The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-28
Warden Codding Declares State
Prison Morale Weakened.
Says Resignation Caused by
Lack of Cooperation.
DEFENDS THE PAROLE LAW
OF s,sa6 Paroled Only 6ss Have
Broken Word.
Declares District Courts Release
Many Persons They Convict.

Lansing, Kan. Dec. 2s-'Failure
on the part of the state paroIing pow
er to release the men who should be
out have weakened our prison dis
cipline, negatived the constructive
work of the prison in fitting men for
citizenship. has lowered the morale of
the institution and has been q step
backwards in prison management"
This Is the statement of ]. X. Cod
ding. HRrden Of the state penitentiary
here who resigned last August and
who will quit office at the close of
the 1921 legislature. In q public state
ment recently Warden Codding said
he resigned principally because he has
not been able to obtain the corpora
ton of state officials in releasing pris-
oners on parole
Inmates ON Increase.
'The criticism made against the
| board of paroles and the governor,
| that they have released too many on
parole is unjust and untrue" Codding
declares. During the past fiscal year
we have received 4S7 men into the in
stttutiou and during that time the gov
ernor has paroled q. and the board
| 70. a total of 146. We have 500 more
men in the institution now than we
| had two years ago, and the number is
| still increasing. In my opinion both
| the governor and the board should
have paroled more men during the
| last year
On April 6. 1917, 500 prisoners were
in the Kansas penitentiary, and on
| November II. 1913, nineteen months
later. only 491. according to Warden
| Codding. During the year 1917, the
| governor of Kansas released 5 life
| men for war service: in 1918, IS were
released, in 1919, 4 were released, and
| in 1929, none. In 1917. rs men
| charged with grand larceny were re-
| leased; in 1918, IS were released: in
i Z
| life men released during the war failed
| to make good and are now back in
| the institution.
But Few Failures.
| Outlining the history of the parole
system in Kansas, Codding says:
| For over twenty years the parole
law has been in operation in Kansas.
During that time 2.S26 paroles have
| been granted This includes two-or
| three releases to the same man in a
| number of instances. Only $50 men
| have broken the terms of their pa
trole. Ten per cent of this number.
| 343, violated their parole by failure
to report; 296 or per cent by get
| ting drunk or committing some Of
| Tense violated their paroles The per
cent of parole violations for all these
years has been II per cent During
the last year only 9 per cent of the
men released violated their paroles.
| Most of the criticism in regard to
the parole system has /been directed
| against the board and governor, but if
any mistakes have been made, they
are not alone involved.
Courts Parole More.
From 81 counties in Kansas for
| the fiscal year ending June 80, 1920,
/ the clerks of the district courts report
to me-161 persons were sentenced to
| pay fine and of this number III
| were paroled by the courts OF 299
| who were sentenced By the courts to
Jail sentences, 271 were paFoled by the
courts. Why they did not make ii
unanimous the reports do not indicate
/ of 373 sentenced by the district courts
\ of the 81 counties, TO the reforInatory
1877 We're paroled by the district court
and of 318 sentenced TO the peniten-
tiary the courts paroled S.
II These figures do not indicate that
the courts did wrong, but it does show
that their per cent of numbers paroled
far exceeds that of the board and
governor.
Nothing TO Criticise.
There is nothing to criticise about
the state parole law or its administra-
ton, other than our disposition at the
present time to listen to a few reac-
tionaries who desire to bark back tc