The Spectator., 1915-07-27
SYSTEM WORKS WELL
State Probation Commission Is
 Lauded by New York.
Experiment Has Proved In Every Way Worthy, and Authorities Are Unanimous in Opinion That
 1t 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 recent report on 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 im- proving probation work in all the courts of the state.
 Probation is defined as a system by which court seeks to supervise. dis cipline and reform offenders without branding them as prisoners and with out sentencing them to jail or prison. It is intended especially for the young or first offenders. It 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 bation 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 report the following year. Out of it's work and recommendation grew the present state probation commission The commission was created by the legislature in 1907 Homer Folks has been president of the commission since its creation. Frank E. Wade, another of the original commissioners, is now vice-president. The other members are Edward c. Blum of Brooklyn. Edmund ]. Butler of New York. Judge Aiphonso T. Clearwater of Kingston and Dr. John T. Finley, commission CT of education. The present secretary of the commission is Charles l.. Chute who succeeded Arthur w. Towne in 1913.
 Some of the work he commission has accomplished toward extending and developing the probation system in the state is indicated by the follow ing facts: When the commission itc in were 1,620 persons of all ages on pro bation. At the end of 1914 there were 10,925. Besides assisting in this great extension, the commission has constantly urged discrimination in the selection of cases and the all impor tance of careful and thorough work on the part of probation officers
 The report of the commission ex- tending over seven years show that more than 70 per cent of all persons placed on probation are reported by the probation officers each year as completing their terms of probation successfully and being discharged with improvement.
 The cost of the state prisons, peni tentiaries, adult and juvenile reforma. tories for maintenance alone in 1913 was s2.292, ,349. This takes no ac- count of the vast sums expended in lands, buildings and equipment and the sums spent annually for repairs aud new construction. The average daily population of the institutions throughout the year was 11.414. mak- ing the per capita cost for a years confinement s200.S3. The entire es- timated cost of the probation system for the year 1919 was S253.675. This