Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-15
SUGGEST CURES
FOR CR|M|NAL|TY
Prison Association Convention
Discusses Causes, Prevention
and Punishment of Offences.

and Punishment of Offences.
INDIANAPOLIS. Oct. 15.-Youthful
criminals should not be confined in
prisons. where contact with the VIC
ious will impel them to a life OF
crime. but should be given work IN
the open, work of the kind to which
they are naturally inclined, is the
opinion of r. B. Chadwick, superin-
tendent of Dependent and Neglected
Children for Alberta, Canada.
Mr.. Chadwicks views were voiced
before the American Prison Associa-
ton at it's annual meeting here In an
address today entitled "outside Work
as a Preventive Measure and as
a Reformatory Method"
The committee on reformatory
work and parole, in its report, dwelt
upon the need of greater specialism
in criminal work and the segregation
of different classes of law-breakers.
The petty offender, often young,
weak and impressionable. it recon-
mends. should not be subjected to
the dangers of association with har-
dened criminals. The report then
says:
To Safeguard Girls.
This is the time when all our ma
chinery should be perfected to safe
guard our children-especially our
girls-the community knows, it needs
no repetition here, that the unpro-
tected feeble-minded girl Is a great
er source of evil in community
than a youth of the same class.
institutions for women of which
I have any knowledge, If the Ia
inevitable results of neglect of this
class were taken out of them, would
show an amazing decrease in their
population. Even with careful pro-
vision for sufficient custodial care Of
this class of weak-minded, there will
be a percentage that will slip
through, and for this reason, If no
other there should be the examina-
ton into the social, mental and moral
conditions of those brought before
the courts before sentence Is passed
upon them by the magistrate or
Judge"
No human Judge can fix intelli-
gently the penalty criminal should
pay for his crime in the opinion OF
w. II. Berry for six years MEM
Der of the Iowa Board of Parole;
and only the judge of all the earth
has a right to say, the soul that
sinneth. 1t shall die"
Nor should punishment be the OBJ
ject of enforcing penalties, accord
ing to Mr.. Berry; rather, punish
ment should be an indirect result
with reformation the object. For
one prisoner may have but moral
whooping cough and may soon be
ta q
leper and may never be cured; vet
both may be discharged together I'M
der the present method of admins
tering justice in many States.
Indeterminate Sentence, the Cure.
The palliative for the long train
of moral disorders that lie in the trail
of the fixed sentence. in Mr.. Berry
opinion, Is the indeterminate sentence
In his address today Mr.. Berry added
| that it would be better still for
| judges simply to sentence criminals
| to imprisonment and leave to another
| tribunal, inferentially the Board o.
! Parole, the task of determining how
| long the sentences should be.
| 1.-The average criminal Is an I'M
known man to the grand jurors who
| indicted him, to the county attor-
ney who prosecuted him, to the jurors
by whose verdict he was found guilty,
and the judge who pronounced the
sentence. AS rule the only facts
revealed by the trial are those con-
nected with the commission of the
particular offense with which he is
charged; no judge, however learned,
however just, however honest. can
tell how long the average man
should be confined in order to ac-
/ tetz nf nhjnOfQ
| the infection of the penalties of the
| law.
| 1.-THE man before the judge and
| Jury is presumed to be innocent, Is
entitled to that presumption until he
| has exhausted all the means pro-
vided by law to prevent his final con-
viction. No judge when he pro-
nounces sentence on the prisoner has
| q right to demand of the prisoner
that he shall reveal himself and his
| history, for the reason that there
are steps which may yet be taken
that may result In his acquittal; to
compel the prisoner to disclose his
history and thereby give evidence
against himself would be not only
contrary to law, but a great injus-
tice. How can the sentencing judge
know or guess whether three or
thirty years is nat the prisoner De-
fore him for sentence should receive
in order to accomplish his reforma-
ton or deter him from repeating or
deter others from committing crime
"Those suffering from the minor
troubles should as soon as they have
given evidence of recovery and been
incarcerated long enough to impress
them with the seriousness of their
offense and to operate to deter others
from like offenses, be allowed their
liberty under safeguards which will
as best we can guard against re-
lapses. While such as do not should.
as In the case of physical and mental
arrangement be kept in charge of
the State and isolated from their fell
lows"