Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-22
SMALL PER GENT OF PARoLED
IOWA PRISONERS GO
WRONG.
PRISON POPULATION e
SHOWING INCREASE
MSre Men Being Punished Because Of
New offenses Put in Penal Code by
Lesislaturs-At Least 800 on Parole
All the Time-Bosrd Makes Annual
Report to Governor.

k Des Mpines, Nov. 22.--In it's annual
report to the governor the state board
of parole presents some interesting
statistics. OF the 297 prisoners pa
rolled in the biennial period from July
l, 1914, to June 80, 1916, only 1926 per
cent failed to make good. OF the more
than 1900 prisoners paroled since the
board of parole was first established
in 1907, 31,s1 per cent have been de-
faulters.
. There have been more commitments
to the penitentiary and reformatory
the past two years than in the previous
two years largely because the legisla-
ture keeps adding to the list of Of
lenses which are made crimes in the
eyes of the law. Among these are the
following: Carrying concealed weapons
bootlegging (third offense), desertion
Of the family, escaping from prison
camp or from parole.
Hundreds Of men have been helped
back into normal and right living by
means of the agencies and methods
employed by the parole aboard Thru
the findng2of employment for the pa
rolled person, the monthly reports OF
the paroles, the visitation and super
vision and encouragement given bysthe
board, it's secretary and its agents,
many men who have fallen into error
are being Strengthened out.
Many on Parole All the Time.
THE time has now come when there
are at least 300 on parole all the time,
says the report. The list is being
const family added to by new paroles
and taken from those who have de-
faulted and by those for whom recon-
mendatfors for final discharge, upon
the satisfactory conduct on parole of a
year or more, have been made. The
heavier work Of supervision has re-
qufred the employment of another.p "a
role agent so that the board nowt has
two active and efficient men who are
constantly busy in finding employ
ment and in placing paroled prisoners.
and in visiting them when on parole.
Among the 800 there are always some
who need visiting and encouraging or
who need advising and correcting and
frequently one who loses his job or
who has to have new job found for
him" Al
The board points out that In the BIZ
ennial period 1923 paroles were made
from Anamosa and It's from Fort Mad
ison. The reason for this is stated by
the board as follows:
while the prison population OF the
two institutions is approximately the
same we have been granting almost
twice as many paroles to Anamosa as
to Fort Madison prisoners. This comes
nrgeH from the fact that theS reforma
tory contains only first termers, with
few exceptions, and also young men,
while the reporters and the Older men
are sent to the penitntiary.
1T would seem the chances for max
ing good for a young man surviving
his first term are immensely better
than those for an older man, especially
if the older man is serving his second.
third or fourth term" ii
The board says, however, that" after
the experiences we have had. while we
are convinced that the expectancy for
the often convicted man making good
on parole is very much less than the
first convicted one, yet we know there
are exceptions. The modern theory of
NATURALIZATION of prisoners is the
right one. Each prisoner deserves and
receives personal investigation and
consideration, regardless Of any class
In which he may have been placed"
Concerning the percentage of de-
faulters on parole the board, among
other things says:
1t Is easily apparent that the per-
centage Of defaulters on parole is
made larger or smaller by reason of
several factors, length OF parole period
required, number and character Of the
rules imposed on those paroled. the
strictness or liberality of the enforce
ment Of the rule, the helpfulness of the
supervision given, etc. so it is not
possible to compare the results in one
state with those in another without
knowing all these elements
In Iowa the law requires the pa
rolee to be kept on parole at least ono
year Some other states only require
him kept six months. In Iowa the pa
role board is not permitted to release a
prisoner on parole unless it has EN- +
ployment for him. Many other states
allow them to go and hunt their own
employment.
In our state the parole board has
several rules calculated to help to bet
ter living and the observance of which
is an Indication Of reformation and the
starting OF a better life, such as the abb
stinence from the use of Intoxicating
liquors. Some other states consider
their PAROLES making good so long as
they avoid arrest. From consider
able knowledge Of the systems of. pa
role and supervision as used in most Of
the other states and Of the3results, we
believe the system used in Iowa and