The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-31
PREVENTION OF CRIME


case, put the prisoner in charge Of this
officer instead Of sending him to Jail.
These probation officers are now at
work, and the results abundantly JUS
tify our expectations that this service
would save from the blight and degra-
dation of the county jails scores, hum
dreds, thousands. of those who have
taken a first wrong step that has led to
an arrest.
1 spent an hour last week with Mr..
Arnold. our Hartford probation officer,
and was deeply stirred by the story of
some of the cases of rescue already ac-
compllshed. He began his work August
Is. In these two and a half months
fifty-eight cases have been put into his
hands, twenty-one of them boys under
| sixteen. No one of the twenty-one went
to Jail. Thirteen have been discharged,
| and these yet under probation are doing
well. He told me the story of a family
whose poverty and wretchedness was
almost beyond belief, caused by inten-
perance and improvidence. They now
live in a clean house and live respect
ably, and Mr.. Arnold has a balance of
the mans wages in his hands Another
case was of a man all of whose wages
| went every Saturday night in the sa
loon. When arrested instead of being
sent to Jail he was put under the pro-
baton officer and was sent back to
work. His wages have since then gone
to his family, and father, mother and
children are now in comfort, the chill
dren well dressed and in school and the
family in church on Sundays. These are
single specimens of the work now being
done all over the state. During the
months of July and August, the first in
which the law was operative, nearly
two hundred persons We're put on pro-
baton.
In Massachusetts,, in 1901, 1000 people
put put under probation, and it is esti-
mated that the prison population was
reduced 1000 by this means. A similar
great result of reformation, of preven-
| ton of crime, we shall see here in Con-
necticut under the working of this law.
By the operation of the Juvenile court
no minors ever appear in the police
court; they are instead tried in private
and kept in every possible way from
contact with criminals, and through the
kind but mandatory influence of the
1
rents, who may be chiefly at fault, all
possible is done fer these boys and girls
in their homes. ...s..-...
1 Fourth, the law establishing refor-
matory commission. You. remember
| how the reformatory was begun in 1895
/ and how the whole project was killed
After repeated attempts in successive
| legislatures a beginning was again
made last winter from which there is
net likely to be any recession. The bill
passed does not establish the institu-
| ton. 1t says a reformatory for men
shall be established, and instructs the
governor to appoint commission of
five men who shall thoroughly study
the whole subject, make plans for the
| founding of such an institution, pur-
chase site for the same If they think
/ wise to do so, and recommend any
changes in the law of the state neces-
1 sary for the carrying out of the purpose
of this BILL
/ A most excellent commission has been
appointed, of men who are not politi-
4 clans, but who are not only intelligent
upon this subject, but also earnestly
devoted to the service of humanity.
Public commentator and expressed
gratitude is due to our excellent COVER
! nor because of his wisdom in the ap-
pointment of this commission. The
cause Of humanity in Connecticut has
thereby been greatly forwarded. We
shall have from these men wise recon-
snendaticns, both in respect Of this
much needed institution, and also 9TH
er recommendations which will look to
1 the prevention of criminality in our
| state. s~--
] We are not yet awake TO the possi-
bility of preventing crime. Where do
4 criminals come from? What influences
produce criminals? These questions can
1 be answered. Tt is not true that hui
i manity is so irrecoverably bad that a
/ certain per cent. of all children are
born so inherently wicked that they
must become criminals. Bad homes,
bad houses. crowded, ill-ventilated ten
4 emerits, bad associates, the lack of
/ Fairgrounds for children, street life, es-
pecially street life after dark; the lack
/ Of proper education before the age of
six years-in these things lie the causes
that for the most part produce the
beginners in crime, and every one of
Il siicSt CctuSSS may VIC SllIilldtSu at d
much less cost in money than is now
spent upon criminals and the machin-
cry by which they are cared for. do
not say, nor think, that all crime cal,
be prevented. but much of it can, and
some day we shall intelligently endeav-
or to do it,. @. e.
/ NEXT STEPS OF PROGRESS.
But there are some things not yet
1 dcne which we can do. must do-soon-
and Will do. We have the probation
officer, the Juvenile court, and the re-
formatory is, now in the works. What
is the next step Of progress? Three
things cry out to be done at the first
opportunity, which will be the next
Legislature. viz: The revision of the
jindeterninate sentence law so that II
cannot be nullified in court and if pos
sible the extension of the principle to
misdemeanants; the abolition of the fee
system for county officers, especially
| for, the sheriff; and the total abolition
of the county Jail.
First, the revision of the indetermin-
1 ate sentence law. The essential princi-
pie of the indeterminate sentence may
be briefly expressed in the three words
''cure, not time" The essential feature
of an indeterminate sentence is the pa
role test, to enable the prisoner to DEM
onstrate his cure. Hence it follows
that to enable the indeterminate sem
tence principle to be applied, with any
practicable opportunity for success, the