Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-26
FEDERAL PRISONERS
STATUS IN MoUNDSvILE PENI-
TERTIARY CONSIDERED.
Recent Decision Affects Those Who
Were Sentenced From District
Of Columbia.

Mr.. D. W. Baker. United States attorney
! for the District of Columbia was without
! information when asked today regarding
| the reported decision of United States Dis
! trict Judge Taylor in Cleveland, Ohio. to
| the effect that federal prisoners In the state
| penitentiaries were subject to the same
| rules regarding paroles as the state prison.
| ers, had stirred things I'D In peni-
| tertiary circles From Columbus Ohio, 1t
| is reported that because of this ruling fed
| eral prisoners confined there will be re-
| moved to the government prisons at At
| lanta and Leavenworth, where there will
! be no danger of state authorities liberating
! those guilty of ofense against the govern
ment
| 1t is said TO be generally believed that
| an adherence TO the ruling will result in
| many state penitentiaries ceasing to be
! self-supporting, for in most instances the
money paid for boarding government pris-
oners is just about the amount required to
balance penitentiarys ledger.
1t is stated that Warden Hoddox of
the West Virginia penitentiary at Mounds
vile. in which many federal prisoners sem
| fenced by the courts of the District of
Columbia are confined. is not inclined to
think that the government will submit to
having it's prisoners paroled according to
the various state penal laws.
In the absence of more details In regard
to Judge Taylor's decision Warden Had
dox is reported to have said. II am not able
to make any comment but l do not believe
that the federal government will submit
to its prisoners being put under the parole
laws of the various states. The Ohio pa
role laws are rather rigid, with a maxi
mum and minimum. somewhat similar to
West Virginia's. but the government recog-
nZeS none at all.
Efforts have long teen made by the
advocates of the parole system to have
the federal government adopt il in some
form. but the efforts have all proved I'M
a, ailing. the main objection being that 1t
would require too much work and ex-
penSe to prove practical and beneficial
The federal government formerly permit.
ted its prisoners to be subject to the va
rious good time laws, as they existed in
the state In which the prisoners happ aued
| finally abolished and now the government
| has good time rules of its which
ali federal prisoners subject to. l do
not look. however, for the removal of the
| federal prisoners from state institutions as
| the immediate result of Judge Taylor's de
| cison.
| The government has to send its prison.
ers to state penitentiaries because 1t las
no room for them in its own prisons. There
| are but three government penitenti0:IHf--
| at Atlanta, Ga; Fort Leavenworth, KAN,
! and at Meals Island. in Oregon-and the
three are insufficient to care for all fei-
! eral prisoners, especially as most of the
| inma ties of the firSt-named two are mil
| tary prisoners, and at Meals Island, | I'M
| derstand, the prison is exclusively for that
| class"
The federal convicts in the Moundsviile
prison are said to be responsible for
| large part of its income.