This act provides that the Board of Parole could parole juveniles at any time after commitment. Author John Steinbeck publishes The Grapes of Wrath. The Wizard of Oz. In July, the Federal Probation Service is transferred from the Bureau of Prisons to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Responsibilities of probation officers with respect to parolees continue as before.
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
1942 World War II radically changes the make-up of the federal prison population. Substantial members of selective service violators and conscientious objectors are incarcerated. President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 8641 making it possible for the Attorney General to grant special paroles to prisoners who might be useful in the war effort. Extensive use is made of this authority with the Board of Parole playing an unofficial role for the Attorney General. 1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies.