The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-07
EUROPEAN PRISONS
 WILL MAKE CHANGES
Indeterminate Sentence Is to
 Be Generally Used
PROBATION IS EXTENDED
Delegates to the Prison Congress Yield to Pressure and Adopt Measures for Handling the Youthful
 Criminals

Washington. October 6.-After op- posing for 30 years the efforts oi American criminologists to induce the international prison congress to in dorse the principle of the indeter- minate sentence which underlies the re- formatory system, the European mem bers of the congress today yielded and resolutions advocating this system were adopted.
 The resolutions declared that the in determinate sentence should be ap- piled to the mentally and morally de- fective and that 1t also should be ap- piled "as an important part of the re- formatory system to criminals, par ticularly young delinquents. who ac- quire reformation and whose offenses are due mainly to circumstances of an individual character"
 The introduction of the system. it was provided, should be continued on the following proposition;
 That prevailing notions of guilt and punishment are incompa tible with the principle of the indeterminate sentence lIldl dll treatment or the offender be assured; that the prison board be so constituted as to exclude all outside influences and to consist of a commission made up of at least one representative of the magistrary at least one representative of the prison administration and at least one rep resentative of medical science"
 It was declared to be advisable to fix the maximum duration of the sen- tence only during such period as 1t might be necessary because of the novelty of the institution and lack of experience with it.
 The foreign delegates are said to have been won over to the cause of the indeterminate sentence by observ- ing it's successful application during their 10 days tour of the country prior to the meeting of the congress Other important recommendations are:
 The extension of probation, with some central authority in each country to ex- ercise general supervision over probation work
 The consideration of participation in criminal acts or agreements as an aggra- vating circumstances and the augmenta- tion of the power of the courts to in- cerase the penalty for such offenses.
 Penal procedure for young delinquents different from that applied to adults. with special care for the welfare and with view to keeping the child as far removed as possible from the atmos- phere of court of prison
 Reformation treatment combined with system of liberation and parole under suitable guardianship and supervision on advice of suitable board with special treatment for sadolescent criminals suffi- ciently long to permit of the full applica- tion of all possible means of reformation
 Separate confinement as far as possible for prisoners awaiting trial and those serving short sentences.
 Making parents responsible for the wrong doing of their children; compell- ing fathers to support their children; al- lowing children to be taken from unfit homes and properly placed.
 The congress also recommends treaty agreements between all civilized states whereby each country should receive from the others notice of sentence pronounced such notice to form the basis of a special action of forfeiture of status by the courts of the offenders own country.
 banquet was rendered to the foreign delegates to the congress tonight by the United States government. Attorney Gen eral Wickersham representing the Presi- dent .A
 The international prison commission will meet tomorrow to select the place for the 1911 meeting and to chose a pres ident. In all probability London will be the scene of the next congress, and Sir Evelyn Ruggles Brise will succeed to the presidency. The congress will hold its final session Saturday.