Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-01-30
PRISON PAROLE EXPERIMENTS.
Some interesting Results in New York
City.

Some interesting Results in New YORK
City.
Judge Warren w. Foster Of the
court of general sessions has been
making some interesting experiments
with the system of paroling prisoners
under suspended sentence, following a
precedent that has been adopted sue
cessfully in several states. All pris-
oners who pleaded guilty Or were con
Yicted before him of minor felonies,
and whose records showed that they
had hitherto led a blameless life and
were not apt to take advantage of the
mercy Of the court, were allowed their
iiberty, but were charged to report to
the agent Of the prison association at
stated intervals, and through that
cOUrce the court was informed of their
conduct.
Before Judge Foster began paroling
first offenders on probation it had
been the custom of the court to sim
ply suspend sentence and enjOin the
prisoner to lead an honest life The
prisoner was informed that if he did
not, by his own conduct, Justify the
courts mercy and offended against
the law again, he would receive the
full penalty for the crime he first
committed
Last summer Judge Foster put into
practice the system of paroling prison
! eTs on probation and since then 80
men arrested and convicted of all man
! uer of feIOnies have been allowed
their freedom under the new method
In this work the court was aided by
Agent d. Eastman Kimball of the
prison association, and to him all pa
rolled prisoners were ordered to report
at intervals of 80 days.
Agent KimbalPs work did not begin
or end with the paroling of prisoners
It began before the court had made
up its mind to suspend sentence
against persons convicted of violating
the law AS soon as the public pros
ecutOr had finished his official duties
in the case and it was then a matter
of settling just punishment, M. Kim
! bail was called in and requested to
| make a full investigation of the mans
record and past history. The prison
eT, OF course, was always asked by the
judge to give a full account of him
self SuCe replies as he made and
the references ha gave as to his past
history and reputation were thorough
ly investigated by the agent, and the
results Of his Investigations reported
to the court. The judge then, with
| accurate knowledge of the mans his
! tory or truthfulness, would act within
his discretion and suspend sentence OF
| impose punishment, as the merits OF
the case demanded. or the 80 pris
0ners who have been dealt with in
this manner only one has failed tC
obey the courts injunction.
Agent Kimball has had some re
markable experiences in investigating
the records of prisoners, and is com
PEELED to conduct his investigations
often against very great odds. Mr.
Kimball says of his experiences:
In 50 per cent of the cases l am
called upon to investigate I meet with
all manner of opposition, and, in many
cases, with open insult and defiance
| OF course in only about one-half of the
/ investigations Judge Foster has
] charged me with have I been able tc
report favorably of the case.
The majority of the prisoners who
seek a suspended sentence either give
/ as references the immediate members
of their families or persons who have
not too savory records themselves. II
these cases the story of the prisoners
/ character or reputation is already pre-
/ pared, so that beOfre l get chnce tC
| ask question 1 am overwhelmed with
a stereotyped volIey of answers, rec
! concentrations, eulogies, etc.
Il am compelled to visit every sec
| ton of the city, east, west, north anC
| south, so that my occupation in this
| direction takes me in the majority o.
cases into the depths of the slums
In at least half-dozen of instances
/ have been thrown down from two OF
! three flights of stairs, and on one Oc
! CasiOn three women endeavOred tt
! throw me from the fourth-story win
| dow of a tenement house. Of course
! such occurrences are unusual, but the
| task of investigating the records Of
! technical offenders is by no means al
easy one. New York Times.