Evening star., 1934-11-04

condemned by those who have conf
dence In the potentialities of the COM
paratively new law and the Parole
Board that were designed to strike q
modern chord in the reformation oi
the criminal.
Bid for Funds Fails.
Several times the Parole Board has
sought funds with which to enlarge
its personnel so it might function more
efficiently and effectively. The modest
sum of $4,000 a year was asked, but
the requests never found their way
into the budget estimates of the Com
missioners.
In fact, the lack of money with
which to develop the new system was
one of the reasons leading to the resig-
nation last March Of DR.. Loren B. T.
johnson, nationally known psychia-
trist, who was one of the first three
appointees to the new Parole Board.
DR.. johnson was convinced of the
futility Of trying to carry out q far
reaching experiment in human nature
without support and understanding
After year Of operation he described
the Parole Board as a light that
failed"
As he left the board he commented
sadly on the wreck of an ideal. It
had been proposed to install a social
service Of high quality at the Lorton
Reformatory to study the individual
prisoner, to recommend adjustments
OF prison life according to the indi-
vidual personality, to inquire exhaus-
tlveley into the past of each man in an
effort to get at the causes which led
him into anti-social behavior, and tc
sesresate the medical cases." the
feeble minded and the insane.
No Mental Remedy Now.
1t had been proposed further &c
introduce a pSychiatric service. Now
prisoner with neurotic tendencies
can just go crazy" There is nothing
TO be done about it until he runs
amuck. Gallinger Municipal Hospital
Is the only recourse for -psychiatrie
work and the staff there is so over.
loaded that its members can be
called on only in emergency cases.
The Parole Board also wanted tc
end the mixing together of real crimi.
nails and boys, perhaps driven to
hunger, who had been caught in their
flrst of1ense. 1t wanted to have in
formation on the attitude of the in
diVidual. A great many of the men
at Lorton, DR.. johnson believed. &C.
cepted their sentences as Just, SO Ions
as they were not too long or too Sc
we're. The sense Of justice differs
widely with the individual. It was
the idea to have the Parole Board
watch the progress of the individuals
sentiments and, II practicable. tc
parole him before the idea became
fixed in his mind that society was
taking a ruthless and cruel revenge
upon him.
There was also in mind some thing
OF the st. Elizabeth's Hospital parole
idea, with which DR.. johnson was
familiar, of gradually leasing" a man
back into society with progressively
increasing liberties and short fur.
loughs. Furthermore, it was planned
to follow closely the progress of pa
rolled men to determine the effect OF
prison sentences.
But, actually, according to DR.
johnson, very little was possible. Even
with money, he said. there would have
been difficulties.
Two Attitudes on Crime.
"In Washington, as everywhere
else" DR.. Johnson declared, there
are two kinds Of people so far as at
titude toward the criminal is con-
cerned. There is one class which be-
lieves that when you have taken away
a mans respectability, subjected him
to the disgrace of a prison sentence
lost him his friends and his position,
you have punished him about as much
as possible A few extra weeks or q
few extra years in prison do not make
much difference.
But there is another class, and