Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-11-22
MEMBER OF STATE BOARD DIS
cussEs BENEFITS AND DE.
FEcTs OF STATUTE.
MEN GIVEN CHANCE
UNDER PRESENT SYSTEM
No Hope and No Incentive to Better
Things Under Old Plan Of Definite
Sentenees-5oarG Releases About
Two Thirds Of Prisoners Before
Completion of Terms


ness session Of the Iowa conference
Of charities and correction. which
opened here yesterday. Was held today
sSi,h a largely increased attendance.
This was followed by conference on
Detectives and Insane presided over
by w. j. DIXON. chairman OF the board
ii control OF state institutions. MIR.
Dixon in his address discussed En-
ployment of Prisoners in Iowa"
\ conference on corrections was
conducted under the Craftsmanship Of
the Rev. Charles Parsons of Water
loo. and addresses were delivered ty
+. f F'ayille. Storm Lake. and d. T.
Mott Of Marengo. \ conference on
charities and children was on the pro-
gram FOR this afternoon with Miss
Bessie A. McClanahan, of Iowa City
as chairman Miss Ada n Palmer of
Gr!nnen. and. Mrs. w Z. Holmes. of
Sioux City, and DR.. George 3. Man
soid, q s.. Louis, are to deliver ad-
dresses on subjects connected with
the WORK
The conference program for today
viii close with a night mass meeting
at which DR. Mangold Is 70 deliver the
principal address. The conference VIII
ad5oUro tomorrow night.
Parole System Discussed.
Hon p c. Mott. of Narengo mem
her Of the state board Of parole, de-
livered an address on the subject The
Iowa Parole System Its Advantages
and Defects. He said
The Iowa parole system IS based
on the Hesitation enacted in 1907 pro-
v.d!Dc for The :ndeternirate sentence
w.th IL maximum time. and also pro-
viding for the parole - prisoners pre-
vious 10 the expiration Of that maxi
mann time. Previous TO 1907 our courts
had been imposing definite sentences.
those sentences marking the length OF
time the judges thought the prisoners
should be imprisoned Tor the offenses
they had committed The Judge could
sentence man guilty Of larceny 10
any time not to exceed 4vc years. but
il had TO ~ fer definite time. In
most cases I was for a year, two years.
Or some such period Under those
comparatively short. definite sentences
there was little room for parole and IL
was natural for the sentiment 10 pre-
vail that q prisoner Should serve out
MS time. Notwithstanding this. for
the last few years previous TO 1907
nota My under Governors Shaw and
CImmiTs, rnany suspended sentences
were granted, releasing prisoners be-
fore they had completed their ;ndef-
mite sentences releasing them much as
they are nov released on parole. How
ever the parole system Of the state
was not legally launched in Iowa un-
I'll il was provided for and linked with
is counterpart the :ndeterminate
sentence.
An lnportan. Advance
In trying 10 discuss this subject az
given NE, It seems Impossible 10
separate the parole system from its
natural counterpart OF complement. the
indeterminate sentence. for parole does
not commence until the sentence. under
the indeterminate plan, is made TO end.
The first act in paroling IS deternin
ing when the sentence shall end.
l VIII not take time 10 discuss the in
determinate sentence except TO say its
Introduction marks the most important
single step in the man agement of
criminals in the past century Con
siderably over half the states Of our
Union now have the indeterminate
sentence Others have its adoption
under consideration ard rot a single
state. once adopted il, has repealed il
Every eminent c-iminologist in
America and nearly every one in the
old world. unqualifedly approves it as
the rational and scientific way Of
sentencing criminals. making the
length of prison service St the man. in
most instances, rather than the crime
Iowa's Charity Wards.
w j. Dixon. chairman Of the state
board OF control. delivered an interest
ing paper a the conference OF chart
ties and correction this morning on the
care Of those who are confined in the
state institutions. Among other things
Chairman Dixon said:
The better class of patients in ne
insane hospitals in Iowa are employed
in farming taking care Of stock. Itork-
ing in gardens and helping take care
Of the buildings Others help prepare
and serve food
Each hospital mas we'll conducted
sewing room and some of them have
classes in embroidery and rug weav-
ing. Other patients are employed in
repairing shoes. harness. furniture.
painting of buildings. concrete and
mason work. Some of the patients do
considerable work. Others again work
so slowly and are so feeble in health
that the average value Of their labor
would not be much. Some effort has
been made to find employment for the
most violent and even the untidy pa