Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
CONTINUED from Thirteenth Page)

> continued from lnlfleeHtn dScJ
venworth Kan. At Leavenworth there
are at this writing about seventy-iive pris-
oners from the District of Columbia, at
Atlanta seventy-siX. and the others are
. distributed between Moundsville, w.
Va and Trenton, N j.. the two lat
ter being state institutions which are I'M
= der contract with the Department of JUS
. tice.
Relief for Penitentiary.
"No doubt there are many of these who
would have been sent to a reformatory
If there had been an institution of that
sort when their cases were disposed of.
One member of this commission is posi-
. tive from his own experience while pre-
siding in the criminal court in this Dis
. trct that such is the fact
I'm our opinion, If the plan for penal
and correctional system which we are
here outlining should be adopted, that Is
s. to say, If we should have Jail used as
a place of detention only. reformatory'
and a workhouse, such as we nave rec
commended. the number of those to be con-
fined in penitentiaries would be reduced
by nearly If not quite. one-half.
1T will be readily seen that this is a
conservative estimate when 1t is recoi-
leCted that all sentences of Imprisonment
y
law now stands be served in the peniten-
O tiary. There are thus many offenses
: which at present call for sentences IN
The penitentiary which would not call for
sentences in such an institution If the
plan we recommend should be adopted.
But ii would still remain true, as we
have said above that there would be a
considerable class requiring imprisonment
in penitentary. 1t might amount in
number to 80 or something over, at the
present time. and probably would amount
To more the population of the District
should increase.
District Can Wait for Penitentiary.
THE practical question is whether for
this number separatspenitentiary ought
TO be established in this vicinity.
Upon principle we believe that there
should be local institutions to answer
our local needs We believe that as lar
as possible there should be a separation
between those institutions which are eX-
pected to answer local needs and those
which are national in their aim and scope,
and we believe that local institutions
ought 10 be under the direction and con-
troll of District officers.
Believing thus, il is our opinion that
the jail. the workhouse and the reforma-
tory, If it shall be established, should DE
under the exclusive direction and control
of District authorities. The fact tnat
the United States government pays one
half of the taxes assessed upon property
in the District does not in our opinion
affect this question.
THAT only means that the federal gov
eminent is a large property holder with
in the District. But it affords no better
ground for saying that the federal gov
eminent should control the institutions
of the District than would the fact that
a multi-millionaire owns more than half
of the property in a city or a county JUS
tfy the turning over to such indi-
nj of he Il yaI inn nd of
public affairs of the city or the county.
Why District Should Control.
The question whether a given institu-
ton shall be under the direction of the
District authority or of the national au-
thority should be answered, as it appears
to us solely with reference to the pur-
pose and character of the institution it
self As We have already shown there
are less than thirty strictly federal prls
oners out of more than 400 prisoners of
the District of Columbia. All the others
have committed crimes which properly
can only be considered as local offenses.
All these prisoners are supported II
the expense of the District of Columbia.
for the taxes paid upon government
property are a part OF the funds OF the
District in the same sense and upon the
same principle are the taxes paid upon
other property in the District.
THE advantages that would follow from
the adoption of the rule which we are now
advocating would be many. An illustra-
ton lies close at hand.
AT present the Jail is under the prac-
teal direction and control of the Attor-
ney General. while the workhouse un-
der that of the District. Upon the work
house grounds are buildings which at
times might be used for the accOmmoda-
ton of inmates of the Jail if the two In
situations were under the same head.
1T does seem unreasonable that such a
state of things should exist, for while it
is possible in tie course of time TO bring
about arrangements between the local au-
thorities and the federal. such arrange
ments do take time. and while they are
being waited for great inconvenience and
loss may result. We are therefore of the
opinion that the penitentiary prisoners,
as we'll as the others, ought to be under
the direction and control of District au-
thority.
Room in Federal Prisons.
But there is another. fact to be con-
sidered. namely that in Leavenworth and
Atlanta the United States government has
in process of construction two magnificent
penal institutions In them 1t is investing
millions of dollars. For a long time to
come they will be able to accommodate
not only all strictly federal prisoners from
the whole United STATES. but all our To-
cal prisoners who ought to be confined in
penitentiary.
In view of this fact we believe that
good judgment and sound economy re-
qure that for the present our peniten-
tiary prisoners should be sent to these in
stitutions under proper arrangements to
be made between the District authorities
and the Department of Justice.
The fact that our prisoners are serv-
>ing their terms in these places ought not
however. 10 prevent the application to
their cases of laws TO be passed by Con-
gress providing for their release upon pa
role If a parole system shall be adopted
for our own prisoners in general.
PAROLE