Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-01
lNDETERMlNATE PLAN is RECON-
MENDED BY WARDEN OF ANA.
MosA PENITEN'rIrRY
Bets Forth the Advantages in His Re-
port to the Board Of controI-Be-
lleves 1t Most Effective in the Re-
formation of the Criminal Class.

determinate sentence and reformatory
scheme of reclaiming criminals. In his
annual report filed with the state
board of control this week he will de-
vote considerable space to discussion
of the subject urging the board to
recommend to the legislature of this
winter the establishment of the indie
terminate sentence, the creation of a
board of pardons and parole, and the
organization of reformatory.
Warden Hunter favors the real in
determinate sentence. In the bills
with which the Iowa legislature hith-
erto has had to do the real thing was
not involved, minimum and maxi
mum limit on the sentence of Grimm
ais being preserved in the judgments
administered by the courts. The real
tndeterminate sentence is an institu-
ton which gives society the power to
restrain persons of liberty indefinitely,
these persons being given the coinci-
dent power to relieve themselves of all
restraint by proper conduct while re-
strained
On this subject Warden Hunter will
say:
Customs Must Yield.
assume that it is not denied that
the authority which vested this power
In the trial judges may withdraw that
power without assailing any divine
rights To remove this power to fix
definite sentence would be contrary to
immemorial custom 1t is true but Gus
toms must yield If they stand in the
way of progress.
much fear exists as to the practical
working of the proposed innovation
and so there has been but little OPP
portunity to prove its beneficial eff
fects. The system advocated makes
the prisoner his own judge and his
own executioner.' 1t proposes to de-
tain him in prison until he shall give
sufficient evidence of his purpose to
become law-abiding and Industrious
citizen. 'Philanthropists, humanitar-
fans, theorists, and practical prison
men are agreed that the indeterminate
sentence and parole law presents the
most feasible method of dealing with
criminals"
"The desire for freedom under COM
pulsory CONTINENT is very strong. To
q healthy, normal man in prison any
incentive which contributes to his
chance of liberty will usually impress
him WITH the need of self-control and
respect for law. Long imprisonments,
compulsory obedience to rules coupled
with lack of ambition for improve
ment, produces machines, and with our
present system we discharge upon So
ciety one who has no higher concep-
ton Of his incarceration than that he
has paid his debt to the state
"Under the indeterminate sentence
law men whose return to crime is felt
to be moral certainty could be re-
strained. just as our insane patients
are restrained. Men are discharged
constantly to repeat within few
weeks the offense against person or
property for which they have served
already one or more terms in prison.
1t makes little difference whether the
term in prison has been two, five, ten
or more years. The prison authorities
are reasonably certain that it is only
a question: Of time when they will be
returned to- Pc 80
Instal Shown.
I'VE have inv ID two men, one is
serving his seco1R term and the other
his third term, who have committed
crimes against the person. Both are
degenerates and weak-minded. The
unhappy victims OF their brutality and
society at large, would have been saw
ed most painful experience had there
been in existence a comprehensive in
determinate sentence law and an in
telligent and judicious parole sentence
and parole law. The former naturally
implies the latter. But, if it be thought
that Iowa is not yet ready to join the
vanguard in penal reform to such an
extent as is here suggested, it would
be well to provide at once some eff
be saved to good citizenship if per-
mitted to be at liberty, many wife
and family could be saved from perjury
and want, and many a husband and
father would be encouraged to be
thoughtful, circumspect, self-denying
and Industrious.
"A man who leaves prison under
the parole system is far more likely to
become a law-abiding, wage-earning
citizen than is one who conceives him
self under no obligations to the state''
The warden is satisfied that the fact
that the experience of states which
have had reformatory systems shows
that three-fourths of those who pass
through the reformatories and are saw
ed from prisons, also are saved from
destruction and crime, should be suf-
ficient to warrant Iowa to establish a
reformatory.
Appropriation Is Asked.
Warden Hunter asks an appropria-
ton of but s34,7O0 for the ensuing BIZ
ennial period for Anamosa prison.
During the year 1906 1877 persons
were admitted to the prison at Ana
mosa. High water mark was reached
In 1895 and 1897 in each of which year
$40 persons were committed