Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-01-22 | Page 11 | Our Prison Population

L Our Prison Population I 4 A oA o- o A preliminary bulletin of the department of ot commerce commerce com com- merce summarizes certain of ot th the more Important statistIcs obtained in the census of prisoners taken talen In 1923 The reported prison population of the United States on January 1 I 1923 num numbered red This number represents a decrease of 17 per cent from the prison population of on January 1 I 1910 The total number of ot reported prisoners represented 99 7 per general population In 1923 as against 1212 per In 1910 a decrease of 17 7 per cent Detailed Information was secured for tor only of the prisoners present January 1 1 1923 Hence the prison population statistics to be shown usually relate to this total There were reported commitments of prisoners prisoners prisoners pris pris- in the United States for the first six months month of 1923 On the basis of ot this total the number of commitments for the entire year 1923 has been estimated estimated esti esti- U- U mated as This represents a decrease of 25 5 per cent as compared with commitments re reported reported reported re- re ported for the year vear 1910 The number of commitments commitments commitments commit commit- ments per population showed a It still greater reater relative decrease from decrease from per In 1910 to per in 1923 a reduction of per cent The population of the te prisons and reformatories In n the United States on January 1 was 20 per cent greater in 1923 than in 1910 The population of the jaIls alls and workhouses on the contrary decreased more than third one-third 35 5 per cent from 1910 to 1923 There is s a still more mor decided contrast between the two classes of institutions as to the number of commitments which increased per cent for prisons and reformatories while they decreased 29 22 2 per cent for tor jails and workhouses During recent decades th the courts have been applyIng applying applying ap ap- ap- ap plying the suspended sentence or probation n. n to an anever anever anver ever ver increasing share of convicted offenders thus tending to I decrease the total number of ot person persons punished by by Furthermore this Increased In Increased in- in cre creased ed use of probation has tended to alter the the distribution of prisoners as to offense sex age etc since probation an is more frequently us used d for some come groups group of offenders than for lor others The number of ot commitments for homicide e or murder Increased from 2876 in 1910 to in 1923 Commitments for rape Increased from 1406 in 1910 to 2149 in 1923 The number of ot commitments for or robbery more than doubled increasing from 1657 in n 1910 to in 1923 There were Increases also In the number of commitments for burglary and forgery forgery but decreases for larceny and fraud In connection with the prison census data was coll collected concerning the general character and length of the sentences imposed on the reported prIsoners The total number of commitments during during dur- dur ing ng the year 1923 estimated In part was of these were under sentence of death deaU as compared compared compared com com- pared to committed under death dearn sentences in 1910 had been sentenced to Imprisonment only were sentenced to both hoth imprisonment and fine while were sentenced only to fine and were imprisoned for tor payment non-payment of ot fine