Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1907 — Parole System tor Criminals. [ARTICLE]

Parole System tor Criminals.

At the recent National Congress of Charities and Corrections at Minneapolis a most interesting paper was read byHarris R. Cooley, director of public service, division of charities and corrections, of Cleveland, Ohio. He described the working of the parole system, which has been greatly extended under the administration of Mayor Tom Johnson. Durihg the six years of Mayop Johnson’s term of office over 4,000 persons have beenpardoned or paroled. It is the theory In Cleveland that for a man condemned to prison for the first time there is a psychological moment in which help can be wisely given. To act too soon would belittle the wrongdoing; to wait too long would embitter and harden the individual into a criminal. Only 14 per cent of the paroled men have been returned to the house of correction. According to the statistics, this is less than the returns of those who were released after working out their entire time in prison under the old regime. The plan has been fottnd to work exceptionally good in the case of men who neglected or deserted their families. Mr. Cooley strongly opposed the imposition of a fine as an alternative to a term of imprisonment, ne claims that a man who tries to steal a franchise or a canal or a million dollars is in need of correctional treatment just as much as the man who tries to steal a ham or an overcoat. He stated that there was a growing sentiment in favor of moving penal institutions to the country, where more of ths prisoners could work in the fields under the open sky. This has been tried in connection with the Cleveland house of correction and there has hgen little trouble with escapes.