Evening star., 1926-09-13

this city. He has been on the tencn
for 81 years. He has served as as
sistant district attorney and knows
the crime problem from all its angles.
During his term on the bench Judge
Rosalsky has presided at the trial
of about 10000 persons accused OF
crime.
my experience as a criminal court
Judge" he said to the writer, has
convinced me that all persons con-
victed of felonies other than murder
should receive life sentence as a
maximum. with a minimum sentence
of fixed character. Whatever may,
be said in favor of mercy, crime Is
RAMPANT as never before and only
proper punishment will COW the
hardened criminal"
Series of Murders.
Judge Rosalsky fastened to add that
he lis not ignorant of the fact that
punishment often fails to discourage
other crimes" He cited Robert lnger-
soils story that the witness of a hang
ing in Alexandria, Va, murdered a
peddler in Washington the same AFTER
noon and that a witness of his execu-
tion for murder killed his wife two
hours later. :.
punishment may fail sometimes,
Judge Rosalsliy went on. but at least
a stiff minimum sentence will keep the
consistent evildoer in jail. and II 1t
does not cure him 1t will protect so
ciety as long as he is confined. So
ciety has a right to defend itself as
we'll as the individual. Society does
not punish the transgressor Tor ven
geance but to put him out of harm
way"
Judge Rosalsky expressed himself in
favor of the segregation Of hardened
professional criminals. First offend
ers. he believes, should be kept away
from the vicious types and allowed
special privileges.
THE parole system wants overhaul
ing" he went on. THE unqualified
members Of the board should not be
continued in service, but experienced
criminologists and penologists should
replace them. Paroles should be
granted subject to the approval of the
Judge who imposed the sentence.
Mercy is a great thing, but should be
scientifically dispensed. Where greater
mercy is needed is I'm looking after
the ex-convicts' welfare A commits
sion should be established for this
work"
Jury DOdging Is Menace.
According to Judge Rosalsky one of
the great difficulties in dealing prop
erly with the crime situation is the
attitude of the general public. He
finds that the evasion of jury service
by the City's most representative
men" is becoming a menace to the
course Of justice.
ITO aid in decreasing such eva
sion" he suggested to the writer, "the
fnI 4Ia Ix,o0l- nprin6 nf ilIrv sorry.
ice in criminal cases should be re-
duced. The prosecuting attorneys be-
lieve that during the first week or two
the inexperienced juror is deceived by
attorneys tricks. l do not think this
is real danger. however"
One of the most interesting sugges-
tions made to the writer by Judge
Rosalsky was in regard to the bail
bond situation. He suggested that
surety companies be forbidden to fur
nish bail in criminal cases.
These are not altruistic organiza-
tions." he said, land only recently the
agent of one surety company was con-
victed of taking the proceeds OF a
crime as security for bail bond.'
Judge RoSalSky'S view IS that the
ma jor crimes committed in New York
and other metropolitan centers are
the work of notorious and desperate
bandits and not of novices. These
men, he says, work in gangs which
are highly organized for offensive and
defensive purposes, and plan their ac-
tivities in detail with the circumspec-
tion of a merchant about to engage on
some new business venture.
They do not rob and then look for
a means of converting the stolen goods
into cash." Judge Rosalsky said, but
in Q6Va nf
the crime. They know the faces of the
detectives and the routine Of each
policeman in the area Of the crime
they plan. They lay their plans cum
ningly so as to make every move un-
der cover. The small number of po-
lice who are on the streets of Amert-
can cities are useless in the present
situation. If we had a larger army of
police, the fixed post system and q
municipal secret service, we would be
in a position to fight the criminal
army on equal terms and could bring
them to book without further delay.
Blocked by Sentimentality.
Il would not allow sentimentality
to loose upon society men who would
only resume their criminal activities
with a vengeance inspired by their
previous detention. Law enforce
ment agencies and the courts will do
their best to rid society Of this menace
But our best efforts are offset con
stantly by sentimentalist organiza-
tions, which do their utmost to obtain
| liberty for criminals. large majority
Of whom at once renew their preyine
on society, Sentimentalism, short sen
tences, premature release Of hardened
criminals are all directly related tC
increasing criminality.
Just about half the serious crimes
committed are by persons who have
been previously convicted Of one of
fense or another. The statistical per
centage would be even higher If our
records enabled us to trace the history
of each accused man properly. The
parole board has the power to detain
first offenders beyond the minimum