Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-28
PRISON REFORM
Bill FAR REACHING
Indeterminate Sentence Law,
Just Passed, Most Important
of New Measures
SOME OF ITS PROVISIONS
State of Iowa About Thru Buying Land
Big Items in the Appropriations for
state Institutions-onIy One I'M
portane Measure Recommended by
Governor Not Yet Passed.
Special to Times-Republican.

Des Moines, March 2s.--No less an
authority than Judge Cook, of Cedar
Rapids. says that the indeterminate
sentence law passed by the house yes
terday is the most important measure
of this session and that the speech IN
its favor by Representative Holmes. OF
Kossuth, was the best presentation OF.
a hill raade at this session of the leg''
is!ature and was the direct cause OF the
house voting the bill thru. Other au-
thorities are equally loud In their
praise OF the bill and of tho speech
made by Holmes in presenting 1t.
The bill was prepared by Senator
Saunders and Representative Holmes
In conference with Governor Cunt-
minis and the members of the state
board OF control and others 1t was
introduced in both houses and had al
ready passed the senate. The house
acted on the senate measure and 1t is
believed the senate will readily concur
IN the house amendments and the blll
will 20 to the governor for his sigma
ture
The bill provides that criminals shall
af ,er the bill takes effect, be sentenced
without term OF sentence, those be-
tween the ages OF 16 and 80 and first
offenders going to the Anamosa insti-
luton which under the bill is turned
into A reformatory and those over 81
and up for other than their first of-
Tense going to Fort Madison which is
designated q penitentiary. 1t provides
a parole board appointed by the gov
crnor who shall determine the length
of time the criminal shall serve with
in the maximum and minimum terms
provided by the law. The intention OF
the bin is to make every possible effort
to reform the criminals and the bill
provides that no criminal shall be al
lowed to leave the penitentiary unless
he has some offer of employment te
accept.
The bill was proposed last session by
the commission that was appointed un-
der provision of the acts of the Thir-
tieth general assembly but was de-
feated. 1t was rewritten this session.
Representative Holmes has for some
years made a study of criminology anG
with the opening of this session begar
work on this measure. He has devoted
much of his time to 1t and In the house
yesterday made a speech In favor Of
the bill that was mastery and won fol
him the praise of the members Judge
Cook declares that it is the most far
reaching reform movement in relation
to criminals that has ever been passed
in Iowa. Two amendments were made
to the senate bill. Where the senate
bill provided that for certain extreme
crimes the sentence should always be
to the penitentiary at Fort Madison
the house amended the bill to give the
court discretion and where the senate
bill provided that transfer OF, the bet
ter criminals of over 80 years to the
reformatory could be made only wher
the Fort Madison institution was ov-
ercrowded, the house amended by Civ
ing full discretion to the board of con-
vision.
1t appears that the state of Iowa has
about finished its buying of land for
the state institutions. In the board
of control appropriation bill as reported
to the senate, provision is made for
the purchase of land only at Chero-
kee and Fort Madison and in each case
only $4,000 is given. The state farms
are now sufficiently large for,all prac-
teal purposes, tho it is regarded az
certain that more land will some day
be bought for the boys school at Ell
dora The legislature is not this year
making provisions for very many new
buildings. The largest items for build
ings in the bill are the following: