreased I'M
the last few years was the indetermi
nute sentence. It holds prisoners longer
he said. Another reason given by
Warden Thomas was that Ohio police
were more active than those in some
other states and We're bringing in more
criminals
"The reformer claims it is prohibition
that reduces our prison population.
wrote j. II. Jordan, chief clerk. criminal
record department, Texas State Peni- !
tentiary. ..Ihev also claim that since
prohibition has been in effect. crime has
decreased GS per cent OF course they |
do not expect any one that is informed
to believe them. but deserves Their pur |
rose to fool the peorie part of the
tire
In Missouri William r. Painter
chairman of the state prison board. said |
that prohibition was one cause of the
decrease in the number of prisoners
and that crime had diminished notice
ahly alone with prohibition MIR, |
Painter said that the merit system, un-
der which prisoners are given a charce
10 reduce their sentences bv good be |
havior had operated likewise to cut
down the state prison population.