The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-23
PROBATION SYSTEM
SAVES MUCH MONEY
Relieves State of Expense
of Supporting Prisoners
at Windsor
BOARD OF CHARITIES
AND PROBATION WORK

Has 726 Persons Under Its Supervision
leo of Them Are Practitioners
Earning $4,000 Amnually-Other
Figures.
MONTPELIER. April 232-The
biennial report of 1920 of the board of
charities and probation. pages : and -
show that on July l, 1913. the department
had under its supervision from the various
courts and prisons, a total OF IlZ persons.
July l. 1919. there were 4St; July /.
1920. GA: March !, 1921. 126. There
was a gain of - cases from July I. 1870.
to March ]. 1921. OF the GA cases June
30. 1920. 400 were probati0ncrS from the
courts under sentence to the state prison
and house of correction and PHI were
parolerS from the states prison and house
of cOrrecti0n-that is, persons who had
served at least a portion Of their prison
sentence The increase for the past few
months has come about owing to the
industrial depression which now exists.
4 paroler is one who has been released
from the prison on a conditional pardon.
4 probati0uer is one who has been found
guilty of a crime and released on proba-
tion on such conditions as the court may
prescribe
The biennial report of the director of
state institutions shows that the net
weekly cost of maintenance of the in
mates of the states prison and house of
mate If the Dab parolerS under the
supervision of the board had been contin-
ued in prisons to which they had been
sentenced, the weekly expense would be
$1.120.23. or $1S.251 so annually. This
has to do only with those who are re
leased from the prisons upon parole and
there are more persons upon parole than
the total number now in the prison and
house of correction.
Cost of Maintenance
Now take up the 4S3 probationcrS in
order to understand the financial saving
to the state, leaving out of consideration
all other expense OF all of these 4S3
practitioners little more than 400 are
under sentence to the state prison and
house of correction and around - juve-
nile dehuquentS are under sentence 10 the
state Industrial school. None of these
have served any time. but must go 10 the
institutions unless. under the supervision
Of this department, they are able to make
good on the outside The cost of main
tenance at Eergenncs does not materially
differ from that at the prisons. SO that
the entire body of probati0nerS might
properly be charged at the same weekly
expense. namely S4.61. or a total weekly
expense of S2.226G3 or at the rate of
S11J.7S4 7G. Without adding to this the
$5S,25l.96 annually saved on the care of
paroler>. which would have brought the
grand total mp to Sl14, 03672.
During the month of December the
board of charities and probation sent out
to their pr0batiOnPrS and parOlerS an
inquiry slip covering the question Of EN-
plOyment and wages being earned. They
received a definite statement from 30
women which indicated that the average
weekly wage was S9.4J. In many of
these cases the wages stated did not in
Clude board and room, which were fur
niShed with their employment and which
would have materially and properly in
and two men reported an average weekly
wage Of S25.32. which would give an an
Hual earning ability of these 3GI of
little more than S467 900.
If the Juvenile deinqucnts had been
sent directly to Ecrgennes instead Of be
ing placed under supervision, the present
legislature would have been called upon
for an appropriation sufficient to construct
enough new buildings for their accommo-
datiOn and an additional maintenance
cost of more than $1,000 annually. and
if the more than 400 pr0bationers had been
sent to Windsor on the sentence which
they are now under, it can readily be
seen what a tremendous building program
would be necessary and the very large
additional appropriation that would be
required for their maintenance.
This tremendous saving and service to
the man. to the family, to the state costs
about $4,000 annually.
No New Principles.
1t has been asserted that probation es-
fabllsheS new principle of justice, that
with it retribution and punishment
cease and that Justice gives consideration
only to the rebuilding of the career of the
individual convicted. Probation has not
changed the principles of Justice but
merely the practices of penology. Justice
means that we must give each man his
due. Probation includes the upbuilding
of character of the offender. but it does
not exclude retrbutive justice. Outlines
justice must punish severely. State Pro
baton Officer Jeffrey insists upon this
The ancient theory that restitution is
part of justice still remains in the
courts. If a man has deprived another
of his property or has destroyed what be-
longs to his neighbor, under the law. he
may be sentenced to n term of probation.
during which he must return either what
he has taken or the amount of the dam
ages he has done. The board of charities
an probation has established no new
theory of justice, All that has been
done is to apply the old principles of JUS
tice in higher and finer degree without
the crueIties which seemed to be essen
tial to tn administration of the law in the
DAVIS gone