Evening star., 1934-11-24
All Interested Invited to
Take Part in Public
Hearings.
SPOKESMEN FOR D. c.
AND BOARD PROBERS
Tentative Agreement Reached on
Two Changes-New Rule
Need Is Considered.

trlCt government ana llle 1dioic
Board. This was decided upon at a
Joint meeting today between members
of the Parole Board, the Commission
ers and Maj. Ernest w. Brown, super
intendent of police.
The deliberations will be as public
hearings and any interested party will
be welcome to attend The public Is
invited to submit suggestions as a
means of improving the parole system.
The hearings will be conducted by
Commissioner Allen, one of the three
members of the Parole Board. Cor
poration Counsel Prettyman and Maj.
Brown.
In announcing the decision Allen
made clear that the investigation Of
the matter would not be IAN investi-
cation of the Parole Board"
Agree on Two Changes.
Tentative agreement already has
been reached on two suggested
changes. One is that in each parole
case a recommendation be obtained
from the Police Department The
other is that prior to each meeting of
the Parole Board list of prisoners
eligible for parole be published.
1t was announced the joint COM
mittee also would consider suggestions
that the full records of the Parole
Board be available to the public; that
the names of the persons sponsoring
the granting Of parole to prisoner be
public, and that publicity be given to
the names of parole advisers, indi-
vldualS to whom prisoner is paroled.
Lieut.. Col. Dan I. Sultan, Engineer
Commissioner, made the suggestion
release of convictS with bad police
records be made public. Wilbur La
Roe, jr., member of the Parole Board,
said this suggestion had the tentative
approval of the board. He empha-
sized that the board now is "bom-
barded" with opportunities from
prominent citizens, sometimes, for the
release of this or that prisoner.
The Joint Committee will consider
whether such names shall be pub
lished.
New Rules to Be Considered.
Commissioner Hazen said the Joint
Committee would consider also the
need for any new rules or regulations,
new legislation and the proposal that
members of the Parole Board should
4 be put on salary basis.
La Roe said the committee would
include in its study the records Of any
individual parole case which might
have a bearing on establishment OF
new policies or regulations.
The lack of adequate appropriations
and staff for the Parole Board has
been matter of discussion for months
and was the cause of the resignation
last Winter of DR.. Loren B. T. john
son. Some months later w. w. Bride
who had been appointed chairman Of
the Parole Board. declared the parole
law should be abolished unless an ade-
quate staff was provided. Although
Congress failed to add to the staff oi
parole officers, Bride and other mem
bers agreed at that time to stick tc
their positions until Congress had an
other opportunity to pass on the
matter.
The situation came to head ir
the past few days in protests over the
release of James F. Donovan, pris-
oner of long police record, released
after serving little more than fifth
of 10-year sentence. The board has
strongly defended this action.
While Commissioners and boarc
members met to discuss the parole
system, the Probation Conference
Committee of the Council of Socia
Agencies was perfecting a proposed
bill to modernize the Districts proba-
tion system
Ray L. Huff, chairman of the pro.
baton group, composed of judges
lawyers, penolocists and social work
ers, said a bill embodying the fol
lowing features is nearing completion
and viii be submitted to the next Con.
gress:
/. Increase in the number of proba.
ton officers for District Supreme Cour
and Police Court, although the com.
mittee is as yet uncertain what ratio
will be recommended between the pro-
baton cases handled and the officer!
to take charge of them.
2. Appointment of paid, permanen
archaeological clinic" made up O.
social workers, sociologists, psychi
artists, physicians and educators. t.
advise the courts concerning th'
suitability of prisoners for probation
after conviction, but before sentence
is passed.
Would Examine Officers.
g. Establishment of fixed exami
nation for selection of probation off
GERS to be appointed or selected by tn,
courts, with one chief probation office
for the Supreme Court and one for tn,
Police Court
4. Requirement that persons en- pro-
baton for longer periods than a yea
report back to the court at the end o
the probationary period for review
of their behavior, it lying within tn,
discretion of the court to impose
prison sentences in event of proba
tionary failure.
Mr.. Huff said that while this pro
gram would necessarily require {
considerable increase in the budget fo
probationary work, the COMMITTEES
feels that the results will be worth tn,
cost"
CITY NEWS IN BHIEF.
TODAv