Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-12-09
Board of Charities Wants Pris-
oners Committed for In
determinate Periods.
REPORTS FOR THE YEAR
ON D. c. INSTITUTIONS
Attention Again Is Directed to Over
crowded Conditions at the
District Jail.

| The greatest barrier to the reforma-
ton of prisoners at the present time is
the system of short sentences, declares
the board of charities in it's annual re-
port for the fiscal year ended June 80
| last. as submitted to the District Com
missioners today
1T is perfectly obvious that while i'm
provement may be effected in some
cases. that in the vast majority of in
stances no substantial reformation can
be accomplished in periods of 10. Is or
80 days" the report states. "One of
the results Of the present system OF
short sentences is the repeated commit
ment of the same persons. These fire.
quent rearrests and new trials and
commitments are a source of annoy
ance and considerable expense to the
community and they make it practi
| cally impossible to effect substantial
| reformation in the prisoners them
| selves
For Indeterminate Sentences.
| To overcome this evil the board
| recommends that the indeterminate
sentence and parole system be provid-
ed by law for the prisoners now sent
| to the workhouse, just is done in the
| case of prisoners sentenced to the penl-
| Tertiary. Under such a system, it is
| declared. prisoners would be sentenced
| for maximum of possibly two years
| and be subject to parole upon record
| of good conduct at any time prior to
| the expiration of the maximum period.
| Such a system, it is pointed out, would
make it possible to keep prisoners
!
! stantial reformation, and 1T would at
| the same time make it possible for the
| parole authorities to release prisoners
| just as soon rs it was evident that they
| were likely to abstain from further Of
| fense 1t is stated it would be neceS-
| sary in this connection to provide for
| competent parole officers who would
| have supervision of prisoners until
| their release and up until the time of
| the expiration of the maximum SEN
| tence. With other things it would
be the duty of such officers to see that
| employment was provided for prisoners
upon their release.
Direct Commitments Urged.
1t is recommended that instead of
prisoners sentenced to Occoquan first
being transferred to the Washing ton
Asylum and Jail, and from that insti-
tuition transferred to Occoquan. the
court should be authorized to COM
| init directly to the workhouse. and that
| the prisoners should not go to jail
after trial 1t is declared that institu-
| ton should be used merely as a place
| of detention for prisoners awaiting
trial or disposition by the court.
There has been no marked change In
the number of inmates at Occoquan
| during the past three years. For the
| fiscal year 1913 the daily average popu-
lation was $40, for 1914 it was 644.
while for 1915 it was 622. The actual
number Of persons committed during
the past year was 6,472, compared
with $3.50 in the preceding year OF the
| total number Of prisoners committed
| during the year 3,405 were committed
| for terms of thirty days, 1928 were
committed for terms of fifteen days.
while sixty-four were committed for
terms of less than fifteen days.
Activities Of the Farm.
| Attention is called to the marked
progress in the development of the
AGRICULTURAL and industrial activities.
Ten thousand nine hundred and thirty
nine gallons of milk. valued at s2,351. SO,
were shipped to the Washington Asy-
lum Hospital, and 1888 gallons were
consumed at the institution. Pork. beef
and poultry to the value of s5,054.40
and miscellaneous farm products to the
value of $10.76s.59 were raised and con-
sumed. brics 70 NE % - {
were shlppeu - os h,,;id loa ioi use IN
Iie toit 49, and sewar u,orL ~ ~
various departments of the District
ss,annfantured at Occoouan were nsed
| in the construction of the new Central
High school.
| new plant for raising hogs in the
| most approved sanitary method, in ac-
1nartuent nf Agricnitnre ~, ~ sie
provideo. rms piant occupies ABOUT
en- raising from / 200 70 , 0oo bnss .
| wear
New Chicken Farm.
A ne" chicheH ldfHi mas peeH laiu