Evening star., 1938-09-04
Faulty System Frees Criminals
TO Prey ON Nations Capital
1ndetermnate Sentence Is Advocated by Laroe
to Halt Invasion of Anti.Social
Armv
Army.

| means full term less deduction (roughly
| one-fifth) for good behavior These highly
dangerous men roam our streets looking for
work or looking for an easier and quicker
way to get money. Since under present
conditions 1t is Almost impossible for them
to find work. it is bly, to be expected
that they will resume their criminal career
in our midst. We almost invite them to
| commit new burglaries and new robberies
because We release them without jobs, with
| out homes and with minimum of super
vision insist that We are virtually invit-
ing them to commit new burglares and new
robberies in our community
Why is it that people will continue to
worry about parole, which is relatively
safe method of releasing prisoners because
of the careful process of selection and close
| far more serious and far more pressing
problem of absorbing the dangerous felons
who are released without parole?
Theoretical Control Given.
In theory the Board of Parole is supposed
to look after these automatic releases
| even though it has denied them parole The
| law makes them subject to the boards
jurisdiction and their release can be re-
| voked if they break the boards rules or
commit new crime But the point is that
| they are released automatically, without
any parole plan. without job or home The
Board of Parole, which has only three
parole officers to do supervisory work. is
utterly unable to cope with this problem
am not sure that the United States Army
would be able TO cope with it, except by
using bullets and bayonets
AS stated above, the average number OF
paroled men in the District of Columbia
is about $50. sometimes reaching 200 or
more The average number of the more
dangerous automatic releases is more like
$50 at any one time. Is it comforting
thought that we have $50 of these GRIM
lnals in our midst at any one time many
OF them without jobs without homes and
without money?
1t is significant fact that during the
past year As per cent Of the men eligible
for parole at Lortor, Reformatory failed to
apply for parole. The usual reason for
such failure is that the men we'll know
that their past records are so bad that
parole is out of the question. And they
also know that even without parole they
will be released before very long. Many
of them hate parole supervision and pre-
fer to go out "on their own"
The Case of Thomas II.
Take the typical case of Thomas H,
notorious burglar and dope addict ,The
dope fiend will not hesitate to take long
and vicious chances to get money for
narcotics) He applied for parole, but was
denied. He was released automatically one
year later, with 81 in his pocket He made
an effort to obtain work. but without sue
cess The 81 were soon gone The Board
OF Parole endeavored to get help for him
from the social agencies, but their funds
were exhausted. H fed from the city
and by this time has probably joined
narcotic ring in some other city. and is no
doubt committing bArglaries to obtain dope
Seventy automatic releases escaped from
the District of Columbia last year to other
States. 1t is not pleasant to contemplate
that the Capital of the Nation is thus
dumping its dangerous criminals into
other communities. The only consolation
is that the various States are doing the
same thing. 1t is dangerous sort of
reciprocity.
As a cure for this evil the truly inde-
terminate sentence has been suggested
Under this plan no criminal would be re-
leased from prison until the Board of
Parole considered it safe for him to leave
Why should the confirmed sex pervert ever
be released? Why should the man who
has devoted himself to life of burglary
and use of narcotics be released until it
is reasonably certain that he will not re-
sumo his criminal career? How long shall
we follow the unintelligent course of de-
liberately releasing dangerous criminals to
imperil our homes and attack our daugh-
terS?
Minds Not Secure.
The problem is complicated by the fact
that some of the automatic releases are
not Of sound mind. 1t is clear from the
attitude and behavior Of some of them
when they appear before the Board OF
Parole that they are nervous, hieh-strung,
unbalanced. But unless they have been
declared insane nothing can be done about
it. They may be bordering on serious men
tai disorder and they may be abnormal
sexually, but they are turned out on the
street to 60 their way with the others
We absorb them back into the community
to mingle with us and with our children
1t does not make sense.
A highly dangerous young man recently
appeared before the Board Of Parole. He
had definitely embarked upon a criminal
career but would before long be released
automatically without parole. The board
was confronted with dilemma. 1t did not
seem safe to parole him, and it did not
seem any safer to release him automatic
ally without parole restrictions. Just then
an opportunity came to place the young
man in c. c. c. camp where 1t was
thought there might b = chance to give