Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-07-29
0RKSWELL
State Probation Commission Is
Lauded by New York.
Experiment Has Proved In Every Way
Worthy, and Authorities Are
Unanimous In Opinion That
II Be Maintained.


-
One Of the most active of the small
departments of the New York state
government. is the state probation
commission. AS shown by a recent
report OF the state departments pre-
pared for the benefit of the constitu-
tional convention by the department
of efficiency and economy and the
New York bureau of municipal re-
search this commission is entirely sep
arate in its organization and duties
from any other state department. It
has a large and unique field, namely,
that of developing, extending and i'm
proving probation work in all the
courts of the state.
Probation is defined as a system by
which a court seeks to supervise, dis
cipline and reform offenders without
branding them as prisoners and with
out sentencing them to Jail or prison.
1t is intended especially for the young
or first offenders. 1t is used in all
kinds of courts and for all sorts of
offenses, but it is perhaps of greater
Importance in the juvenile court. Pro-
baton has been called the right arm
of the juvenile court"
The first probation law in the state
was enacted in 1901. Following the
enactment of this law probation work
in the courts developed slowly and
~irregularly throughout the state. A
special commission to study the work
was authorized by the legislature of
1905; ten men and four women were
appointed on this commission by Gov
ernor Higgins. The commission made
a thorough inquiry and presented a
report the following year. Out of its
work and recommendations grew the
present state probation commission.
The commission was created by the
legislature in 1907. Homer Folks has
been president of the commission since
it's creation. Frank E. Wade, another
of the original commissioners, is now
vice-president. The other members
are Edward c. Blum of Brooklyn
Edmund j. Butler of New York, Judge
Alphonso T. Clearwater of Kingston
and DR.. John T. Finley, commission
er of education. The present secretary
of the commission is Charles l.. Chute
who succeeded Arthur W. Towne in
1913.
Some of the work The commission
has accomplished toward extending
and developing the probation system
in the state is indicsted by the follow
ing facts: When the commission
began its work in 1907 there were
were 1920 persons of all ages on pro
baton. At the end of 1914 there wert
1925. Besides assisting in thii
great extension, the commission hal
constantly urged discrimination in tn,
selection of cases and the all impor
lance of careful and thorough work OF
the part of probation officers.
The report of the commission eS
tending over seven years show tina
more than 10 per cent of all person
placed on probation are reported b
the probation officers each year a
completing their terms of probatio
successfully and being discharged wit.
improvement.
The cost of the state prisons, pen.
t~entiaries, adult and juvenile reforma
tories, for maintenance alone in 1911
was $2,292,349. This takes no az
ooYoA ~ tbo uoct sums avpoDdo5 I,
lands, buildings and equipment and tn
sums spent annually for repairs an
new construction. The average dali
population Of the institution
throughout the year was 11,414, mall
ing the per capita cost for a year
confinement $20O.83. The entire es
timated cost of the probation syster
for the year 1919 was $253.675. Thi
includes salaries paid to all probatio.
officers, an estimate of their expense
and the total appropriations to tn
; state probation commission, whic
amounted to only $4,000. The ave.
age number on probation Throughout
the year was 8,4S5 persons. There
fore, the average per capita cost of
years probation was only $29.92, les
than one-sixth Of the average e.
pense for a years Imprisonment.
Besides the saving to the state an
: the various localities in dollars an
cents, there is a greater saving. If o
tenders can be safely allowed to n
l main in society and continue as pr
ductive members thereof, society
relieved of the burden of %supportin
: their innocent wives and children.