Evening star., 1935-01-13
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
A DAMNING array Of facts Is
n being assembled the country
~ over against the activities of
4 \ parole boards.
Public enemy after public
enemy, 1t Is shown, has been at least
once in prison, and has been released
to prey upon society. These men
and women have been set free be-
cause they were able to convince the
boards that they would lead blame
less lives, once they were given fresh
chance.
This is leading to a growing con-
demnation OF the parole system and
q hardening of the conviction that
society should be implacable in its
puniShments for its own protection.
Let there be an end to this mawkisi1
sentimentality and petting Of evil
doers, is the cry.
Nothing very different could have
been expected, Is the answer of the
psychiarist. Judgment of human ma
ture is not matter Of inspiration, Of
lunches, of opinions formed by
superficial appearances. The prison.
ers most likely to get paroles are the
very ones most likely to break them.
There is, they point out, at least
basic science of human behavior
which affords system Of prognosti-
cation. Its practice is highly spe-
cialized. A successful merchant, q
fine old minister respected by the en-
tire community, a charitable lady who
has been prominent in welfare work,
an astute politician-none of them is
any more competent to diagnose the
recidivist than to diagnose stomach
ulcers.
Specialized Profession.
One of the pet superstitions Of the
American people Is that certain in
diyiduals are good judges of human
nature" as If they were endowed with
some fifth sense which enabled them
to see under a mans skin. Psychology
ical experiment after psychological
experiment has shown that this has
very little basis in fact. The only way
to judge human nature is to apply
certain highly specialized principles
to the individual case. Very little de-
pends upon the intuition Of the OBJ
server. At the best, this is pure guess
work. The good judges of human
nature" might just as well pull names
out Of hat in issuing paroles. In
most cases, as a matter Of fact, this
would be safer for society.
AS an example of a different kind
of parole board, the psychiatrists point
to the Federal board set up in 1880,
composed Of three experts, which now
passes upon all applications for parole
from Federal penitentiaries. The first
break in its ranks has just been an
nounced with the resignation of Irving
B. Tucker Of North Carolina, a prose-
cutting attorney Of wide experience.
The other members, rumors of whose
designations to make room for new
appointees have been heard, are
Arthur D. Wood Of Michigan, a parole
officer with long experience, and DR..
Amy N. Stannard, former admissions
officer at st. Elizabeth's Hospital, rec
ognized for her deep insight into vari-
GUS criminal complexes. The Asso-
citation of Psychiatric Social Workers
and the National Women's Medical
Association have already made repre-
sentations for the retention of DR..
Stannard.
Few Falter.
In hardly q single case, say the
psychiatrists, has q person paroled
from a Federal penitentiary upon the
recommendation Of this board failed
to make good. They have interviewed
personally every applicant, they have
based their Judgment on facts instead
of appearances, and they have been
entirely unswayed by any sentiment
tality. DR.. Stannard especially has
been guided by an insight gained
from years Of some of the deepest and
most subtle aspects Of human person.
atty, as revealed In the researches Of
q psychiatric hospital.
It would have been practically an
impossibility, the psychiatrists claim,
for this board at any stage to have
paroled such a man as John Dillinger
or Baby Face Nelson, since there were
indications, clear to the expert, in
the cases Of both these men as to the
careers they were bound to follow.
The average parole board is made
up of leading citizens"
For the most part they are men
and women keenly desirous Of helping
their less fortunate fellows. Usually
they have had successful business, pro-
fessional or political careers. Often
they pride themselves on being good
judges Of human nature" They are
confronted with a. fine, outstanding
young fellow. He processes, with the
utmost protestations of sincerity, his
resolution to lead an upright life. He
tells q most convincing story, to some
extent supported by the court records,
OF the unfortunate series of accidents
which got him into trouble. He has
had q good record in prison. The
warden and guards like him, The
prison doctor and the prison chaplain
Ike him. Almost with tears in their
eyes, the members Of the board grant
him the parole he asks-and hardly
can believe the news when he Is ar.
rested q few months later for some
crime worse than he ever had COM
mitted before. But, even then, they
attribute bis second downfall to the
hard road which q man must follow
when released from jail and usually
are willing to listen to another appli-
cation for parole.
The Other Guess.
On the other hand, they are con-
fronted with Q prisoner whose ap-
pearance Is against him. His jail at
tire Is tl-1,tttng and be has made no