the American Jewish Committee, its statistical department reports that it is not unreasonable to assume that conditions elsewhere are, generally speaking, not unlike those in the largest center of Jewish population.
The complete memorandum as prepared by the statistical department of the American Jewish Committee follows:
Penal Institutions No. of Years Total No. Prisoners No. Jewish Prisoners Per Cent
N. Y. State Prisons 1917-1926 46,433 4,818 10.38
Annual Average 4,643 482
N. Y. State Reformatories (Men) 1916-1925 8,547 929 10.87
Annual Average 855 93
N. Y. State Reformatories (Women) 1916-1925 2,631 273 10.38
Annual Average 263 27
N. Y. Institutions for Defective
Delinquents 1922-1925 588 64 10.89
Annual Average 147 16
County Jails 1916-1925 303,049 11,573 3.83
Annual Average 30,205 1,157
County Penitentiaries 1916-1925 89,216 1,057 1.18
Annual Average 8,922 106
N. Y. City Penal Institutions 1916-1925 590,402 113,789 19.27
Annual Average 59,040 11,379
Certain that he will not be able to substantiate his charges, the American Jewish Committee has demanded a retraction and an apology from Judge Cayton in a telegram, the text of which is given below, that was sent to him yesterday:
“We are astonished and extremely distressed to read your statement in the ‘Washington Evening Star’ of December 28, and other newspapers, on the alleged Jewish crime wave and enlarging upon several forms of your claim that the Jews have produced far more than their share of criminals of every class and description.
“In view of the seriousness of the charge and the grave injury with which it threatens the good name and standing of our people, we demand that you immediately produce facts and figures to substantiate your amazing assertions. Being unable, as we are certain you will be, to prove your contention, we will insist upon an immediate, complete and unequivocal retraction of every damaging part of your preposterous address and an apology to the community. We are awaiting your prompt reply.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
