Evening star., 1953-06-12
backers Accept
Compromised on
Crime Bill
Fixed Minimums
Altered; Vote Seen
In Senate Monday
By Miriom Ottenbero

to all the amendments presented
during the debate. He specu-
lated that that would eliminate
all objections and the bill might
slide through the Senate Mon
day.
The debate-and the compro-
mise-centered on the provision
for fixed minimum sentences for
certain offenses, the ban on pro-
baton and parole for these Of
fenses and the ban on applying
the Federal Youth Corrections
Act to youths convicted of these
offenses.
The Senate District Commit
tee, before the bill went to the
floor, already had made one COM
promise by limiting the man
datory minimum sentences to
repeaters and excepting first Of
tenders. The bill, as it passed
the House, applied to first Of
tenders as well as repeaters.
Amendments Accepted.
The amendments accepted by
Senator Barrett would:
/. Eliminate housebreaking at
night as one Of the crimes with
a fixed minimum sentence.
2. Apply the fixed minimums
only to armed robbery rather
than all robbery except pocket
picking.
3. Eliminate the section for
bidding probation.
4. Eliminate the reference to
the Federal Youth Corrections
Act so that youths convicted of
crimes with fixed minimum SEN
tences could still get the rehabili-
tation planned under the act.
With the amendments, persons
previously convicted of a crime of
violence would be sentenced to a
minimum of two years for armed
robbery or assault with intent to
commit rape and would be SEN
fenced to a minimum of seven
years for rape.
Second offenders convicted of
assault with a dangerous weapon
on a police officer, illegal pos
session of a pistol or possessing
the implements of crime would
get a minimum sentence of one
year.
Senator Hendrickson, Repub-
ican, of New Jersey, who
offered all the compromise
amendments but the one relating
to probation, said his proposals
had been carefully studied by
the judges and they are willing
to compromise"
Senator Morse. Independent,
Of Oregon. also proposed the
one relating to the Youth Cor
rections Act and the one about
probation. Senator Barrett said
he was willing to eliminate the
section on probation because
the bill now applies only to re-
peaters and felony repeaters
cannot get probation in any
case.
Senator Morse led the fight
against the mandatory mini
NUNS. He called them Short
sighted" "self-defeating" and a
"straightjacket sentencing law
which would turn the clock back
200 years to the days when it
was thought crime could be
curbed by torture, exile or execu-
ton.
Senator Barrett contended the
District has one of the worst
crime records in the country
when it should have one of the
best. He cited the Washington
Criminal Justice Associations
report that serious crime in the
District showed a. 1914 per cent
increase in 1852 over that in
1851.
Sees Issue Up to Senate.
"The issue is squarely up to
the Senate" Senator Barrett
said. This community is entitled
to better law enforcement than
it is getting. This calls for pretty
strong medicine to get the job
done. If we're going to take any
steps to remedy the situation. it's
got to be on a strong, affirma-
tive basis"
Senator Morse responded that,
in the course of research and
editing f1ve volumes on probation,
parole and other aspects of
penology. he had learned to go
slow on crime figures.
He said there is no proof that
sentences meted out here are
light. The available data, he
added. indicates sentences are
higher here than the average
throughout the courts.
When punitive principles are
adopted which are later rec
ognized to be unfair, he argued,
it leads to inefficiency, corrup-
ton and bargaining" by pros
ecutors, and causes Judges
juries, prosecutors and police to
wink at the facts.
Senator Barrett commented
that a Of the 48 States have
fixed minimum sentences for
the crimes covered in the crime
bill.
Senator Morse said the States
were backward in the whole mat
ter of sentences.
Senator Morse emphasized that
some punitive justice" is nee
essary but only for rehabilita-
ton. Congress, he said. does not
have the ability, background or
scientific knowledge to handle
-