The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-09
PENAL REFORM.
Commissioners Appointed
BY Governor Werts Make
Their Final Report.
LEGISLATION PROPOSED
Indeterminate Sentence and Pro-.
stationary Systems Recon-
mended for Adoption in
New Jersey.
LEGISLATION PROPOSED

OF Morristown: Major a.. K. Pangborn, OF
Jersey City: Rev. George C. Maddox. of
trenton; Francis B.. Lee. Trenton, and
ex-senator p. p. Baker. of Cumberland
county. the commission appointed by Gov
ernor Werts to suggest reform in the
penal laws. met yesterday and finished
their labors by drafting two bills which
VIII be presented to the incoming Legis-
lature. The Commissioners report was
signed and sent at once to the Governor.
After months of very hard work inspect
ing prisons and reformatories, diving into
the penal laws of every State. from New
York to Illinois. and wading through the
science of penology generally. the Com
missioners have unanimously agreed on a
plan which is not only wise, humane,c COM
prehensive and just. but will effect a
great econony in the expenses of criminal
courts in the State. Better even than that,
If the admirable suggestions of the Com
missioners be embodied in the State laws.
there will be decrease of criminals and a
of sinners, and these alone
should recommend the deliberations of
these Commissioner to the serious atten-
ton of the law makers in Trenton as
worthy of instant adoption.
The Commissioners, as it was above
stated, have agreed to recommend two
bills to the Legislature for passage. The
first of these Provides in all cases of
conviction for felony in any courts of
the State. power is conferred on the
Court to impose indeterminate sentences
instead of a fixed known penalty, the
maximum limit of which sentence being
the same as that prescribed by law"
This vas explained by Major q. K.
Pangborn of the commission to a
News reporter in this way
Under the plan we suggest, a judge,
if he deems it proper, may sentence a
prisoner under the Indeterminate Sys-
tenn. and the prisoner doesn't know
whether he win stay in prison the full 10
years, if that be the limit, or two years.
This makes it possible for a convict to
secure his release in a briefer period than
his term actually prescribes."
This act further recommends the Gre
alton of a Board of Prison Parole Com
missioners. consisting of five mem
bers, to be appointed by the. Gov
ernor and confirmed by the Senate. The
idea is that this Board shall have exclus-
i've control of the release of a prisoner
from any institution who is sent there
under the Indeterminate Sentence Sys-
tenn.
The prisoner, however, can only be re-
leased on the recommendation of the
officials of the institution in which the
convict is confined. That is to say, the
Commissioners intend that the Parole
Commission Board will not release any
prisoner unless he is recommended by
the warden of the prison in which he is
confined. No application from any out
side source to the Parole Commissioners
will be of any avail. The warden's re-
o.
which can move the Board to release a
convict, whose release, therefore, de-
ponds entirely on his good behavior in
the prison and not on the paid services
of any lawyer whom he chooses to en-
gage to secure his freedom.
The third clause in the act recommends
the repeal of the Parole law now in
foree at the discretion Of the Board
Chancellor and six lay judges of the
CIV, OF ERRORS and Appeals;
horn earthly ntdsi un pointed out Ma afhe rang Is
nothing in this act which infringes on
the powers of the Board of Pardons.
to pardon a prisoner right out. All we
mean. by the power given to the Parole
Board of Commissioners is that they may
on the recommendation of a warden of
a State institution, hat a convict has by
good marks entitled himself to release on
9pia tIon, set tree III man, of course con.
this clemency he is liable to re-arrest and
forthwith to be sent back to serve out
the maximum term of his ~offenSe."
The second bill to be introduced to the
Legislature by the Commissioners is the
result OF research into the way and
means adopted in Massachusetts for the
reformation OF criminals. 1t proposes
for adoption here in New Jersey what is
called the "Probationary System" and is
substantially the same, minus a few modi-
fications introduced by the Commission
ers, as that at present in force in Boston.
to be applied to prisoners of lesser Of
lenses who are arraigned in Police Courts
Of the State in first and second class
has been tried in Massachusetts and con-
sists in permitting the police justices in
cases, at their discretion, to suspend a
the surveillance of q probation officer.
who will be appotnted by the presiding
will be to attend the Police Courts.
This system explained Major Pang-
born, enables the Court to place a pris-
instead Of being subiected t to the G inaicr
ton of a penalty. When so committed
the prisoner remain under the surveil-
diction of the Court for a prescribed
period. and he must report to the parole
or probationary officer at stated periods
m offense against the law or violates
the conditions of the Probationary Pa
role he can be forthwith arrested and
~ NAAS AAAa4 1A40AL olld 90
much more as the Court may ~infict."
Major Pangborn Illustrated a case
which would occur under the proposed
law if it became a law. Suppose, he
said man came before a police justice
for an assault, petit larceny or some
Ger could "a Your Honor know this
Then the Court, viii tell the prisoner,
you are free, but you must sign this
paper, containing the provisions of your
freedom, any of which if you break
you viii be brought back here and sent
to prison for the original term and
something more for breaking you pa
role.
About the working of this system and
the Indeterminate System as proposed in
the first act, Major Pangborn was very
enthusiastic. H said that he had, with
Messrs. Maddox and Lee, visited seven
reformatories where the former system
was in operation, and the results were
astonishing.
fences System in these places we nave
visited shows that seventy per cent. of
the prisoners sent to the institutions
and released on short terms for good
behavior are never heard of again. This
is retaining sinners and with a venge-
ance, but with humane treatment, and
it is the best argument l know Of for
its adoption here in New Jersey"
The report of the commission is in
the printers hands, and it will contain
a vast mass of facts interesting to those
interested in penology.
CITY NEWS NOTES.
There will be a meeting of the Board