The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-22
PAROLE LAW WORKS WELL
AMOS w. BUTLER WRITES LETTER
TO NORTH CAROLINA JUDGE.
No Difficulty Encountered in Finding
Public Lacks Information.

Judge William B. Bynum, of Greensboro,
n. c., has written to Secretary Butler, of
the Board of State Charities, regarding the
operation of the indeterminate sentence law,
and also of the parole law of this State.
Judge Bynum has understood that Indiana
stands at the head among the States that
are undertaking reformation among the
criminal classes, and desires information
regarding Indiana laws to use in an address
before the North Carolina Bar Association.
Secretary Butler, who is a stanch sup
porter of the indetermnate and parole laws,
has written Judge Bynum a letter regard
ing these laws, and has forwarded litera-
ture explaining the laws in detail
There is no doubt about the success of
these laws in this State" said Secretary
Butler yesterday. statistics show that so
per cent of the paroled men in Indiana keep
the laws. All the progressive States have
these laws in operation or they are adopt
ing them. The objections to the indeter-
inmate sentence law is made generally by
people who do not understand it. New York
State was the first to adopt the law, and
has had 1t for thirty years. Indiana is con-
coded to have the best law that has yet
been enacted Mrs. Ballington Booth, who
has given much attention to released pris-
oners, says the supervision over paroled
men in Indiana is the best anywhere
AHEAD OF OTHER STATES.
Mr.. Brockway, superintendent of the
New York Reformatory for twenty-five
years, and who was the originator of the
indeterminate laws, says the law of Indi-
ana IS ahead of that of any other State in
the Union. The Board of State Charities
has received reports from the State Prison
and Reformatory showing the results ac-
complished under the indeterminate sem
tence and parole laws from the time they
became operative. April /, 1897 to March 81,
1903, period of six years. There have been
paroled from the Indiana Reformatory in
that time 1884 men. OF the men paroled
but 2S1, or p per cent, have proven in any
way unsatisfactory, and los, little over
ii per cent, have been returned for viola
ton of their parole. These paroled men
have earned during the period of their
parole $291, S37. rs. They had on hand or due
them at last report or final release SAL 722. 81.
The State Prison records show that in the
same period 753 men have been authorized
for parole. Work has been found promptly
for all of these but three. One hundred and
twenty-one of those paroled, or 16 per cent,
are reported as unsatisfactory. Sixty,
scarcely per cent, have been returned for
violation of their agreement. The earnings
of those who have gone out parole are
| given as $l76,S1051. They had on hand or
due them at the time of their final dis
| charge or last report $i5, 1890. Altogether
| there have been paroled from both these in
| stitutions in six years, since they began.
| 2,126 men. Employment has been found for
| all. One thousand and sixty-three of those
paroled have kept their faith and have been
| expired A total of All cases. or 10 per
cent, have been unsatisfactory and 225, or
p of parole The oa
J earnings of these paroled men is s46S. 647
the amount of cash on hand or due when
| they were finally released or last reported
was sS6.S36. These figures do not take into
| account their earnings or savings since they
left the supervision of the institutions.
EMPLOYMENT is FOUND.
| Some of the men placed have been sent
to other States. Every home and shop to
which they are sent is thoroughly investi-
gated. There is difficulty In finding
employment for every paroled man. Some
men returned to their old homes to
begin life over again. They receive the en-
| couragement and assistance of their old
neighbors. Others where the associations
| have been bad are sent as far away from
| their former homes possible. Wherever
| they are the over-watch is strict, their re-
| ports must be regularly received, and for
| any violation of the terms of their parole
they are returned to the institution. A
| young man less than thirty years of age
was recently committed to the Reform
| atory on sentence of from two to four
| teen years. He had been there before.
| Upon looking over the books 1t was shown
| that he had served seven one-year terms
! for petit larceny. 1t has been asserted that
| the average cost of a conviction, from first
| to last In Indiana is $1,000 Had IL been
| possible on the third conviction to have
| given him an indeterminate sentence, il
| would have saved not only expense, but
the commission of crime. Now that young
| convict has been transferred to the State
| Prison. where he will, in all probability
! serve the maximum sentence of fourteen
years, and the public will be relieved of his
depredations.
| "Why is ii that more has not been at
| tempted to aid prisoners? Because the
| public lacks information and the people are
| Indifferent. We must educate the public
| 1t needs to know the facts. Mrs. Booth is
! doing a great work in this special field
| Prison Sunday should be utilized all over
our land to bring the facts to the public
! The greatest work that can be done fol
the discharged prisoner is the education OF
the people"