Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-19
AS 10 PERSON AL BONDS
REPORT TO COMMISSIONERS BY
THE HEALTH OFFICER.

/ In response to request from the Com
missioners to report on the effect OF the
taking of personal bonds IN tie Police Court
upon the health department DR.. Woodward,
the health officer, criticses the practice
stating tina 1t has tendency to weaken
the laws OF the District, particularly those
in regard to the abatement of nuisances
He said that although he was unable to
furnish the exact figures, his department
has suffered as the result of such q prac-
tce, and his inspectors have become great
ly discouraged in their efforts to prosecute
persons for violations of the laws.
so far as l am able to discover" Dr.
Woodward says, personal bonds have alb
solutely no effect In any way shape or
form in procuring or fastening the abate-
ment of nuisances. If the court. in event
of conviction or a plea of guilty.. imposed
fine or term of Imprisonment upon the
defendant, the fine itself or the term OF i'm
prisonment would not 1t is true, in that
particular case, result in the abatement OF
the nuisance. The payment OF the fine,
however, or the serving of the sentence in
the workhouse, however insignificant would
teach the defendant that when he was noti-
fed by the health officer to aAate a nuis-
ance within a given time, ii was his DUTY to
abate it within that time, or to arrange
with the health officer for such an extern
sion, If any, as might be necessary nd
that if he failed SO to do he would be fined
or imprisoned, and a knowledge of that
fact would materially strengthen the ef-
feet of health office notices as applied to
the defendant and to his friends and
neighbors learning of the incident
Theory of Filming and Imprisoning.
And if case has been definitely dis
posed of by an imposition of a fine or by
a term of Imprisonment in the work house.
the health department, If the nuisance has
not been abated, can Immediately serve a
new notice on the responsible person again
requiring him to abate the nuisance which
new notice has much potency in render
ing the person notified liable to further
punishment in event of his failure to abate
the nuisance, has the personal bonds
imposed by the Police Court The theory
that the filming or imprisoning of the de-
PENDANT does not facilitate the abatement
of the nuisance, whereas the taking of per-
sonal bonds does. which theory is not In
frequently advanced by the advocates of
the taking of personal bonds, SO far as I
am able to discover, without the slightest
foundation in fact"
DR.. Woodward was in a way responsible
for the Commissioners calling for a report
from the heads OF the various departments
of the District government regarding the
effect Of the practice of taking personal
bonds upon their respective departments.
He made persistent complaints to the Com
missioners about the frequency of the Po-
lice Court judges in suspending sentence in
health office cases He declared that II
affected the work of his Office and increas-
cd the cost of reinforcing the health de-
partment regulations. He contends that In
most cases 1t would be cheaper for the Dis
trict, in the very beginning, to pay out
right the cost of abating the nuisance and
to be done with the entire matter.
From the reports SO far received by the
Commissioners regarding the effect of per
sonal bonds upon the various branches OF
the District government, they are satisfied
that the law relating to personal bonds
should be altered. 1t is their idea to have
1t changed SO that in case the Police Court
judges do dispose of a case by suspending
sentence, a certain time will be named for
the defendant to abate the nuisance, and
when that time expires he will be called to
the court to state whether not he has
remedied the nuisance for which he was
arrested.