Evening star., 1938-03-30
D. c. CRIME PROBE.
URGED BY SCHULTZ.
House District Committee
Gets PIea-ParoIe Law
Inquiry Asked.

Creation of special subcommittee
to investigate crime conditions in
Washington, especially operation of
the indeterminate sentence and parole
law, was urged before the House Dis
trict Committee today by Representa-
tive Schultz, Democrat, of Indiana,
whose drastic crime-control bill for
the District has been side-tracked by
the committees Judiciary Subcommit-
tee.
Charging crime is on the increase
in Washington, Mr.. Schultz, victim Of
recent armed hold-up, embodied his
plea for = crime investigation in q
35O-word resolution.
The committee, of which Represent
ative Schultz is a member, deferred
action until special meeting Tuesday.
The resolution specifically charged
that sentences imposed on persons con-
Wcted of crimes of violence have not
been commensurate with the crimes
committed. and that those responsible
for administration of the parole law
have been too lenient in many cases
in granting parole.
Code Revision Asked.
The investigating subcommittee
would be directed under the resolution
ito investigate conditions with respect
to the imposition of sentences on per-
sons convicted of crime by the judges
of the courts of the District of Colum-
bia, and to further investigate the op-
GRAFTON Of the parole law of the Dis
trict of Columbia"
Mr.. Schultz told the committee he
had records of SO cases in which
lenient sentences had been imposed
for armed robberies, some of which
were Tor 80 days and others for a year.
las a result of this situation" he
declared, there has been a tendency
to break down law enforcement agen-
cles. Let's go into this situation and
see what can be done to stop this
crime wave. Let's get the judges in
here and let them tell their story.
They have been too lenient."
Representative Nichols, Democrat.
OF Oklahoma suggested revision of the
entire District criminal code if an
attempt Is made to scrap the present
lndeterminate sentence law.
Corporation Counsel Elwood H. Seal
agreed that a revision is desirable,
but pointed out 1t would be tremen-
dous job.
Mr.. Schulte's crime control measure
would force armed robbers to serve at
least Is years in prison for a first Of
tense and die in the electric chair for
a second offense.
Bill Held Too Drastic.
The subcommittee, Chairman Nc
Gehee said, regards the bill as too
drastic. A similar view has been
taken by Mr.. Seal and Wilbur A. La
Roe, Jr., a member of the parole board.
Representative Schultz is said to
have agreed to delayed consideration
OF his measure because he believes
its real objective-imposition of heavier
penalties on armed robbers
be accomplished by abolition of
the indeterminate sentence law and
complete oVerhal1ng OF the present
parole system.
Kennedy TO Head Survey.
A special subcommittee of the Dis
trict Committee is expected to be
appointed this week to make the pro-
posed survey of the indeterminate
sentence and parole law. Representa-
tive Kennedy, Democrat, of Mary
lland, former head Of the Maryland
Parole Commission, Is slated to be
selected as chairman.
Meantime Representative McGehee
plans to begin public hearings on q
Dill to establish system of magis-
trate courts in the District to relieve
Police Court Of handling cases in
volving minor infractions of traffic
and police regulations.