Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-23
SENATOR UREGS
FEDERAL PROBATION LAW
Leagues Seeking to Better Prison
Conditions Support Measure
Favored by President

Col. Griffith j. Griffith, organizer of
the Prison Reform league, has re-
ceived from Hon. William E. Mason,
former United States senator from
Illinois, a letter asking support for
national probation bill, the draft of
which he encloses. The work has been
done at the suggestion of Judge Nc
Kenzie Cleland of Chicago, whose rec
ord as a reformor along these lines is
world wide, and of the National Pro-
baton league. Both are actively sup
porting the measure, the gist of which
IS as follows:
Section 1 declares it the duty of all
courts having jurisdiction of criminal
or quasi-criminal causes to administer
the laws with the view to the re-
formation of such offenders as have
not shown themselves incorrigible or
vicious criminals. For this purpose
tence and place such offenders on pro-
baton, the courts having full power
to conduct such Investigations as shall
determine whether the convicted per-
son comes within the provisions of the
bill.
The court having satisfied itself that
the prisoner is entitled to the benefit
of the bill shall enter sentence, and
also an order suspending the execution
of sentence, and furnish the prisoner
with a statement explaining the OBJ
ject of such action and notifying him
that any violation of the order will
subject him to the full penalty of the
sentence.
1t is provided explicitly by section 3
that one of the conditions on which
probation shall be granted must be
restitution or reparation to the person
injured by the offender
In IFS discretion the court NAV "im-
pose such reasonable and proper con-
| ditionS and restrictions as will in the
! Judgment of the court assist and en-
courage such offender to thereafter
live an upright life and obey the law"
BY section 6 it is provided that the
court may appoint as probation Of
! hcer in each case such person as it
deems desirable, but the remuneration
is not to exceed 81 a day. The officer
is charged with the duty of reporting
monthly, or oftener if required.
1t is also provided that the judg-
ment against the prisoner may be va
Gated and his discharge granted when
ever the court shall be satisfied that
such defendant has become wholly and
| permanently reformed and will hence
| forth be able and willing to live an
upright life and obey the law"
Naturally the Prison Reform league
enthusiastically indorses this bill, since
| in it's recently published book Crime
and Criminals" it called special at
tention to the fact that "the federal
government still lags conspicuously in
the rear, having no probation law for
either juveniles or adults" Further
more, while condemning ruthlessly the
spirit of revenge which still permeates
so largely our punitive philosophy, and
advocating the philosophy of reforma-
ton, it insisted, in. the before-men-
toned book, that the first aim of the
state should be to insist, as far as
possible, on restitution and reparation
to the injured. With this end in view
| the league has stubbornly maintained
| that offenders should be given the
right to earn money, without which
restitution would be in most cases i'm
| possible In fact. the league has as the
last of its three exceedingly brief de-
carations of principles the following
Restraint to be for the sole purpose
of protecting society and reforming
the offender"
Thirty states have now juvenile pro-
baton and twenty states adult pro-
baton laws, and it is to be noted that
Mr.. Roosevelt, while president sent
| special message to congress urging
! the enactment of federal probation
! law. In line with which was Mr..
Taft's recent statement that through
out this country the administration of
the criminal law and the prosecution
of crime are a disgrace to our ciVili-
| zatiOn -