Evening star., 1935-03-30
20 Days Expected to See
Completed Proposals
for Legislation.
WRITTEN STATEMENTS
TO SUPPLEMENT DATA
Hazen to Present Views in De.
tail-Parole Board Hit
by Last Witness.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

With formal hearings completed, the
Special Crime Committee of the House
turned its attention today to prepara-
ton Of comprehensive report for the
House
Two months of investigation have
produced a mass of information about
conditions in Washington, and from
this, the committee will draw its
recommendations for improvements IN
the law enforcement and prosecution
machinery. Special legislation will be
required to carry out many OF the
proposed changes the committee plans
to recommend.
The report will be drafted by John
r. Fitzpatrick, who has served as COM
mittee counsel. He hopes to have it
completed within 20 days.
To Secure Statements.
The hearings were brought to an
abrupt close late yesterday by dwin-
ding appropriations, but the COM
lnittee plans to call on some of the
witnesses it expected to hear for writ
ten recommendations. Commissioner
Melvin c. Hazen, who testified twice
during the investigation, also is to be
asked to submit written statement
outlining his views on needed improve
ments.
Among the final witnesses was Chief
Justice Alfred A. Wheat of the District
Supreme Court, who recommended
abolition of the District Parole Board
and repeal of the indeterminate SEN
tence law.
Justice Wheat expressed the belief
that the indeterminate sentence law
should be replaced with the previous
law which was similar to the Federal
plan, and that all parole cases should
be handled by the Federal Parole
Board.
The indeterminate sentence law
with its minimum and maximum fea-
ture, Justice Wheat testified. deprives
judges of performing their proper
duties. we should allow the judge
to give the sentence which he thinks
is the proper one within the scope
of the law, he declared. The sys-
tenn in effect before was the proper
one. A definite sentence was imposed
and the prisoner then became subject
to parole"
Jury System Discussed.
Justice Wheat also defended the
District courts which we're charged be-
fore the committee with undue delay
in the trial of criminal cases. 81 don't
want the impression to be at large, "
he said, "that there has been a break.
down in the trial of criminal cases.
I think our position is as good as that
of any criminal court of similar size
in the country
Questioned about the jury system,
Justice Wheat declared he did not
believe women should be forced to
serve If they don't care to be brought
in contact with the "seamy" side of
life. Il can't help thinking" he de-
clared, that there's superiority in a
woman"
Gus A. Schuldt, presiding judge of
Police Court, followed Justice Wheat,
and stressed the necessity of a new
building for that court. He also op-
posed the proposal for a magistrate
court system to handle minor police
and traffic violation cases.
SdA4ICo IVA I1CROlOIl. Illd1ldklllR
tor of the Baltimore Criminal Com
mission, representing 81 civic and
business groups, described that Or
ganization's continuing record sys-
tenn for following felony cases from
the time Of indictment to final dispo-
sition Of the case.
If there are any shenanigans,"
he said. there is always an unoffi-
cial body to check up on it. Our
only weapon to correct the situation
is public opinion"
Flash Probes" Eliminated.
Hepbron also said his organiza-
ton had eliminated the so-called
flash in the pan" investigations of
police departments. which result only
lin a few heads being chopped Off"
AS the hearings drew to close
Chairman Randolph issued a state
ment expressing his gratitude to off,
cials, residents and newspapers for
their cooperation. It follows:
THE hearing this afternoon con-
cludes the formal hearings of the spe-
cial committee investigating crime
conditions in the District of Columbia.
The committee will now proceed with
the task of carefully examining all
of the evidence, testimony, the ideas
and recommendations which it has
gathered during its two months of in
vestigation. 1t is the purpose of the
committee to complete its study of the
evidence and other material and draft
It's report for submission to Congress
at the earliest possible date.
1t seems appropriate at this time
to express the gratitude of the COM
nllttee for the spendid cooperation it
has received from officials, citizens
and the newspapers of the District of
Columbia. The assistance thus rem
dered has in effect been a valuable
contribution to the well-being of the
Capital of the Nation"
Frank T. English, clerk of the Jury
Commission, who took the stand after
Randolph's announcement, recon-.
inended several improvements, one
Of which he said, should vest in the
commission authority to summon pro-
spective jurors for a preliminary ex-
animation to weed out the undesir-
ables and those legally qualified.
He also suggested that the commits
sion be reduced from three part-time
oficers to one full-time officer. This
one commissioner, he said, should be
responsible for interviewing the pro-
spective jurors and drawing the names
from the jury box.
Among the other recommendations
Of English were these:
Two jury boxes, one for civil and
the other for criminal cases, and q
change in the age limit for jurors
from al to IS to IS to 10.