The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-27
LOCALIZED PAROLE
SYSTEM IS URGED
Judge Gould Believes In SuS-
penoed Sentence for First
Offenders"

Offenders.
we are beginning 70 realize that the
sentences imposed by the courts do not
have the desired corrective force, and
that cher are thousands or 'Hrst-offen-
ders' 10 whom the opportunity Of prooa-
lion ana raroIe should be extended II
re UOui reclaim them Co society. The
purpose II the law in such cases is not
so much 10 punish as 10 correct Ex-
Te-ieucc has told AS that Correction Is
rarely possible inside Of prison walls;
CCusG@ueuII- il should be attempted out
side =leSe Institutions IN the form OF
suspended sentence
In 11.5s brlef paragraph Justice Ash
ley II. Gould, Of the District Supreme
court eDiCOm-ZIUC his belief in the need
III the District for q legally recognized
system CT probation and parole. along
the lines Of the legislation now pending
III Congress
Bill To Modernize System
That this praPosed legislation, known
ga the ca.cI.d7r If Congress as Senate
bin 1912. has yhv hearty Endorsement OF
Justice GOuiu ~ accepted oy its friends
ENACTMENT AT-,I THAI its passage Vys4la
so much II relieve the District Of Co
Iuu-bla 81 al. charge Of fostering .
= penal system -.- -ar removed from lle
tIleut-ra- is also a conclusion Lhai mas
Clown gul OF his legal experience Of
more Than twenty --earsr first - DIS
trlct Attc-H-y and then - q y 1ssl--s
presiding over the Districts hzneSl
criminal court Justice Gould has not
only witnessed The BENEFITS 40 many
E-st offenders o. his system o. sls-
pended sentence, bLL ne Del-tte7 tldS
legal procedure without probation ana
parole is entirely i'm perfect
L Is the first step lu the direction or
crime that counts TIE most says JGSl-te
Gould Let that sep be halted before
prison doors Close on the 0IenQer ana
The chance Of redemption IS uppeTTno7L-
But let the step GC repeated ana me ne
Cil1er ~ crime elbow his more hard
eEeG brother within prison walls ne
has passed lopelesSI- beyond me reach
OF society OF this Justice Gould Is
with him IL Is not empty theory =
is belief firmly implanted and sup
ported by specific cases spreading over
Tie Districts criminal court annals IN
The past twenty years Believing Ions
ago that The ends OF justice are pest
satisfied through an adEllNi-Ire OF Hl-
lEE1i.Es me vision and 5000 sense 't
parole appealed ID this dIS-lDz- llsLled
-lElsr And 60 sum Up Gls observations
today, Justice Gould says the procedure
cases is no longer on trial. Il has be
come a necessary and vital 1eaC-iTe o.
court -rlCe-
OF AL the cases IN his experience
where he offered this opportunity or
seIf-redem0tiou Justice Gould remerrf-
He-S but two that failed one was q
man and the other was a % 5uau- he
told BE- today 20 q reureSs NATIVE OF me
Times and with re--e- In one case that
The man had forfeited all confidence and
lad been sent away for q long term
As 10 the u1u-z-- although she mas
broken her parole once, he Stlil mas
hopes of her ultimate redemption
Fl an strongly I'm favor of q leEallzed
system Of parole for the District adds
ueriueur. and wherever this system has
been administered Sc has worked to the
good Of the community have applied
L IN numberLess cases where I thought
the o=e06a7 entitled TO another chance
and il b my belief that j. has cimin-
isEed the risk or further WT0uEoUlDE
instead OF increasing IT,
Offenders Worth Saving
4 The deeper question involved is
whether the Irs- offender, the man or
woman who sucrlmbs TO the first impulse
10 break the law, is worth saving 70
society r. or my part tnlHH 1l-eL are
+ have seen many fallen men ana WO-
men restored % good citizenship under
the proper influence and I VIII 90 on
believing thar such restoration IS pos
sibIe-
"A Judge on The bench must see the
wisdom Of EiHereurl8tlUE between the
confirmed criminal and the beginner in
crime While I believe that the first
class should Pc put out Of the way OF
weuacL1E soclatv-aud that OF course
means sentenced 10 terms that Mt their
criUeS-I also believe as strongly that
we may be reasonably certain 0f saving
the second class If we eurIoE the cor
receive method OF suspended sentence
And while T have never leslrated "a
administer this in cases I found, upon
invest cation. TO- be- deserving Yet ] am
Of the opinion that q legal system Of
ua-CIe is needed u would relieve the
VFsli eating these cases. and. moreover
would place in responsible hands the
duty 4 observing the effects Of the cor
TcCr5Ee force aimed at
Aside from the Endorsement Of the pro
posed parole system given by Justice
Could an exhaustive Investigation made
H- the Chamber OF Commerce. through
--s committee on laws and legislation.
IS offered as further testimony ~ the
need OF ITS eS-a Ueur as a District
institution As 20 this the report Of this
lDEesrlEa tT-z- committee says
Probation and parole FOR offenders
7EaluSr the law under sixteen years Of
aCe have been provided through the
Juvenile branch OF the District Police
Court (noT 6iscontiuuedJ and the
Juvenile Court FOR about six years
There the system has been administer-
ed worked easily and profita0Iy, and
has diminished the risk OF wTouEdoing
instead or increasing IT. But this IS
the only modern correctional method
which the present law Of the District
permits.
AS 20 III adult prisoners convicted
OF --lSCE-D5zLC- or crime the courts Of
either grade must either suspend sen
teuCe-UithOut satisfactory bond nledgl
Of good conduct system Of report.
or other restraining iDGuence-or com