Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-12
1H[ PRISON REFORM
Time Is Ripe For Adoption of
Indeterminate Sentence
In Iowa
THE FUTURE OF CRIMINALS
THE FUTURE OF CRIMINALS
Tho Proposed Reformatory Method
Deals With the Offender Rather Than
With the oftense-pemand of Iowa
Women for Separate Reformatory
Prison for Females is Justified.

| Prison for Females is Justified.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Nov. 12.-The meeting
OF the state conference OF charities
and corrections in this city this week
resulted in such discussion of various
matters as to make 1t certain that there
will be determined effort made to get
the next general assembly Of represen-
tatives of the people OF Iowa to adopt
numerous reform measures. Whether
there will be any attempted legislation
| in the direction of solving the trouble
some question OF cheap and effective
charity Is one question; but another
that is more nearly ready for final ac-
ton Is that of the reform Of prison
methods. Students of sociology and
penology, those who have looked into
the question of punishment and REFORM
alton OF criminals. all who have to do
with the prevention OF crime In one
way or another, agree that the penal
system in vogue in the state OF Iowa is
far behind the times and that there
lis pressing need Of legislation involving
! o. long step forward. In the confer
ence today the discussion turned upon
the indeterminate sentence. or the sys-
tenn OF having persons sent to the peni-
itentiaries to remain until they are re-
formed, be that long or short time.
Judge H. e. Deemer, OF the supreme
court. and Judge l. G. Kinne. OF the
state board Of control. participated in
this discussion. But one who also took
part in the discussion was Warden W..
A. Hunter, OF the state penitentiary
at Anamosa, Mr.. Hunter has made
special study Of the subject and from
contact with prison work he has reach
ed the conclusion that the time Is ripe
for adoption Of the indeterninate sem
tence in Iowa.
"a new penolosy has by, degreeA
moved forward to a plane higher than
that Of vindictive juctice. and when
the modern penitentiary system took It's
rise q century ago 1t was meant to be
the condemnation and rejection OF the
old idea Of repression that had domin-
ated criminal Jurisprudence for 50
many centuries and the substitution for
lit that Of reformation So said Mr.
Hunter in discussing the question. and
continuing he said: THE reformatory
method places the whole subject of
penology upon a scientific basis and
followed to its logical conclusion 1t de-
mands that men should be committed
to prison not simply because they have
committed an offense against the laws,
but because they have been ad5udged
criminals and are dangerous element
to society; that they should be returned
to society II they show evidences OF
reformation, and be indefinitely i'm
prisoned when their crtminality be-
comes fixed. It deals with the offender
rather than with the offense. It is more
concerned with the future OF criminal
than his past. It is prospective rather
than retrospective. 1t Is simple mat
ter in dealing with a criminal to pun
ish a given offense with certain dur
alton of Imprisonment, but, when the
man Is treated for being criminal
mitted it opens up the question in all
Its complexity." Warden Hunter brief
|ly reviewed the history of penology and
prison reform during the century. and
declared that II no other progress in
the whole century had been made than
the establishment OF separate prisons
for women the advancement would be
nota bic, and justifes the demand now
being made by the women OF Iowa for
separate reformatory prison for females.
He took the ground that every prison,
In practice, should be reformative not
for the young alone, but for all ages
and all classes confined therein, and
that the underlying principles of the
reformatory system are vitalized and
made applicable to both young and old,
male and female, by the indeterminate
sentence. More specifically In regard
to this he said:
"a failure Of our criminal courts to
meet popular expectation is the In
equality, not to say inequ.ty. of pun
ishment as it is now inflicted. An ex-
animation of the records at the peni-
tentiary at Annamosa revealed the
most startling differences in the pen
alties affixed by law to offenses of a
substantially Identical nature. OF 100
cases for the crime Of breaking and en-
terng the sentence ranged from four
months to ten years Imprisonment.
Such surprising Inconsistencies in the
administration of the present system
lead us to believe that the indetermin-
ate system can be administered with
a larger degree of impartiality and the
nearer approach to equal justice to all.
The giant. by the legislature. to nom
judicial commission or board OF pris-
oners, OF the power to terminate dur
alton OF the Imprisonment of each con-
Wet committed to prison. not arbitrarily
or capricie sly, but when he shall have
satisfactorily met every test applied to
him for the purpose of ascertaining his
fitness for final discharge. including the
supreme test of conditional liberation,
has no constitutional objection.
"Al our American codes prescribe
-ff H.