The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-11-19
$50 Are Built in Period,
Largely i'll Blue Rib
bon Areas.
NEW YORK GROWS PURER
Census Records Fewer in Cells
in This and Other Popu-
lous States.
speciut Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Nov. 10.

The crime virus in the American
social organism is not losing its ma
lightly It is showing signs of marked
virility and is working more than
average devastation. The American
brood OF Jail birds, the habitues OF
penal institutions is increasing-pro-
llibition moral leadership and evan
gelicalism, notwithstanding
The evidence is beyond question.
Tho census bureau of the Department
: of Commerce is sketching in statis-
teal array the crime and penal chart
of the nation.
Complete tables are not yet avail
able and data from some of the States
are missing, but sufficient data are at
hand TO permit some very definite con-
illusions.
Exclusive OF five States-Pennsyl-
vania, Georgia, Texas. Oregon and Del
aware--for which figures have not yet
been issued. the number of men and
women in penal institutions in the
United States is 10000 as of July /,
compared with 93,742 on June l, 1917.
The five years have marked an increase
of 33,771, or approximately 81 per cent.
$50 New Jails in Five Years.
The increase In the number OF penal
institutions has kept pace with the in
crease in Jail habitues The number of
institutions in the forty-thrce States on
June l, 1917, was 2,6S3 as compared
with 3,242 on July 1, 1922. This takes
account only OF prisons that were in
hebited when the State Commissioners
made their returns to the Bureau OF the
Census. The Institutions without in
mates were few.
Here are some of the outstanding
facts demonstrated by the penal census
The increases In prisoners were al
most wholly in States with smaller pop
ulations. the increases being most
marked in the Southern States.
Practically all tho states having
marked increases were among those that
led the parade in the prohibition move
fnent.
states with large populations. New
York, New Jersey, Massachusetts,, Illi-
nois. Indiana ard Missouri, show de-
creases in their penal population.
The male is responsible for the pre-
ponderating share of crime. Percent
ages taken at random for various States
disclose that the female of the species
constitutes something like five per cent
OF the criminal class. The percentage
varies but slightly for the entire coun-
try and II holds in records reaching far
into the past.
The figures do not reveal the charac-
ter Of the crimes. Such an analysis
you'd require much more money than Is
available. They show. however, the pro-
portion of crime among the native born
and the foreign born population. The
percentage among foreign born has been
considerably higher.
bitter controversy has been in
progress between the Anti-Saloon League
and the Association Against the Pro-
hbltion Amendment, the drys contend
ing there has been a decrease In crime
and In the number OF prisoners in iais
and the vets denying this
Figures settle Debate.
IL fs no part OF the business OF the
Census Bureau TO assume judicial
role in this controversy. The figures,
however, speak for themselves.
Take five States, North Carolina,
Kansas. Michigan, South Carolina and
Mississippi. North Carolina adopted
State prohibition in 1905; Kansas went
dry as early as 1880 Michigan in 1889,
South Carolina IN 1915 and Mississippi
in 1908. For these States the argu-
unent OF an Increase In crime usually re-
sulting from the difficulty OF adjustment
IN transition period. frequently put
forward by the drys. hardly holds. They
had time to prepare for the coming OF
national prohibition. Here are the penal
population figures for these Ave States: