Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1906-07-11
PRISONS
AND
PARDONS
Spokesman-Review Ed
itoriaI Writer Slightly
Off-.-Says Gov. Mead
Oversteps Authority.

pardons be less numerous?' which APP
peared in that paper on July 4th. is
either willfully trying to create false
impression in regard to Governor Mead's
motive in exercising the executive Glenn
ency in connection with the inmates of
the state pententiary, or else the source
of information open to the Spokesman
Review is very meager and unreliable.
Everyone must know that the execu-
tive department of every state is contn-
ually flooded with supplicants for elem
ency for some relative or friend who is
confined in some state penal institution,
and any right minded official will at
least consider the merits of the position
placed before him. Mistakes are made
in the matter of prosecuting innocent
persons as well as in other things, and
when these mistakes are discovered. or
where apparently excessive sentences
have been imposed on some convicted
person. the only remedy is the lnterven-
ton of executive clemency.
People who are not conversant with
the conduct of penal institutions have
only vague and uncertain understand
ing of these things. To them all state
penal institutions are penitcntiaries and
all the inmates are convicts. This is
practically true in this state, for the state
of Washington has only reform school
and penitentiary. 1t has not provided
any intermediary institution. and as a
matter OF course every one who is con-
victed OF crime in this state, who is not
child or lunatic, is sent to the peni-
tertiary. In many instances the con-
victed person is young and unsophisti-
Gated boy who has temporarily wandered
from the path of rectitude or may have
committed some youthful indiscretion
which is classed as felony in the abun-
dancy of our statute laws; or it may be
some one who has committed criminal
act while on drunken carousal. And
yet, again. the convicted person may be
innocent, but they are all subjected to
the same degree of penal servitude. and
according to the reasoning of the Spokes'
man. Review they should be compelled
to serve every day of their sentence, ir-
respective of anything which might arise
to show that they had been harshly
dealt with at the time of their convic-
ton.
As rule other states have provided
reformatories, houses of correction and
similar institutions. If the state of
Washington was similarly provided for.
it would be found that the intervention
of the governor in criminal affairs would
be practically eliminated. The rules
and regulations which would govern
these minor institutions would be pre-
scribed by statute. and no one individual
would be called upon to determine
whether or not justice had been shown to
the inmates. And reference may be
made to the indetcrmnate sentence law,
or the maximum and minimum sentence
law which is in force in many states.
Under this law convicted persons are
sentenced to serve maximum or mini
mum sentence. Their conduct while IN
prison. their previous good character
and the likelihood of their being re-
formed are all taken into consideration
to determine the length Of time they
shall remain in prison.
The state of Indiana has in force a
parole law which is deemed as nearly
perfect as that of any state, and their
last biennial report. dated October 81.
1904, showed that, out Of total Of 267
persons who we're released during the
year 1904. 1877 were released on parole
before the expiration OF their sentence.
rhetotal population Of the Indiana state
prison at that time was 1888. This shows
a percentage of paroles to the population
Of ~ per cent, or 10 per cent of the total
number Of releases during the year were
previously released on parole.
The prison statistics Of the state of
New York show that out of the total
population of the various state penal in.
stitutione about 10 per cent are annually
released on parole or through other re-
formatory methods.
The state of Massachusetts, has in
force minimum and maximum sentence
law. Their annual report for the year
1902 shows that out Of IoI releases dur
ing the year. 1872 were released at the
expiration of the minimum sentence.
These sentences as a rule run from one
to two, two to four; or. in other words,
the maximum sentence Is double that of
the minimum sentence, but in some in
stances the maximum sentence is even
eight or ten times that of the minimum
sentence. Under this law convicted
person may earn. by good conduct and
for other reasons. a reduction in time
which would be equivalent to a commu-
tation Of their sentence by one-half or
more.
During Gov. Mead's administration he
has paroled 36 convicts. OF this mum.
Der 10 had done more than two-thirds of
their entire sentences, II had done more
than one-half. and but ? had done less
than one-half. In this latter number
| there were two men who should h,v.