Evening star., 1936-01-23
special Dispatch to The Star.

BALTIMORE, Nd, january %S.-
While watching for IL years the num-
ber Of robberies, burgiaries, murders
and such crimes committed IN baiti.
more, and the number Of arrests ana
convictions for such crimes, mas oeen
the major job of the Baltimore Crlm-
inal Justice Commission, the BODY
has not confined itself to that work.
It has at all times, under its present
director, James M. Hepbron. held
itself ready to make special investi-
cations for the production Of facts
which would strengthen the forces of
law and order and thus increase the
protection given lives and property Of
the people of the city. And it has
thrown its weight into struggles to
bring about governmental changes
having the same end in view.
One example is the replacing of an
old system, under which States at
torneys Of Baltimore, were forced to
rely on fees to pay the salaries and
the expenses of the Office, with the
present budget system under which
an appropriation is made annually.
Groundwork Laid.
Under the fee system, the States
attorneys were paid according to the
number of indictments disposed of.
This led to the multiplication of in
dictments against individuals accused.
There would be number of indict-
ments, when a number of counts in
one indictment would have served.
Successive States attorneys and judges
had wanted to get rid of the system.
The State constitution provided for
the fee system. If one would change
the constitution, one must first get
from the Legislature an act author
izing the submitting of the amend
ment to the people. Then the people
of the whole State must vote on 1t.
The county members of the Legisla-
ture-there are % Maryland Counties
far outnumber the members of the
Legislature from the city. They are
usually suspicious of city measures.
The voting population of the State is
about equally divided between counties
and city. Obviously lot of educa-
tion was necessary.
Allan JohnStone, jr, was then the
director of the commission, Hepbron
his assistant. They undertook the
education.
They went into each Of the coun-
ties. They saw political leaders of
both parties and explained that this
was not political measure.
Salaries Increased.
The amendment was voted on in
1924 and approved. OF course, the
Baltimore Criminal Justice Commis-
sion did not do the job single handed,
but 1t was major factor and the
States attorneys Office has been CRATE
full since, especially because while the
thing was being done, the salaries OF
that of1ce were fixed on a somewhat
higher basis than they had been.
Professional bondsmen, those who
haunt the corridors around a crimina
court prepared to go bail for those
accused Of crime, If they are paid fol
the service, had been worrying the
authorities. The judges Of the Balti-
more Supreme bench were dissatisfied
with the situation. The professional
bondsman's statement of the value OF
the property offered and of his equity
in it was being accepted One prop
erty might be pledged = number OF
times. It is said that there were some
cases in which properties were pledged
which the bondsmen did not own.
Cases in which the property was
actually taken when the man bailed
skipped town were rare.
Working with a committee of the
judges of the Supreme bench, the
Baltimore Criminal Justice Commits
sion went over the properties of the
professional bondsmen, searched the
titles to prove what mortgages were
outstanding against them, and, there
fore. what equity the owners had in
them. and collected other information
about them.
Assessed Values Rule.
From the joint work of the COM
mission and the committee Of judges,
new rules governing such bondsmen
were made. The old practice of ac-
cepting the value placed on the prop
erty by the owner was, Of course.
abandoned. The assessed value, placed
on it by the city taxing authorities
for the purpose Of taxation, became
the value. The rule was made that
\ property once pledged for bail could
not be pledged a second time until re-
leased from the first. Any bondsman
who failed to make good when the man
for whom he furnished bail skipped
was eliminated as a bcndsman. He
did not do any more business until he
settled the outstanding account.
When this had been accomplished
In the Baltimore courts, Heprbon was
called into consultation by judges pre-
siding in the United States district
courts. Those courts made new and
more stringent rules governing pro-
fessional bondsmen.
The ONCE is prepared to make q
study, when the judge wishes that it
be done, Of the career of any person
the judge thinks of extending proba-
tion to, IS to what the past of that
Individual suggests will be accom-
plished by probation.
There are two criminal courts in
Baltimore and II members of the
Supreme bench of the city. Each
judge takes his turn at serving in the
criminal courts, two sitting constantly.
Some ask for probation reports, some
do not.
Parole Decisions Compared.
The Baltimore Criminal Justice
Commission has undertaken to make
studies showing how the cases of the
Judge who disregards these reports
md makes his independent decisions
on admitting prisoner to probation
compare with the cases Of the Judge
7 IMPORTANT