72 Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters. 
The experience of the different states which have 
tried the reformatory system is ample warrant for its 
adoption in the State of Iowa. It has practically re- 
formed three-fourths of the persons subjected to it. No 
such claim can be put forward by any system that under- 
takes to deter criminals from further offenses. Even on 
that low ground, it is more successful than a system that 
places before itself that single object. No advocate of a 
prison system simply to protect society can object to the 
reformatory system which prevents three-fourths of the 
persons subjected to it from returning to a criminal 
career. Granted the success of the system, the only 
objection can be made on the basis of expense. 
What then will be the probable expense and how 
will it compare with the present expenditure in the 
State? The cost of the land and buildings for the Massa- 
chusetts Reformatory for Men has been $1,319,000. It 
has a capacity for over 1,000 men. The net cost for the 
year ending September 30, 1902, was $196,863.70. The 
average number of prisoners during the same year was 
845, making the annual cost per capita $230.52. The per 
capita cost for the Pennsylvania Reformatory for 1896 
was $271.27; for 1897 $246.08. The per capita cost for 
the penal institutions of Iowa has ranged from $281.54 
to $459.93 for the biennial periods ending in 1891, 1893, 
1895, 1897, 1899 and 1901. The average per capita cost 
at Anamosa for these two year periods has been $441.39, 
for Fort Madison, $319.05. The average annual cost per 
capita would then be $220.63 for Anamosa and $159.53 
for Fort Madison. This cost to be compared with $230.52 
at the Massachusetts Reformatory, and $271.27 at the 
Pennsylvania Reformatory. 
Furthermore, it should be borne in mind that the 
experience at Elmira has shown that the average period 
in prison of paroled men is less than two years although 
their maximum sentence averaged more than twice that 
time. The average of sentence for the 420 men received 
at Anamosa during the two years ending in 1901 is given 
by the warden as two years and nine months. Of the 853 
men received during the two years at Fort Madison and 
Anamosa 184 were serving a second or more sentence. 
