Evening star., 1951-05-29
Commissioners
ASK Cost Study
|OfCorrectionAci
District Left Out
OF Federal Law on
Young Offenders

( ONasS SIISIiUSIS
/ The Commissioners today called
for a report from the budget Office
on the cost of including the Dis
trict under the scope of the Fed
eral Youth Corrections Act of 1850.
Corporation Counsel Vernon e.
West voiced his approval of such
"a program in the District after
the new act was described to the
city heads by Chief Judge Bolitha
b. Laws of District Court. James
v. Bennett. director of the Fed
eral Bureau of Prisons, and Donald
Clemmer, District director OF cor
rectionS.
The act omitted the District
because Of special complications
involved in the penal system here.
Judge Laws explained the District
was left out to avoid cucumber
ing the national program with
local problems. including the
budgetary setup. Alaska also was
left out Of the national act.
System Is Flexible.
Legislation is pending in Con-
gress to include the District.
The act sets up a highly flexible
system of handling youthful Of
tenders. Instead of locking them
up for fixed sentences. it provides
for thorough examination Of indi-
vidual offenders and wide latitude
to enforcement officials in deter
mining the length and type of corr
rective treatment.
Whenever United States dis
trict judge believes that some one
81 years of age or less is capable
of being rehabilitated. he has the
discretion to hand him over to
the Youth Corrections Authority,
Judge Laws explained, although
he is not compelled to do so.
The Parole Board can turn
them loose at any time they are
considered ready for it or can
hold them as long as four years
unless the court has specified
otherwise.
To Offer Amendments.
Mr.. Bennett said he was con-
Ivinced the measure would be a
good thing for the people Of the
District. Mr.. Clemmer agreed.
Mr.. Bennett explained the pur-
pose of the act was. to make pos
sible the release of a prisoner
after he had made sufficient prog
ress at an institution. Rather
than turning the offender loose
too soon, he said he thought it
was the opinion of those familiar
with the problem that one going
in under commitment of this type
usually served longer time than
under an ordinary commitment.
Judge Laws said there were one
or two minor amendments to be
offered to the pending legislation,
notably to insure that the new
program would not affect the
jurisdiction of Juvenile Court.
Mr.. Bennett said he did not
think the program would cost the
District much if anything, more
than its present system. In the
long run, he added, he believed
it would cost less. He said he felt
eventually the District would have
its own special institution and
would not have to depend on the
Federal Government as it now
does.
Lorton Rate Lower.
A report submitted by F. Elwood
Davis. chairman of a special COM
mittee appointed by Judge Laws
to study the matter, compared the
cost of maintaining inmates at
Lorton Reformatory and that Of
holding them at the Federal Re-
formatory at Chillicothe. Ohio.
The report said that for the last
fiscal year the daily per capita
Irate at Lorton was SIS cents less
than the cost at Chillicothe.
Mr.. Clemmer pointed out that
the District spends $35, 900 q year
now for the care of prisoners at
lChillicothe He said he did not
think the new program would be
ANY more expensive than the pres
lent one.
The proposed inclusion of the
District has been approved by the
judicial Conference of the District
Iof Columbia Circuit, the Judicial
Conference of the United States
and the Special Committee of the
American Bar Association on I'M
proving the Administration of Jus.