Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-03-19
JUDGE BOORAEM
GAVE FINE ADDRESS
CONTINUED from page ID


discriminating criminal law, but the
law and procedure differ from year TO
year. In olden times, said the speak
er, vengeance was the first claim for
any crime committed, which of course
meant murder for murder, with prac
tically no results toward reform. But
at the present day most judges and
attorneys look towards the true con-
ception of the law in giving the
smallest amount of punishment with
the greatest amount of good. In old
en- times the methods of handling
criminals were crude and were run
on no particular system, but the
present modern methods have many
times improved, and more good is
being derived from the present man
ner than those of former years.
Laws are Fundamental.
Laws will always remain said
the speaker, 'for nothing can live
without law, and even God has many
laws which must berobeyed. Law is
everywhere. For instance, set a
number of tramps among themselves
out in the open and soon the most
powerful of them will have establish
ed a number of laws on which the
camp shall be run. The laws may be
crude, but they are laws, and they
are usually obeyed, or punishable if
not obeyed Law is and must be and
should be enforced not by any inhu
man methods, but by reform methods
that will teach the criminals what is
good, and teach them to become
honest men and women even after
they have taken their first false step"
Judge Booraem then mentioned
the Railway reformatory as an ex-
cellent school for first offenders.
They are taught a trade and usually,
said the speaker, the graduates come
out honest young men, willing to try
life over again and forget the crime
that was committed. 1t is a pity,
said the speaker, that there is no
such institution in this state for
girls, although some action was taken
toward that end when the age of ad-
mittance to the girls home was rails
ed from IA to 16 years in this state.
Consider Young Prisoners.
Persons that | wish to be well
treated and taken care of while un-
der arrest are young prisoners" said
the judge. Boys and girls should
not be thrown into prisons with all
sorts of criminals, as is often done,
but should be kept separate and
apart from them, for while the soul
is young a change is easy and liable.
One rule l have strictly enforced
while ! have been judge of this coun-
who, shall be allowed to lock up
boy under the age of fourteen years
unless my personal permission is
given"
The judge then thoroughly dis
cussed the probation system through
out the county and country. These
probation officers are usually well
educated and able minded women
who thoroughly understand moth
ers care toward child. Usually, said
the judge, when any judge suspends
sentence, the prisoner is of the opin-
ion that he is acquitted, but nova
days, if prisoner thinks that, he is
sorely mistaken, for for any period
up to three years he or she must re-
port weekly to the probation officer
and is kept under the watchful eye
of this officer or her assistants, no
matter whether the criminal leaves
the city or state. They are usually
caught and brought back to serve
their time all over again in prison.
The time for terms in the state re-
formatory differs. Usually the terms
are three and seven years-three
years for a plain misdemeanor and
seven years for high misdemeanor.
But if the prisoner behaves and
strictly confines himself to the rules
of the institution he may secure his
own release in thirteen months. !
Some are let out earlier under the
probation system,
In conclusion Judge Booraem said
that young men between the ages of
sixteen and thirty who graduate from
such an institution are usually good
mechanics of some kind and general !
ly come out much changed