The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-20
NEED MORE ROOM
State Penal and Charitable In
stitutiOns Are Overcr0wded.
Releases Made to Provide for
Dangerous Cases.
TOTAL OF $500 RELEASED
Population at Kansas Peniten-
tiary Increases 41.6 Per Cent.
Malcomb Gray Denies That
Crime Wave Exists in State.

State penal and charitable institu
tions are overcrowded. and $500 pa
tients from state, hospitals have been
released by the state board of admin
istration subject to return. The re-
leases were made in order that room
could be provided for more violent
and dangerous cases. All state penal
institutions are crowded beyond ca
pacity and show big increases in pop
ulation in the last two years. There
are 1.247 inmates of state prisons now
on parole.
Malcolm Gray, secretary of the
state board of administration. today
made public the population figures
from state institutions. He denied
in spite of the big jump in prison
populations. He attributed the stu
alton to a more rigid enforcement of
the states criminal laws.
Compelled to Sleep on Floor.
In many OF the state institutions in
mates are now compelled to sleep on
floors. Quarters are over taxed. Leg
islative appropriations, tho. were not
sufficient to permit construction of
new building to meet growth of the
hospitals and prison. Because of the
situation now facing the state, MEM
berS of the state board have paroled
more than $500 inmates of the hos
pIldlS III OTQeT 10 care LOT more VlO-
| lent or dangerous cases. All of these
patients are paroled as not cured and
subject to recall. Adding the prison
paroles of 1,247, the parole list
| reaches a total of 4,747.
Extent of the parole record is
shown in the comparison with institu-
tional records. Present capacity of
the hospitals and prisons is given by
Secretary Gray at 6,142. The present
population of these institutions is
| 6.602.
Increase at Penitentiary.
Population of the Kansas state pen
| itentiary has jumped 41.6 per cent in
the last two years. according to Sec
retary Gray's report. In 1919 the
penitentiary record showed 602 in
mates. 1t climbed to 71S in 1920 and
at the present time is S51. The peni-
/ tentiars has q capacity of 700. There
are are at Ftp, present sen ass persons unaer pa.
The startling feature In the Gray
report is the showing of increased
crime among the young men. Rec
ords from the state reformatory al
Hutchinson show a Jump of slightly
more than 100 per cent in prison
population in the last two years
The state reformatory, with a ca.
pacity of 3S8 inmates, now has 467
steady boarders in addition to 22e
young men who are at liberty under
4
mates totalled 222. Last year the
record was 238.
I The Boys Industrial school at To.
/ peka has 303 inmates, as against 23i
in 1919 and 245 in 1920. Its capacity
is $50. The schools parole record i.
i the big feature of it's report, tho. 1
shows 728 boys under parole.
Decrease at Industrial Farm.
I Returns from the state industria
farm for women show a slight de
! crease. The farm has a capacity o.
$50. In 1919, there were 153 inmate
of the institution for diseased women
In 1920, the population dropped to 80
1t is now 134.
4 The state Industrial school 70
} girls has a population of 1873 and ;
! capacity of $50. The record show
} 80 on parole. No figures are givel
| concerning 191s-20 populations.
Topeka state hospital, with a ca
pacfty of 1,625. now has /. 1.617 inmates
as against 1857 in 1920. and 1,548 il
1919.
Crowded at Osawatomie.
Osawatomie state hospital is over
: crowded. 1t has a capacity of 1856
, and a population at present of 1878
In 1920. there were 1895 inmates o
: the Osawatomie hospital and 1881 il
1919.
Parsons hospital has SAT inmate
and a capacity of 5S3. There wef
$50 patients in the institution last yea
and 533 two years ago.
The new Larned state hospital ha
t164 patients and a total capacity c
liza.
+ The state tuberculosis sanatorium a
? Norton has beds for 90 patients and
. patient for each bed-45 men and A
{ women.
! The state orphans home at Atchl
son cares for 1873 children. Quarter
I. are provided for a total of 216.
The state training school has a tot;
! population of 695 and a capacity {
1850.
Appeal to Probate Judges.
Appeals have been sent to probat
judges by the state board asking ths
y lco-operation be given in meeting tn
lpresent situation. They are asked I
. aid in providing relief by sending {
I many senile and feeble minded case
as possible to county farms. In tn
, manner, board members believe. tn
r state will be able to receive and car
;. for violent and unmanageable patien
in state institutions.