Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-09
COMMUNAL pARDoNs ACT.

tho last session Of the Virginia h'b''''
tire was a bold experiment which mas
worked well. About one hundred penn
Tertiary convicts have received ihe peh-
oot of its provisions and the dis
o,r,,,o y, the prison has been improved
nv the hope which the law extenos 10
those who are obedient and INDUSTRIOUS
ca far not one Of the men released by
virtue Of this act has been arrested loi
violating his pledge to observe the laws
~ this Commonwealth. That is a much
better record than was eXpecteu'
iustifes the law-making power IN pro-
viding this incentive 10 reformation Vi
character and it shows that me boaiu
NJ directors Of the penitentiary ana DoN-
eynor TYLER have exercised cauhoh III
bestowing pardons The requirement Of
the board that each applicant who hopes
for favorable action from 1t shaH hrst
secure employment on the OUTSIDE mas
had much TO DO with this success Prs
oners who are eligible under the ac'
are permitted TO correspond with frieno'
in order that they may find work to 90
when released. If they were turned out
in n homeless and friendless condition
&, ,s not TO be doubted that many of
them quickly would yield to temptation
and become a charge upon the state
again
One OF the prominent provisions OF the
Virginia law is that 10 one who mas
broken the prison rules is entitled TO
file his application for a conditional par
don. This puts beyond the pale OF this
act many who upon their first entrance
on prison life were guilty Of infractions
of the prison rules, but who having been
punished. and having seen the error OF
their ways. have since been blameless.
Some glarng instances Of the hard
ship of that provision Of the law have
appeared, and the Legislature will be
asked to apply a corrective. True, it IS
not without the power Of the Governor
of his own motion to pardon such prison
ers conditionally, or Internationally, but
usually they are an ignorant and helpless
set and in approaching the Executive
they cannot get the aid which is given
by the board to those who come within
the terms of the act in question.
We do not know precisely what amend
ment the prison authorities will recon-
mend to the Governor and Legislature,
but it has been suggested that all re-
cords of punishment anterior to certain
date be ignored. where the subsequent
conduct Of the prisoner has been unex-
ceptional. That would seem to be reason
able and proper A man who comes to
the prison under long sentence is in
desperate humor with the world and is
apt to think he has no future beyond the
prison walls. but after awhile he may
change his mind and begin to hope and
work for release. If he should break
the prison rulos i'm some triiling respect
in the first year Of his residence there.
yet be a good prisoner for years after
wards ii is very hard that he should
be excluded from the operations Of the
conditional pardons act. Yet, so it is
Hence the desirability of a change in the
law.
1t argues well for the foresight and
Judgment of those who proposed and
made this important innovation that after
a trial of a good deal more than
a year. the act should need no other
amendment and that its results should
have proved as satisfactory as they have
done.