New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-13
AFTER "REPEATERS."
Wonsen's Prison association Wants
Them Put Under Restraint.

~. you,en's Prison Association of Now-York has
ussd the limit assigned by Professor Osler as the
- ~ human usefulness. being now in it's sixty
- wear but it was never more full of business
-. !, ,s st the present moment. It has two bills
go the legislature, expects to present another
sA,s -eek and has a fourth drawn up which it
- AT present get no one TO father
r.. ,,l "a be presented this week provides for
STATE department Of probation to take the place Of
- n-esent voluntary system, which is said not to
- .,s ,asAs Of the case at all This bill is aimed
rsrt,cs,lsrly at the class Of FOUNDERS who go
s-on Mace TO place, from precinct to precinct as
s-,rn,ns different appearances and aliases. and
s5,1s their lives in idieness in correctional in
stitutions.
There Is at present way in which magistrates
-, racognizr these criminals or inform themselves
abo,t them Even the same district an offender
may be repeatedly arraignsd without recognition
~ 4hs ttgs owing the fact that in large cities
-ol,ca magistrates change from one court to an
eerss- every twenty days. Women Of the prostitute
60 sra often arrested three four times a
,reeas and not infreQuently twice in one night.
rnaav ESCAPE Imprisonment through the payment OF
@,Ss and many claim that they pay commission
40 rne police end through the iatercession Of such
osnc,als ere discharged AS no records which can
a. t,sed az evidence are kept by the courts, the
urso1s character OF the person arrested is rarely
investigated the Judge determining the sentence
merely by appearances,
UNNECESSARY EXPENSE.
All Sbfs says tbs Wonen's Prison Association
"a an unnecessary expense 70 the taxpayer and no
dete-rent whatever TO the offender. The proposed
stats department Of probation viii keep records
Of al persons convicted together with the dsposi-
don of tbs cases, and submit such records to the
MAGISTRATE with each subsequent arraignment.
Massachusetts, has had such department since
III with the result that the persistent offenders
have been kept under restraint. the hopeful cases
placed on probation. and the taxpayers relieved
70 great extent OF the support Of criminal class
The department saved the State $4,000, it is said
the first year that Il was IN operation.
The probation officers appointed under the pres
s1t Law keep records only OF such cases as como
un6sr their supervision. and do not compare such
records. In Nev-York City each magistrate ap-
points his probation officer. usually a men,
bsr Of the Police Department. and such officer goes
from court to court with the magistrate. Thus a
person placed probation may be arrested many
tines during the absence Of the officer in another
court
This bill Is intended as a companion to the State
farm bill introduced last month by Benjamin NJ
wilcox. It Is proposed that repeaters shall
be sent to this farm for fIom to Eve years.
N this way the public viii be relieved Of the sx-
panss of their continual and trials and to
e great extent, OF their support At the same time
Il IS hoped end confidently expected that many of
than win be permanently reformed.
~"Whsn see what can be done at our homo at
No. 10 sd-eve cannot estimate what might be
accomplished IN a term OF years. says Mrs WIZ
lam Emerson, first direotress Of the Wornen'e
Prison Association. 'sometines one would not
know when they leave that they the same
women who entered the institution. And we haVe
only three weeks 70 work &n. for Il takes them
week 70 sober up after they arrive
The beneficial effects OF outdoor work in the