This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ... COMMITMENTS TO PRISON. The crime of a country cannot be accurately ascertained by the number of commitments to prison, which greatly depends on the number of criminals and the activity and intelligence of the police. But it is by carefully studying prison returns that we arrive at a knowledge of the sort of ...
Read More
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ... COMMITMENTS TO PRISON. The crime of a country cannot be accurately ascertained by the number of commitments to prison, which greatly depends on the number of criminals and the activity and intelligence of the police. But it is by carefully studying prison returns that we arrive at a knowledge of the sort of people who are sent to prison, what kind of offences they have committed, and what influence the prison has exercised. The distress that prevailed in 1840 no doubt caused an increase of crime, and the commitments to prison in 1841 were numerous, --474 males and 405 females, including 50 children of twelve years of age and under. The commitment of males continued pretty uniform during the five years ending 1845, the average yearly number having been 482. But there was a decrease after 1841 of female commitments, the average yearly number having been 285, the average yearly number of juveniles having been 48. The commitments for theft were 303, --158 males and 145 females. The number who could not write was 332--175 males and 159 females. The daily average in prison was 98. During 1845 there was a decrease of male commitments, owing, the Governor said, to the abundance of labour caused by the railways then in construction in the neighbourhood of the town. There was also a small decrease of female commitments for theft, and a larger decrease of juveniles, owing, he said, to the measures energetically carried on in the Soup Kitchen in supplying the unemployed factory-workers with soup and bread, and to the Industrial Schools for reclaiming the juveniles found prowling about the streets. In 1847 there was a large increase of female commitments, owing to the high price of provisions and the want of employment, the number in 1846 having been 257, and.
Read Less