Evening star., 1934-11-06

articles dealing NTH the Districts
indetern1indte sentence and parole
laWs which haze been subjected to
criticism in connection with the
dnti-crine crusade.
Elwood Street, director Of public
welfare, is confident the Districts
comparatively new indeterminate SEN
tence and parole laws are funda-
mentally sound, although he believes
their effectiveness could be increased
through an improvement in admins
tratiOn.
Lack Of equipment and proper per-
sonnel-highly trained experts in
sociology, and psychiatrists-accor
to Street, is chiefly responsible for
the existing deficiencies.
Street, however, thinks there IS
room for improvement in the law it
self and the first change he sug-
gested is to bring it in harmony with
Federal laws. That modification
alone, he pointed out, would remove
many difficulties which now confront
District penal officials.
Declared Important Feature.
"The parole and probation system, ="
said Mr.. Street, constitutes an i'm
portant feature of the penal and cor
rection system. The purpose Of the
penal system is twofold: First, to
protect society from people who are
menaces to it; and, second, to treat
an offender in such way that he
will not again commit the offense for
which he has been convicted.
1T is clear that many people who
ought to be incarcerated because OF
defects in personality and early train
ing and experience indicate they can
not safely be left at large. l mean
by this, the habitual criminal.
"On the other hand, it is of interest
to society to follow as far as it can
the correctional principle. Prison care
is expensive. A man kept in prison is
removed from productive society.
Therefore, no one should be put in
prison who can be handled satisfac-
torily by a system Of probation, or
should be kept in prison if he can
safely be paroled.
Protection to Society.
For many offenders there is no
question but putting them on proba-
ton will protect society. Experience
has been a warning to them. A pro-
baton officer can exercise supervision
and guidance over such paroles and
I am sure they can be trusted to go
straight.
1T also is quite clear that large
proportion of persons committed to an
institution, after a greater or shorter
period, will be in proper frame of
mind by such training that they can
60 back into the community under
proper parole supervision.
Such parole, to be done properly,
presupposes two things: One, prison
system aimed at training and recon-
structing men; two, institutional
equipment that makes possible the
carrying out of that purpose.
Equipment Lacking.
"Our institutions are not equipped
as they should be to fulfill completely
the purpose we have in mind. That
equipment should be two kinds-per-
sonnel for classification and training,
and equipment for a diversified pro-
gram of vocational training.
"Lorton, and Occoquan in lesser
measure because it handles short
term prisoners, are doing good jobs in
the way of inmate labor-conStruction
of buildings, manufacture of clothing
for the prisoners, etc. But more equip
ment is necessary for vocational train
ing. More teachers and more psy-
chiatrists are needed. Until we get the
necessary appropriations these are
out of the question.
$50 long as we fail to have that
personnel and equipment we shall fail
to do all that modern prison system
can do to prepare person at the
earliest possible moment to return to
the community.
However, a tremendous job is being
done by the personnel and equipment