The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
letting THE CRIMINAL GO.
iuITFOI NDWIrH SUSPENDED
FENCES AND PAROLES.


tn albany Adaress apeeamea Caaea.
1Es >UN oG August last publiahsd q
~ cases in which sentence was sun-
,endrd ny the Judges of 0enssal Sessions
4. AIRING the nFst seven montha &C InOo.
ne tDtal Was e7s. n the Same raae had
A been ,untiuued during the rsst az the year
\ he numher of suspended sentences would
Aavs leen LIZA. Az q matter of fnot tho
A ai- decreased after the ngsarcs were palb-
. i.hed. so that the actual total was 60.
vhirh was l7s less than the number for
Ise
THIS fact wa notsd In q paper read
~ Assistant District Attorney Charles
c Mott. IT.. at ths annual mestinG of the
Isoc,afton of Dassrtcs Asscrusys os the
Sate hold &C Albany. Mr.. Meta quoted
tAes~ figures among other facss which he
rrssensed with the purposs % showing
hat the custom % suspsRding sentence
AMI rts complainant, the probation sys-
pm, was an incompstsRt means of dsal-
nc With crime in the county % New York.
The fAult lee. ssid Mr.. Noet. In the aasi-
uds Of the courts toward psrsoas con-
ucted a. crime.
-ThS idea seems to pisvail.' he d.
dared. that the object az punishmsns
the reformation az the individual and
hat tho discerning al oshsrs from the
commission of crime h only an lncidsnt
'hersto. and In Of such relative unim-
rrr'anco tlnas N should not hs aH,owna
20 interfere with the main objoct 70 he
attained. the information Of tho lnAi-
v,dual
The administration % our prisona,
tho manner and naothod % dealing with
esrsons about On be sentenced. the sen-
snoes that may he imposed. all show this
'sndcncy. In, our prisons the stripes
lave been ahandonsd Cor frst ofrendsrs.
ne prisonsrs' heads are no longer sha we'd.
he lock-sep b abclished. Prisoners serv-
g indetev,ninats sentences are uniformly
i,-charged ON the completion of thsir
l. ninhum sentences. REGARDLESS of the
sAturs or Nervousness OF their crime, IL
nlv their individual conduct in prison
Va heeu satisfactory
Mr. Mott did not deprecats the Use OF
oil rossible means To refoFm the indiv idual
shen il Was not contrary TO the aAAin
,bisct Of Punisbmsnt the safeguarding
n the community by dsterring Others
rom the commission OF crime But
Tvsiem has grown.
rtls meaning 20 the ms jority oS the bar
aid Mr.. Mott. and was alEnoes unknown
- the public. AZ the present time ie n
safe Ia -ay thai h h a. vel Recognised
y the public % a feature Of our criminal
sdm,nisiTat'en % = q plea OF guilty OF .
me figures TOR suspended sentences
ier Tho last stx yeare SIRE 80 follows: 1904.
M ieai, an. lNs. so; isoT. ia: leps,
too and le09. esz.
FOR the sake Of argument Mr. Mott
ss-umed that the average ma ximum
'erm for which the defendants could have
H~.n Sentenced vas stN years and at this
ale al the end of the year leUa there
we're 4.Ssl convicted criminals seill on
-.srOle in this cssunty.
When 30 reaIize.- said Mr.. Mott.
''la, this assembly % oOnvicts u paroled
~ the cusfssdy 81 five probation officers
-ayrrul Of whom are women and none
NJ whom are -cieatifiC criminoIogiSts or
7~'pls OF any extraordinary force or
.--rsonality tee govern snch . body IL IL
II surprising N crime n naid To be on the
,'yease in New Work county. Nor u
astonishing whsr each probation Ofloer
1-- under hts OF her SUPPOSED survstl-
met the probation system 40 nov ad-
nlp'stered bscones y mere farce"
W Mott gave several examples OF the
~ The system has been known TO work
HN-r sentence N suspended tho prisoner
allOWed to 20 with the understanding
- he shall report az stated intervals
he probation Officer. When these re-
IRIS oeass tho probation officer takes Il
80 granted. says Mr.. Mott. tina. the
-srresB' IA doing well.
" he u rearrestsst. pros'ahl y under
''pther name, there ~ no way " identt-
rng him with certainty. In the case 81
{" Italian paroled from State prison no
EAs required 20 make q report Cnce q
npnth on blanks furnished him Tor that
PURPOSE Ne has had "a tell among other
hinge how he vas spending the time
ErNn he wasn't working. This time.
Z" rhing to the ltsiian's Statement. vas
E-rf in reading -unoes Tom's CABIN
~ seven or eight months he was doing
- ans thing. until Il was found that
No hsndwTiting N the report had changed
f@ Italian had gone hack 10 Italy. leev
~ 18th friend the task Of sending hin
-spsrts.
n-a man out under suspsndsd sentences
-. nv he v.% b n So nv IN. ths.srs
10 tetsndant knocked down the man |
tHd COX his watch after striking the !
"a an m the face. He had = record ~
@-~ral previous couvict6ons. The pre- |
Nv sbs D.,r ap1 a,, 81 % o0a y
Isrs .uslly and stated that he would test |
- 1urt's right to suspend sentences. !
Gender was sent to the psnitentiaEy I
'F 'a months.
'h'r defendant wss indicted - . I
- ohend-r. He was q professional /
pr ."ket and pleaded guilty TO grand |
afn-. IN the hnst deRrss ~ q first Of |
I-f1. Sentencs was then slanpanAed. |
r7u who had bsen convicted twiee Tor 4
mEa" nc the morals % boys was allowed |
"a u the theory that u would ~ndnngar |
-' '"r'als u any penal in.@titution 20 |
~rd I'm To n. NOt long afssrwnrd tbs /
nsf va convicted % q similar offence.
i"fendaut under four indsctments \
~ grand larceny involving from so, 90 /
70 = p0 pleadsd guilty 10 one lndlot- |
~" and although no rUntitutiou wa8
mai s"ntcnoS waR alfApHnda0 a9nlnae /
~ Eorous protests Of the C0mplain- |
shs chauffeur serllrk q driver during |
~ - nike e i9le and hurt him % 9egtou14iY l
NJ 'n" injured man was In The hospital |
w ~ ~ral weeks.
''u Ne stand he danied ths ausaule A
M uhO corrObornted the chmuFsuFis /
- arfrnqYaa rflur f..uIus1Ns4fasmN Rmr The Il