Evening star., 1932-09-04
Trio Is Named to Board
Under Indeterminate Sen
tence Law.
NEW SYSTEM PROVIDES
EASIER WAY TO RELEASE
Legislation Passed July Is Makes
Escape Felony With Five
Year Term.

Appointment last week of three mem
bers of the District Parole Board, under
the indeterminate sentence law passed
July Is, marks the transfer to local
hands of the matters dealing with the
parole of local prisoners. For some
years this has been done by the Federal
Parole Board, since all felonies prose-
cuted in the District are In the name
OF the United States, and the prisoners
therefore are technically Federal pr1s-
oners.
Early in the history Of the District
Courts. all of their prisoners were sent
to Federal penitentiaries. With the up
building OF the District Reformatory
at Lorton, Va, and the workhouse at
Occoouan, Va, however, less District
prisoners have been sent to Federal
houses of correction, and by the END
of another year or two, when the walled
Enclosure group at Lorton Is completed,
the District will be taking care OF all
of its own prisoners. The transfer OF
parole matters to District hands, there
fore, almost comedies with a similar
transfer of the housing OF the prisoners.
Paroles to Be Easier.
The indeterminate sentence law IN
one way will make it easier to OBTAIN
parole. Under the law, the justice SEN
fencing a prisoner for felony must
impose a maximum sentence ana a
minimum, not to exceed one-f1fth OF
the maximum. Under the old system,
prisoners were given q fat sentence and
were paroled after one-third OF 1t had
expired. If the Parole Board thought
their conduct in prison and their pro-
spectiye existence warranted 1t. NOW
the prisoners will be entitled to parole
after only one-fifth of the maximum
sentence.
An important section in the new act
is that making it felony, punishable
with a f1ve-year maximum sentence, 10
escape or attempt to escape or aid an
other to escape or attempt to escape
from a District prison. In the past
when a prisoner escaped, he was cap
tured and brought back, If possible, but
the act Of escape itself was not a CRIME,
and no additional time could be I'M
posed because Of 1t. Under the new
act, Capt. M. M. Barnard, superin-
tendent Of penal institutions, said ne
hopes to have fewer escapes. although
at his institutions an escape is rarity.
Barnard has been advocating passage
of the indeterminate sentence act LOT
eight years. The act Is In force IN
MANY States, and has proved satisfac :
tory after long trials, he said. Barnard
also wanted the paroling Of local pris-
oners to be in local hands, as the Fed
eral Parole Board, with number OF
institutions under its jurisdiction. could
not give sufficient attention TO the needs
of the Districts prisoners.
Rearrest for Violation.
It is expected that the board will
hold sessions at least once every Two
months or once a month, at which they
will review the records of the prisoners
entitled to parole and the recommenda-
tions made by the parole officer ard
the warden. Where parole, once
granted, Is violated, the board can Is
sue a warrant for the rearrest OF the
| offender and make him serve the bal
ance of his term.
The first board. named by the Com
missioners, consists OF Isaac Cans,
chairman; DIR. Emmett Scott and DR..
Loren johnson. They Will all serve
without remuneration. The parole ON
Ger at present is E. j. Welsh and Lewis
Rothwell Is assistant parole ofr1cer:
Whether these will be kept or the poaro
will appoint its own oncers Is not
! known.
Thus far there are only three per-
! sons in the reformatory sentenced un-
der the new act. Those sentenced be,
| fore the passage of the act must still
serve one-third at least of their SEN
tences. Where the sentence Is for life,
both under the old and the new laws,
| the prisoner must serve at least 10
wears before Becoming eligible Tor
parole.