Imperial Valley press., 1939-04-17

WASHINGTON. - The average
citizen will get his chance TO find
out exactly what is wrong with the
parole system when the national
parole conference opens here on
April II.
The answers are likely to sur
prise. Plenty OF Things are wrong.
but they aren't the things the
citizens has been kicking about. In
the end, he is apt to find out that
the trouble with parole is mostly
his own misinformation and III
difference.
This conference will be quite
show. Every federal, state and To-
cal parole agency in the country
will be represented. The findings
of an elaborate three-day study Ol
al. OF the country's parole systems
will be presented. There Will Ge
papers. speeches, round-table dis
cussionS-and out OF it all will come
the information which VIII enable
the country TO give itself the KIND
CT parole system it ought 10 nave.
Right now America has no "paro4e
system. 1t has 49 separate systems.
Some OF them are pretty good ana
some are absolutely terrible. ana
although a great many people critl-
ciZe parole from time to time, lew
of them really know what they are
talking about.
The expert penologists at the
Department of Justice who are
planning this conference point out,
first OF all, that parole isn't proDa-
ton, it isn't pardon, and 1t lSn
time off for good behavior. Basic
ally, it is simply an extension oil
the states control over criminal
after he leaves prison, and the
theory back OF it is this:
Within a definite number OF years
any given criminal excluding litelo}
is going to come out OF prison.
Even if ne wants to go straight,
the JOB of reaojusting himself tC
freedom is going 10 be tough. II
he comes out without any strings
on him. society won't be able TO
check up and see that he IS making
the readjuStment
BY letting him out ahead OF time
cn parole. society can keep tap on
him. II can see in what direction
he is heading. and if he is head
ing back toward crime, 1t can yank
him back INTO prison without walt
ing for him to commit some dell
nI.e. concrete misdeed.
Properly handed. then, parole :
the exact reverse of crlmlnal-cod-
ding. It's primary aim is to protect
society. Federal prison officials, in
cidentally. remark that in states
which have efficient parole systems
the haoitual criminal doesn't apply
for parole. He'll take pardon VI
ne can get il. and he'll work cannly
tc get time off for good behavior,
but he doesn't want any strings OF
him when ne comes out
A good parole system, naturally
takes forethought and money L
takes a good-sized staff OF experts
And there is where the trouDi'
comes.
In some states, politics steps in
There are cases where the entire
parole DOdId, IlOlil OOp man "
lowliest field worker, Is fired ever.
time there is g change of admin
istration. The places go to part.
hacks. not to experts.
Paroles are often enough passed
cut for political considerations. II
one state, for instance, the ma
terial which the parole boar'
studies" when an application TO
parole comes up consists almos
exclusively of letters from peopl
who have written TO urge granting
of the parole.
Where politics doesn't make
hash of things. ightfistednes
often does. There are states who's
parole staffs are SO small that the.
could not possibly, with the bes
,piu in the world supervise tn