What has been accomplished with a thousand girls committed to her
institution is shown in the Survey for Feb. 18, 1911, by Katherine B.
Davis, superintendent of the New York State Reformatory for women,
situated at Bedford. Miss Davis prefaces her article with the following
statement: “Now, there is nothing quite so difficult to measure in
figures as change in character. We can say how many have kept their
parole; how many we know have been re-arrested; of how many we know
the whereabouts and believe them to be doing well; but the changes
in character, the establishment of higher ideals, the doing of more
efficient work as a result of the training received, these things can
never be measured.” This inability to measure results is regarded by
Miss Davis as the weak point in our reformatory system.
The first of the 1,000 commitments dealt with by Miss Davis was
received at Bedford May 11, 1901; the last November 26, 1909. The
percentage of foreign born is 29.1, of whites born in the United States
52.7, and of colored born in the United States 18.2. Twenty-two and
one-tenth per cent. were committed for misdemeanors, 26.4 per cent. for
felonies, and 51.5 per cent. for other offences, such as being a common
prostitute, habitual drunkenness, etc.
So much for the nature of the thousand cases. In November, 1910, the
disposition which had been made of these cases was as follows:
Paroled 668
Still in institution 111
Escaped 3
Died in institution 12
Transferred 47
Deported 16
Served entire term 80