The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-02-08
JUDGE SHERWOOD HAS NEW RE
FORM
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until reformed. or should they not be
sentenced sufficiently long at some re-
formatory institution to put those peo-
pie on their feet, if ii can be done, or
separate them and keep them at work
for the state if hopeless so far as re-
formation is concerned? Most of these
people if they had compulsory service
would more than pay their way, and
would never become a public charge"
The latest statistics show that de-
nearly double to normal men and wo-
men. So that the proportion of de
fectives is increasing in an alarming
tanner above that of normal and
efficient people. Add to this the class
that may be called "slackers" and we
have an appalling array of men and
women that must be dealt with in
some new way. Among these are
mentioned young men of low moral
development who marry girls because
they cannot ruin them and then fail
to support them and desert them,
leaving them with one or more chill
dren. This class needs compulsory
employment and to be taught the
duties of caring for their own families.
Regarding the value of military
training:
thought of compulsory military train
ing which will add to their efficiency
and be a necessary ingredient in their
education, and may make reliable sol
diers out of a class that would other
wise be dangerous"
Judge Sherwood has looked well in
to the future in this connection:
81 am making some of these sug-
gestions as dreams for the future. If
the principle can be established now,
] think the entire matter can he work
ed out"
The title of the bill is more fully ex-
planned in quoting the author:
I'm the title of the bill | have used
the word between the penitentiary
and reform school. The word inter
mediate should be used instead of
between ! think. There probably are
other changes in phraseology that
should be made"
The suspended sentence has been
used considerably by the Judge, who
refers to 1t as follows:
81 have used the suspended SEN
tence with excellent results in a large
majority of cases, but | find that the
suspended sentence accumulates so
many people that the court is obliged
to look after, and, unless they are look
ed after and the suspended sentences
enforced or the people are %encourag-
ed, the effect of the suspended sen
tence wears off and the best results
are not obtained. The courts are so
burdened with work now that it is I'M.
possible in justice to the number of
cases of suspended sentences that will
accumulate. Besides this. the judges
have no stenographers to write their
letters. the official stenographers not
being employed private stenographers
and the official stenographers them.
selves are burdened with work in all
the heavy circuits where the largest
number of suspended sentences would
be made. And this institution could
be used in connection with the state
parole officer If any. and as a sort OF
guardian or parole officer for those
men and women who are out on parole
or suspended sentence and the parole
or suspended sentence thereby be
made much o effective. and it
could be used in connection with this
institution"
1890 ~