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

volunteer assistants. who will devote a
portion Of their time Or take charge of
given cases under the supervision of the
chief officer. II IS hoped and believed
that there will be found not q few tactful
and philanthropic citizens. men and
women. who will be willing to give a por-
ton OF their time to SO humane and
practical service.
1T is easy to see that there would he
certain advantages In a common boa rd
OF probation. having under its observa-
ton and subject TO its regulating control
all probation ce ses in the District. This
we have not overlooked. But we believe
that on the whole the advantage of hav-
ing the probation work of each court
done under the supervision of and in full
fillment of the conditions imposed by the
court which is responsible for the case
outweighs these advantages. and that eac CHI
court should appoint and control its own
probation officers.
THE general plan of probation work
should. however. be laid down by the
statute. leaving TO the court only the
duty and province of applying the princi-
pies adapted TO the individual case before
IT,
Views of Experts in Penology.
The probation theory does not tend to
minimize the offense. 1t rather magnifies
il by restricting the liberty of the
offender. and perhaps for longer time
than if he were confined in prison.
ut takes away many of his rights. The
court prescribes what he may do, where
he may 60 with whom he may associate,
and how he shall conduct himself. 1t
requires him to shun evil companions. to
abstain fro mdrnk. to keep away from
the saloon. TO work steadily for the sup
port of those who are dependent upon
him.
''One OF the chief advantages is that
it keeps the probationer in right relation
to his family: If imprisoned he is for "A
time relieved of the obligation 10 support
them. and discovers. perhaps. that they
can get along without him. Probation lays
it's hand upon him and compels him to
support them.
THAT is a condition of his liberty. In
this way it tends to reformation without
actual Imprisonment.
But the system of probation ought not
to he considered by itself 1t must be
considered in contrast with its alterna-
tive Imprisonment.
Even in institutions where care Is
taken to separate the beginner in crime
from the hardened offender II is not
possible entirely to prevent contact. Some
contamination is inevitable. Even at its
best imprisonment Is better calculated 10
develop than TO arrest evil tendencies.
Disadvantages of Ex-Prisoner.
1.-THE man who has been in prison has
at least two terrible disadvantages. He
comes out with the stigma of the prison,
which binders him from getting employ
ment and heavily handicaps him in his
struggle for living This stigma at
taches to his innocent wife and children
as we'll who often suffer more than the
guilty husband and father.
The second is that prison acquaint-
ances constitute an obstacle to new and
respected life. In prison he has come
in, not wit n " desire
to reform and who are willing to drag
others down to their own level.
He cannot always avoid them when he
meets them out of prison.
If they cannot persuade him to go with
them into new crime they may keep him
in constant fear that they will bring tc
light the past he is trying to live down.
From both these dreadful disadvan-
tages he may be saved by the probation
system.
1T is worth noting that in the
competition between Imprisonment and
probation. probation has been subjected
to tests which have never been applied
to Imprisonment. Il has been demanded
that probation should prove that 1t re-
forms. but ii has never been required of
imprisonment that it should show that 1t
has reformed. (See report of committee
on probation. National Prison Associa-
ton. Albany, 1906. page So
Expenses of Probation System.
Such a system need not be expensive
even in the first instance, and such ex-
pense as may necessarily attend it will
most certainly be overbalanced even in
dollars and cents by the saving to the
public which will result from the con-
tinuance of the probationers in industrial
occupation instead of being supported in
public institutions and by the permanent
transfer Of some of them from the GRIM
inal to the law-abidng class.
1.-THE results already achieved by the
system as it now obtains in our own
Juvenile Court have demonstrated the
correctness of this position.
I'VE do not mean to put our recon-
mendation of a probation system wholly
or necessarily upon the mere monetary
bas sis Neither do we put it on the
duty on the part of government toward
it's disobedient members.
I'VE believe there is a safer and an
impregnable basis to be found in the
prime duty of society to provide for its
own welfare and protection. We look
upon such a system as practical method
of recruiting the ranks of law-keepers
from the number of those who would
otherwise join the ranks of the enemies
of government and order No reasonable
pains or expense should be spared to Sc
cure SO desirable a result.
And when we find, as we do, that the
system, so far from proving a financial
burden upon the community, actually pays
for itself several times over even in the
money point of view, We feel that the
proposition ought to commend itself to
conservative minds of every cast.