Evening star., 1936-09-15
C|Ty'S CRIME RATE
FOUND APPALLING;
WEAKNESSES CITED
Church Federation Commit.
tee Completes Survey
of Situation.
LAWS ON GAMBLING
TERMED INADEQUATE
Parole System Held Crippled by
Lack of Funds-Police Head
quarters a Barn"

Declaring the Capitals crime record
is appalling" for "a relatively small
city" the Washington Federation of
Churches Committee on Civic Affairs
today laid before the new Washington
Criminal Justice Association detailed
survey of law enforcement conditions
| here.
Signed by Wilbur LaRoe, jr., chair
man of the committee and member
of the District Parole Board, the sur
vey-in the form of letter-discussed
police and court facilities, prison facil-
titles, treatment of inebriates, gambling,
liquor policy, felonies, the status of
colored people, the parole system and
conviction of innocent persons"
"The large number of serious crimes
committed in Washington" the COM
mittee asserted, demands an inquiry
into the causes of crime"
In order of numerical Importance.
felonies during the last fiscal year were
listed as follows: Automobile thefts,
2,9O9; housebreaking, 1855; grand
larceny, 1,424; robbery, $780, assault
with dangerous weapon, 375; mur-
ders, Sc, and manslaughter, Is.
Report Gambling Flourishes.
Gambling" the committee said, "is
a prolific source of crime in the Dis
trict. 1t has recently been the cause
of several murders. In spite of ef-
fective work by the police, the gam
bling fourishes. Probably in no other
city does the numbers racket operate
more successfully or with less inter-
ference"
The gambling laws are inadequate.
Some Of the more prominent gamblers
are still at large, and conducting
wholesale operations. Gamblers, boot
leggers and other crooks usually work
to some extent in liaison, and the re-
suit is a formidable aggregation of
criminals with which the authorities
have not been able to cope success
fully. And not the least difficulty is
the tendency on the part of many
persons to regard gambling as not in
compatible with the welfare of the
community"
Pointing out that arrests for drunken
driving increased from 1876 in the fiscal
year 1888 to 800 in the fiscal year
1886, the committee said:
But liquor has made an important
contribution also to robbery and other
crimes. While it was hoped that re-
roa1 uTntlld nj fA
the amount of illegitimate liquor sold
in Washington is enormous"
Commenting on the markedly higher
proportion Of crime among the colored
people here, the committee blamed
this condition on the fact they are
almost completely barred from the
better Government jobs, that they
live in less desirable sections and that
poverty among them is intense.
Tell of Discrimination.
Although the average Negro is no
more criminally inclined than the
average white person." the committee
said, 'the discrimination against them
must be removed" before crime among
them can be materially reduced.
While a parole system was set up
by law in 1882, the report said, Con-
gress has never provided either suf-
ficient funds or adequate facilities for
the successful administration of the
law.
There are factors of almost in
superable difficulty now standing in
the way Of successful operation of the
law" the report continued. "Chief
among these is the mixture of young
offenders with hardened criminals at
| Lorton Reformatory which, coupled
with the crowded condition, makes al
most impossible the kind of rehabili-
tation of young criminals which the
parole law contemplates.
"For young prisoners, Lorton IS
almost a training school for crime.
1t is not reformatory II a real
sense, but a penitentiary. It is
physically impossible to use this over
crowded institution, containing many
confirmed criminals. as a school for
the upbuilding of young offenders.
THE parole staff, such as it Is, l.
on the pay roll of the reformatory
There is no psychiatrist at Lortoa
to deal with the troublesome mental
cases. A parole board is more or
less helpless N mental cases without
reliable psychiatric advice. The
Parole Board has no money even for
the return of a parolee who escapes
from the District. An unpaid board
is trying by the expenditure of much
nervous energy to make up for the
deficiencies of the system, but it Is
difficult and. at times, very dis
couraging task"
Police Headquarters Barn"
Police facilities we're characterized
as so "very inadequate" as to affect
the efficiency Of the department" The
police headquarters building was de-
scribed as little better than an old
barn.
The question of whether poor peo-
pie accused of crime are receiving
adequate defense" was raised as a
subject deserving careful study"
Terming itself "gratified" by the
appointment Of James M. Hepbron as
acting director of the association, the
committee concluded:
You will be encouraged, we think.
by the fact that most, if not all, of
our judges and public officials are
honest. Most of them are trying very
sincerely to do the best job they can.
The most serious difficulties grow out
of poverty, insufficient laws and in
adequate funds and facilities for the
proper administration of justice.
"Our courts are often congested,
with men waiting in crowded jails for
hearing sometimes for months. Given
public officials who are competent and
who have a desire to do right, there
should be relentless effort to see that
they obtain the necessary facilities
and funds with which to do their work
satisfactorily"