Evening star., 1934-03-25
Bremen Case Emphasizes Need
For Stricter Parole Practice
Leaders of Kidnap Gang Are Identified
as Convicts Freed Before E1pira-
ton of Their Sentences.

boards, and hence use q single oficial
to select prisoners for release. Only
Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, New
York, Texas and the Federal Govern
ment have full-time salaried parole
boards.
Methods of supervision are sim
ilarly inadequate. Eighteen States
attempt to keep In touch with paroled
persons by correspondence alone.
Printed rules are announced, but not
enforced. Written reports are re-
quired, but there is nobody to check
the accuracy of the replies. The pa
role of1icer becomes mere clerk Of
record. Men who are on parole f1nd
it easy to beat the game. They are
not watched and they know it.
"Pardees are seldom recomitted un-
less they are caught In new crime.
The whole paper system becomes
huge joke and parole comes to be
nothing more than speedy manner
OF emptying prison cells. This Is un-
fortunately the case in the majority
Of the American States today"
Clarence E. Martin, president OF
the American Bar Association, In ad-
dressing the association, declared:
Second offenders ought never to be
paroled. and persons convicted of a
third felony should be removed from
society during the remainder of their
lives. Parole statutes should be used
literally in the case of first offenders,
except after commission of crimes Of
violence, and the convict should be
treated as the theory OF the law in
tends. Penitentiaries are houses for
penitents-not habitual criminals"
1o,o56 Asked Parole in '32.
The Federal Government is setting
an example for the States to follow
in parole. Through an efficient field
organization the Federal Parole Board
maintains close supervision on 96 per
cent Of Federal PAROLES, of whom
there were 1927 during the past fiscal
year. During the previous fiscal year
supervision was maintained over only
81 per cent OF the PAROLES.
Federal prisoners usually are eligible
to apply for parole upon expiration Of
one-third of their sentences. During
the fiscal year 1s32-the last for
which detailed figures are readily
available-the parole board considered
l0,056 applications for parole, granting
61.6 per cent, denying 1854 per cent
and continuing the cases of 19 per
cent. Parole releases for that year
totaled SPOT, compared to the total
Federal prison population of 1868.
The proportion Of releases to prison
population has increased rapidly dur
ing the past few years.
During the same year warrants
were issued for 1923 parole violators.
225 of whom, or 688 per cent, were
charged with new crimes.
A study of the records Of the identi-
fication unit Of the Division of Investi-
cation shows that during February Of
this year approximately half of the
4 900 recidivists- with previ-
GUS records-whose nngerprints were
received from State authorities, were
PAROLES or otherwise had escaped
serving prior sentences.
90 Per Cent Law Abiding.
In the special single fngerprint"
file, reserved for kidnapers, murdererS
and gangsters of the worst type, the
division has the records of 326 crimi-
nails who were rearrested within their
parole periods. The crimes committed
by the PAROLES range from minor Of
fenses to kidnapping. rape and murder.
The value of strict and efficient
administration Of parole laws is shown
by the records of the Federal Parole
Board. In the annual report of the
Attorney General for the past fiscal
year the board pointed out that SO
per cent of Federal prisoners released
on parole that year have not been in
conflict with the law.
Since all persons being released
from Federal institutions (having
sentences of more than one year, are
now released under supervision" the
board said, 1t is to be expected that,
at least for the length of time under
which parole supervision is permitted
by the sentence. a greater security
than has heretofore been the case will
be afforded the public through super
vision of prisoners after release"