The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-03-02
Connecticut;s Statute
On Pardons Under Fire
Growing Sentiment for Passage of Legislative
Act 70 Amend Present Set.Up Demanding
Unanimous Vote - Rights,
Privileges Reviewed.

temptS endangers the whole cor.
reetiVo results"
MySteric Period
Tho crimo-waVe after the last
World War was met by o long.
sentence wave, As said IN the Con.
neetieut Prison Record; I'VE have
eonv!ets lNnguiShing In prison ever
since with sentences that range
from IS to 30 years, for crimes not
involving any degree OF homicide"
deny pardon for too long and "The
man who could have been reclaimed,
II released at the psychological time
Is q mad dog turned loose upon So
ciety and bent on revenge" when
the end OF his excessive sentence
turns him out automatically,
Parole and pardon are often
e%eyted by the same board and
parole Is q sort OF conditional par
don, Tho end OF the minimum
sentence allows for parole IN most
states, But some states intelllgently
grant parole after reduced time lin
Its as shown by the following table,
COLLECTED from the Survey
Massachusetts allows time for
liferS on certain conditions after 10
years, Indiana, Delaware the Dis
triet OF Columbia, Ohio, Wyoming,
the Federal system make lifers oil
gible for parole after Is years, South
Dakota und Utah let first degree
homleldeS be pNroled after 10 years
1--WE kill them), North Carolina can
parole lifers after ten years; Color.
ado, after ten years; Kentucky, after
eight; Nevada and California after
seven; Missouri, after Ave; Georgia,
after three years; Iowa after eleven
months, IN South Carolina, Except
for persons under the death SEN
tenee, regardless OF crime or length
OF sentence, any prisoner Is eligible
for parole by the governor at any
time after conviction" South Da-
kota and Utah may grant parole 10
eonViets at any time except to those
charged with first degree murder
Eligibility
Where conditional pardons ard
parole opportunities are thus Of
fered after reduced eoniinGments,
the prisoners history character ard
progress appear to DO most carefully
studied, Tho parole board OF Mis-
souri, meets for three days each
month TO determine tho following
points concerning prisoners eligible
for parole;
"(a) That tho sentence was eX-
eesSive; ID Punishment sufficient;
To- Substantial doubt as TO pris-
oner's guilt; (O Was no innoeentP
(e) Are mitigating facts and cir~
cum5taneeS fully establiShedP O
That the prisoners rights were fully
protected. (g) Has prisoner rend.
ered unusual service TO the state?"
The law Of Utah gives the Board
Of Pardons control Of the length
Of the prisoners sentence. The
Youth Correction Authority Act OF
California, 1912, decides how long
q youth remains uGder supervision,
and OF what kind-Whether 1t be
In State Prison, reformatory, at
large, or on probation. Missouri
and Texas have citizen sponsors
for parolee. Our Connecticut Fed
eral Judge Carroll Hincks advocates
citizen sponsors for PAROLES. Where
are such citizens to be found to
care for prisoners In Connecticut?
know OF convicts who begged
vainly for pardon or parole, over
and over again, until 1t seemed that
the Connecticut prison authorities
were playing with them as the cat
plays with the mouse.
We must amend H. B. 460, to in
clude releases absolute or condi-
toned, and pardons absolute or con-
ditioned.
It appears that in most states
treason and impeachment cannot
be pardored. The last clause OF
pardon bill H. B. ago concerns the
restoration of civil rights by par
don. The old statute says "No".
However the Survey Of Release
Procedure in 1899 proves that par
don can restore civil rights in the
following jurisdictions: Beginning
with the District of Columbia:
Other States
In Louisiana Pardon restores
civil and political rights and privi-
leges.
In New Mexico and Kentucky -
Pardon restores civil rights but does
not allow barred attorney TO prac-
tice law.
In South Dakota: Pardon restores
civil rights.
In Ohio: Pardon restores rights
and privileges.
In New York: Civil rights are
restored to the convict by the ex-
piration OF his sentence. An out
right pardon Is granted for proved
innocence.
South Carolina: BY absolute par
don the governor can restore citizen
ship rights.
Wisconsin: Absolute pardon re-
stores civil rights.
The Federal Government: Pardon
restores right and powers lost or
suspended by the conviction.
virginia: A full pardon blots out
guilt. In the eye OF the law the