Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-01-27
PRISON PAROLE EXPERIMENTS.

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PRISON PAROLE EXPERIMENTS.
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
precedent that has been adopted sue
cessfully in several states. All prls-
oners who pleaded guilty or were con-
victed before him of minor felon1es,
and whose records showed that they
had hitherto led blameless life and
were not apt to take advantage OF the
mercy of the court, were allowed their
liberty, 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
ers on probation, and since then 30
men arrested and convicted Of all man
ner Of felonies 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 Kimballs work did not begin
or end with the paroling Of prisoners.
It began before the court had made
up it's 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, Mr.. Kim
make full investigation of the mans
record and past history. The prison
er, Of course was always asked by the
judge to give 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 or
impose punishment, as the merits of
the case demanded. Of the 80 pris-
oners who have been dealt with in
this manner only one has failed to
obey the courts injunction.
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 so per cent. of the cases I am
called upon to investigate l 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 been able to
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. In
these cases the story of the prisoners
character or reputation is already pre-
pared, so that beofre | get a chnce to
ask question I am overwhelmed with
a stereotyped volley of answers, rec
concentrations, eulogies, etc.
II am compelled to visit every sec
ton of the city, east, west, north and
south, SO that my occupation in this
direction takes me in the majority of
cases into the depths of the slums.
In at least a half-dozen of instances 1
have been thrown down from two or
three flights of stairs, and on one oc-
casion three women endeavored to
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 an
easy one"-NeW York Times.