The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-11
THE PROBATION SYSTEM.
An Open Lettr 10 the Members OF the
General Ass .mbly, No. ?.


variety OF methods have been employed.
One Of the most modern is the probation
system for beginners in crime.
In the central court In Boston, Massa-
ohuYtts. there is ons chief ana six assist
ant probation officers. One of thess as
sistants Is woman. Their duty is to
VISIT weekly each person in their oharge.
and report once month 10 the cnieI In
writing the conduct of each Irobationer
In this state we have no such system.
bill was introduced at the last session
OF the Assembly providing Tor fuob
system anu referred to IA committee.
lhe process in Massachuset Is as
follows: "All arrests for the tweGty-
four hours ending nt : n. III. are trans
ftrred TO the city prison. The probation
officer visits the prison daily at n. IN,
talks with each prisoner, ascertaining the
facts OF his connection with the offence
charged, bis address, his former record,
If any, and any information OF tenent TO
the prisoner, keeping In mind the good
Of the commonwealth. lhe rect ros OF
drunkenness are looked over, former az
rests recorded and given To the presiding
Judge for reference when the person is
called. Tho assistant probation officer,
in the cases Of drunkenness visits the
homes each morning, reporting TO the
judge when the prisoner Is called facts
ssceItained at the homes IL the prisoner
provides for his family and has steady
work. although adittsd to drink, having
boen previously arrested, the fact that the
family is dependent upon him for sup
port IL taken into consideration by the
judge, and the prisoner Is usallY placed
on probation. Ii the person persists in
drinking ne is arrestsd Ly the probation
officer aud surrendered to the count for
sentence. The probation officer through
al nj n wi
comes familiar with their faces and few
old offenders pa IS through the courts
without b,ipg reeOgl ized, although
giving different names. The term of
Ir0bation 10 usually two months, the
probatiorer reporting in person cnce each
month. III the report is unsatisfactory 10
the probation officer, tho person not
complying with the terms Of his prota-
tion. he is surronGered 10 tie court anu
sentenced. In the Superior Court the
persons are placed on probation for cne
year. they reporting In p rsoD on,e each
month. Extracts from letter from
Chief Pr, bation Officer Richard krefe
OF Boston.
The system has bean on trial lorg
enough to make record of resGl.s 1
quote from two reports 10 show the pra-
gtegs Of the worA as Well as rosul 5.
Firs1. from the report for the year eld ding
Dec. 81, 1889, and secondly from the re-
1889 tnere wero three probation districts
In Eoston; the Central, the south Boston,
and the hoxbury diltrict; thers were 42o
persons taken on probation, 373 were i'm
proved and saveu from prison, ins diving
72S months iILprisonment, and $6257 in
prison expenses; 30 Of tie i25 cases were
lost. In tie south Boston district 295 were
taken on probation, 267 Of these did WELL
and were discharged or placed on file. ID
did not improve and were surrendered 10
this court for sentence. Officer Parker of
this district says: cover SO per cent of
the persons laced under my care the past
year that have been discharged have one
we'll, willis less than 2 per cent have been
found incorrixabls and have been surren-
Gersd to the court for sentence.
In the Centred district lll6 persons were
taken on probation. OF this mum Der 800
were discharged by the court, 3l5 sent to
their country homes, 100 sent to private
CHARITY homes, 80 sailors sent to sea, 90
did not improve and were sentenced, and
10 ran away 10 escape surrender and san
tence. OF the lUb5 cases disposed OF "a
per cent. were hone rably discharged, or
had their cases placed on file, accredited
with doing we'll, while per cent proved
incorrigable and wers recorded lost: $40
persons were saved from prison involving
pa years imprisonment and $751; 3i2 saved
in prison expenses.
In 1896 PROBATION officers reported from
10 cities and "a district courts in Massa-
cbusetts. The whols number of persons
placed on probation In the polica muni-
cipaI and district courts of the state Dur
ing the year were 5767. an increas. of $40
over the pre- cedlnH year; 81 were under 10
years of age, 200 between ID and IL years
Of age, 900 Detween 12 and 10 years of age,
5S3 between 10 and 20 years of age,
making 975 less than 90 years OF age. In
the Boston Municipal Court one Of the
assistants Is woman, who especially in
vestigates tho cases OF ali women charged
with crime before that court. There we're
4g0 women received on prot obation that
var.
The SYSTEM commends itself to the coed
Judgment of those who have investigated
1t, ard are in a position TO judge it's mer-
it's
In February, 1897, three conn issloners
appointed by the governor of Massacbu-
setts to investigate the charitable and re-
f,rmatcry inter SITS and institutions OF ihs
state made Their ort. lhis Is what they
say about the Rotation stem of the
state: The law provides for system of
probation which has worked with admira-
bio results TO this con ~ onwcalth. The
experiment. of dealing with certain cas5s
of offenders by means of probation has
succeeded beyond "a question"
Judge William ~ Parmenter. ief
Justice of the Municipal Cours OF Bc ston
in letter says:
II cannot letter express my approval of
our probation systsm than by adopting
the Language cf tho comm issioners which
appears in their reuo.t." His r,f renee Is
to the larguags quoted above.
Judge Darius Baker of Newport r. l.,
says in letter to the und, rsigned: II
am i'm hanrty favor Of a probltion law. In
1874 / attended the annual CO nfarence of
charities, philanthropy, ard corrections
for New England at New ton, Mass One
of tho subjects clnfidCrd d was the opera
ton of the pr,rGti Law In MaSs1chu-
setts Jut <, Parmnrt6r, obi justics OF
ths MunitipaI Court Of Boston. Judge
Almy of Cambridge. Judge Kennedy Of
Newton, and two Of the probation officers
of Dos on, spoke relative to the oreration
Of the law from iheir different points of
view he lager the city. the greater the op-
portuuity for tho usefulness Of the system.
But there is room for It, | am sure in
the administration OF the law in all our
district counts No one can have admin
istered the law in such courts without
feeling that thers nre many cases in which
n probation would be better for the ofien-
deTs than n sJntfnc.'
We ASK your hearty supI Ort OF the bill