'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1907-1908' [‎34r] (66/137)

1907-1908,]
PRISONS—CIVIL JUSTICE.
27 Chap. III.
„ _ . , PROTECTION.
6. Prisons- Civil and Criminal. ~~
For details see the Report of the Bombay Jail Department for 1907 and tables under
printed in Part VI of the Statistics of British India. 1 8
1. The total population of all classes of prisoners confined in the Prisons Subsidiary
Jails, Lock-ups and Civil Jails during the year 1907 was 8/,250 agunst 92,408, a decrease of
5 158. The daily average population was 8,854, a decrease of 503. Tnere was a marked
decline in the number of admissions to the two Bombay Prisons (due to the fact that the
House of Correction was not used as a receiving prison this year and to the fallino- in the
number of cases of beggingand road obstruction) and those to the Yer&vda Central Prison, the
Thana Special Prison, and the Dha- w^lr Prison. The prisons of Karfl. hi, Hyderabad and Sukkur
show a marked increase which is chiefly due to police activity in prosecuting bad characters unoer
Chapter VIH, Criminal Procedure Code. The number of juveniles decreased from U3 to 57.
Of these 31 received sentences not exceeding 1 month, while 11 had hem previously convicted!
The number of female convicts was 1,574 compared with 1,847 last year. The percentage of
prisoners to free population was (M45 as against 0-158 in 1906.
Population.
2. There was an increase of 268 in the number of transfers to other jails, mainlv due te Dis osai of
overcrowding in the Sind Prisons. Owing to sufficient means of transport not being available, prisoners. 0
only 40 male prisoners were sent to the Andamans, as against 85 last year. 22 prisoners were
released by order of Government for sickness, &c. Executions numbered 29, 4 more than la4
year. There were 4 escapes, as against 9 in 1906. All the prisoners were recaptured. The
number of persons sentenced to terms of imprisonment not exceeding 1 month decreased from
6,277 to 5,167.
3. The number of convicts recognised as habituals decreased from 2,739 to 1,665. This Habitual criminals,
decrease is however only apparent for the former figure wrongly included all reconvicted
prisoners.
4. Nine hundred and ten persons were identified by this means compared with 918 in the Finger impression
previous year. Bureau,
5. The number of jail offences has decreased, in proport onto the reduction in the total Punishments,
jail population, from 16.199 to .15,303. Of the 15,515 punishments awarded 79 per cent, were
minor and 21 per cent, major punishments. The number of corporal punishments increased
from »00 to 108, mainly on account of the Simli prisoners at Ahmedabad, who gave great
trouble.
6. Two thousand two hundred and forty prisone-s were released under the remission mark Mark system and
system, as compared with 2,581 in the past year. i,0d3 males and 11 females were employed convict officers,
as convict officers against 1,012 males and 10 females in 1006.
7. At the beginning of the year there were 49 male prisoners in the Civil Jails. 838 Civil prisoners,
males and 1 female were admitted: 842 males were released : thus leaving a balance of 45 males
and 1 female at the close of 1907.
8. The gross expend ture decreased from Rs. 7,71,659 to Rs. 7,28,672 and the cost per Finance,
head from Rs. 82-13-7 to Rs. 82-10-9. The decline is due partly to the smaller average
number confined, partly to more favourable rates for food-grains. The cash earnings of
convicts fell off remarkably from Rs. 1,19,164 to Rs. 4u,3 6. The chief cause of the
reduction was that large stocks f manuf ictured goods or taw materials remained on hand at
the end of the year. This accounted for a loss of Rs. 20,544 from the Yeiavda Printing Press,
and also for an apparent decline in the profits of the Sind Gang from Rs. 19.071 to Rs. 10,813.
The value of jail-made articles sold to Government decreased by Ks. 193 to Rs. 19,112. There
was a net profit of Rs. 3,125 from the quinine industry against a loss of Rs. 479 last year.
9. The ratio of deaths per mills fell f om 21*8 to 20*3. There was overcrowding vital statistics,
in the Common Prison, the Hyderabad Central Prisan and the District Prisons of
Dhdrw&r and Rajkot, but only the first two exh bit a ratio of mortality in excess of 3 T3 per
mille of average strength. There were ] 58 deaths, 6 less than last year. The number of
admissions to hospital, and the daily average number of sick, were 5,221 and 240-3 against 5,430
and 243*2 in 1906. There were 8 cases of Plague and 3 deaths and < f this number 7 cases and
2 deaths occurred in the Hou>e of Correction, Bombay. In subsidiary Jails and lock-ups the
flaily average strength, number of admiss ons to hosp tal and number of deaths decrea ed from
1,426, 819 and 40 to 1,315, 692 aad 22 respectively.
10. The two special classes for adults at Th^na and for juveniles at Dharwar, continued Miscellaneous,
to give satisfactory results.
7. Civil Justice.
For details see the Annual Report on Civil Justice and table Civil Justice printed in
Part VI of the Statistics of British India.
1. The total number of suits instituted was 125,560 against 132,478, the decrease Number and value
being appare; tly due, as last year, to the extension of the Deccao Agriculturists^ Relief Act of suitr..
to the whole Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. . Suits for money decreased considerably, miscellaneous suits slightly,
while all other kinds of suits show some increase. The percentage of suits for money or