The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-04-23
PROBATE OFFICE PAYS
secretary's Report Shows department.
Saves State Vast sum.

and probation, shows tnat on jury l.
1918, the department had under its
from the various courts
md prisons total Of 572 persons. July
I, 1919 there were 46o Jn'y /. 1920
574; March /, 1921, 726. There was a
rain of So cases from July l, 1920 to
March /, 1921. OF the GA cases June
20, 1920. 400 were probationers from
he courts under sentence to the state
prison and house Of correction and IA
we're parolers from the states prison
md house Of correcton-tha is, per.
jons who had served at least por,
ion of their prison sentence. The in
,rease for the past few months has
1ome about owing to the industrial
depression VIII 'ch now exists. A parol-
n Is one who has been re eased from
he prison on a conditional pardon, A
0robationer is one who has besn found
guilty of a crime and released Oh pro
ration on such conditions as the court
may describe.
The biennial report of the director
IF state institutions shows that the
net weekly cost Of maintenance Of the
inmates of the state prison and house
VI correction to be S461 per week per
innate. If the 243 parolers under the
supervision Of the board had been con
inued In prisons to which they had
seen sentenced the weekly expense
would be 81 1923, or S5S,25196 an
luaIly. This has to do on y with those
who are released from the prisons upon
parole and there are more persons
lpon parole than the total number now
n the prison ard house Of correct on
Now take up the 4S3 probationers
n order to understand the financial
saving to the state, leaving ont of con.
sideration all other expense OF all
Of these 4S3 practitioners little more
han 400 are under sentence TO the
state prison and hou1e Of correction
md around rs juvenile delinquents are
under sentence To the state industrial
school. None Of these Has SERVED any
ime but must 90 to the Institutions
unless, under the supervision OF this
department they are 'able'to make good
IN the outside. 1'ht cost of main,
tenance at Vergennes does not ma.
terially differ from that at the pris-
ons, so that the entire body Of proba
toner's might properly be charged OF
the same weekly expense, name Y S46l
)r total weekly expense Of S2.226 So,
or at the rate Of $115,7S4,7g. without
adding to this the S5S. PSI Sc annually
saved on the care Of parolers which
would have brought the grand to;al up
to S174,03672.
During the month OF December the
board of chart es ana probation sent
out to their probationers and parolers
an inquiry sip covering the question of
employment and wage being earned.
received q definite stat ment from SO
women, which indicated that the aver.
age weekly wage was $945. In many
OF these cases the wages stated did not
include board and room, witch was
furnished W tn their employment and
which would have materia ~ ana
properly increased their earnings.
Three hundred and two men reported
an average weekly wage o S25 80.
which would give an annual earning
aoiiity Of these 2Gl of a Little more than
$467 600
If the juvenile de inquents had been
sent directly to Vergenne3 in 5tead
of being placed unier our snperyis on.
the present legislature won a have been
called upon tor an appropriation sun
icent to construct enough new build
tngs for their accommodation and an
additional maintenance cost of more
than SIS 600 annually, and ii the more
than 400 probationers had been sent to
Windsor on the sentence winch they
are now under it can really be seen
what a tremendous build ne program
would be necessary and the very large
additional appropriation that won d be
required for their ma n enance.
This tremendous saving and service
to the men, to the family. to the state,
costs about $4,000 anr~orv
1t has been asserted that probation
establishes new pr .ncinle oil lust ce
nat with it retrlbut,on AMI punishment
cease and that justice gives consid
Grafton en- to the rebuilding of the
career of the indiv dual convicted
Probation has not changed the princi.
pies of justice but merely tile
practices Of psnology. Justice means
that we must give every man his due
Probation Includes the upbu'lding OF
character of The offender but it does
mot exclude retributive justice. Oftlmes
justice must punish severe Y. State
/ Probation Officer jeffrey n7ist3 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 belongs to his nelghh0r
under the law, he may be sentenced to
a term on probation during which he
must return ether what he has taken
or the amount of the damage he has
done.
The boar of charities and probation
has established no new theory of
justice All that has been done Is to
app the old principles of iuatice in a
higher and finer degree without the
.crueltie3 which seemed to be essential
to the administrat'o on OF the law in the
days gone by.
Honor In Left-Hand Greeting.
The giving Of the left hand IN greet.
ing Is a commitment In France, ana Is