New-York tribune., 1922-04-03
l4awes Defends
! 'arole Bill For
Fir'stOffo fo1l1lef's
WDr'|en Denies Wessfail Act
VIII Make Possible The
lndiscriminate Release Of
Prisoners by The Board
Merely Extends Powers
Officials Coucerucd Little
Subject to Pojilical En-
fNenccs. He Contend S

Warden Lewis +. Lawes Of Sing Sino
prison yesterday issued formal de-
tense OF the plan proposed in the West
al bill now before Governor Miller for
signature. which will, if it becomes law
! permit first offenders sentenced to
terms as long as twenty years to seel,
parole after serving a years imprison-
ment.
Warden lawes denies the nccuracy Of
charges that the bin VIII result in in
/ discriminate release of prisoners, and
says the suggestion that prisoners pos
sessine friends of political influence
would profit by the new law is not we'll
founded
Tn w9rden's statement reads in part:
II seems Self-cvidont that a parole
board CARRYING on Il specialized work
N y central and conspicuous wav. is
httle s1biec; t. po!itical influence The
parole board must necessarily act in r
1alrIy uniform way with The cases
winch fall within it's iuristlicto on;
therefore must be ready to defend any
special variations from the normal
practice by exact ard convincing data.
Cooperation With Courts Advised
The board would naturally seek to
cooperate with the judges and distric.
attorneys throughout the state and give
NEST serious consideration 20 their sug-
geatlons. My own experience convinces
me OF the necessity Of closer and more
eAcctlVe cooperation between the
courts. the prosecuting attorneys and
the administrators Of our prisons. A
parole board with the wider iurisdic-
tion conferred by the Westal bill will
furnish practical means for this CO.
operation"
The statement declares that what is
proposed by the. Westall bill is simply
an extension of the parole jurisdiction
ana an opportunity for indivdualistic
treatment of the prisoners.
"Only the same class of prisoners is
included IN the proposed amended law
as in the original parole law--those
neVer before convicted of felony. By
tht Westall amendments there Will be
no indjscrmlnate release of prisoners
greater measure Of hexihi!ity is given
III the use of the indeterminate sen
terce and parole. Whether any one is
t. oe turned out of prison a day sooner
than he or she might be paroled under
existing law is for the parole board to
determine on the merits OF the partic-
ular case
Public Welfare Promoted
The interest Of the parole board
The warden summarizes. ais first and
foremost that Of public safety and well
fare. only seconda1ily that OF the pris-
onels whose terms it may control.
There is no reason to assume that q
prisoner sentenced to q very long term
under aggra@atng circumstances is
likely TO be released in one year or
five years. The fair assumption is that
the parole board will try in every way
to adjust its work in harmony with the
general penal policy Of the state. as
nodded by the Legislature, the Gov
e:nor judges and prosecuting attor-
news 1t is respectfully submitted that
the Westall bill should be approved by
His Excelency the GOVERNOR"
The warden appended to his state
ment figures of the parole board show
ing that out Of 20,679 hearings held
since its creation it granted 14,122
paroles, covering the entire state.