Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-14
Explosive Situation

1Ic dangerous dIlQ explosive
ton" found by the Commissioners Com
mittee on Prisons Probation and Parole
obviously calls for immediate steps to
relieve the source of the trouble-over-
crowding of District penal institutions.
The committee, representative of all Dis
trict agencies concerned with the prob
lem fortunately has worked, out what
seems to be promising and economically
feasible plan for meeting the emergency
The program, as revealed in fortnight
report described elsewhere in The Star
today, deserves the support of the whole
community and, especially, of Congress.
The committee, headed by Commits
sioner Karrick, was understandable
alarmed by the crowded conditions it
observed at the District Jail, the Work
house and the Reformatory at Lorton,
Virginia. District correctional officials
already were gravely concerned, for theirs
is the responsibility of preventing the
disorders and the possible explosions
threatened by congestion at the local
penal institutions. The city is asking
for trouble when it jams 1900 prisoners
into an old Jail built to accommodate
only 5000 persons, when it confines 1,480
men in workhouse designed to care
for only 1000 and when it crowds more
than 1900 felons into prison-reforma-
tory with rated capacity of only 1900.
1t is tribute to the local penal admin
istration that smouldering troubles have
been extinguished by alertness, firmness
and intelligence. But the administrators
continue to sit on powder keg
To relieve this situation, the COM
mittee asserts, will not require-at least
during the near future-any huge ex-
penditure of money for new construction
and greatly expanded STATS. Instead, the
Karrick group unanimously recommend
ed moderate, multifaceted program
involving wider use of probation and pa
role procedures, additional dormitory ia
cilitieS Ito be built by prison labor, an
intensive rehabilitation system for alco-
holics (who compose IS per cent of the
jail and workhouse population) and indie
terminate sentences for drunks-So that
more time can be devoted to rehabilita-
ton efforts. 1t was pointed out that
chronic alcoholics ride sort of merry
go-round of arrest, sentencing, confine-
ment, release and arrest again-with the
process repeated endlessly
The extension of probation and pa
role could be accomplished only by some
increase in the STATS of supervisory
agencies, but even small increases in
the number of probation and parole Of
f1cers would afford considerable relief
to penal congestion. A full-time Parole
Board was recommended. OF course, as
the committee stressed probation or pa
role should be considered only on the
basis OF the circumstances in individual
cases-not just to relieve prison over
crowding. But the report makes it clear
that larger supervisory staff for the
courts and the Parole Board would open
the way for the release of more prisoners
meriting such consideration.
Particularly appealing is the fact
that the committees program would cost
only an estimated 81 million initially,
instead Of the $40 million estimated as
necessary to begin construction of new
Jail here and new facilities at Lorton.
And in addition to this SO million saving
In initial outlay there would be substan-
tial annual savings in operating costs
(since 1t is much cheaper to supervise a
person on probation or parole than to
keep him impriSoned). More than dollars
would be saved however, for the rehabili-
tation program for alcoholics and other
petty offenders would help to salvage
human wreckage that now. cutters the
Jail and workhouse. Commissioner Kar-
rick, Special Counsel Aubrey Gasque and
the other committeeman who collabo-
rated on the diagnosis of and proposed
remedies for the city's grave correctional
Ills have rendered valuable public serv-
ice. Now it is up to the Commits
sioners and Congress to see that the
relief measures are properly and promptly
initiated and carried out