OCR Text |
Show Utah Crime Study Comparison of the records of 825 Utah felons under the last five years of the definite sentence law from 1908-1913 with the records of 731 Utah felons under the indeterminate inde-terminate sentenc law imprisoned from 1913 to 1915 and from 1923-1925 1923-1925 shows that felons in the Utah state penitentiary served 16 per cent less time under the present law than under the former one. This fact is a result of comprehensive compre-hensive study of the indeterminate sentence and parole law conducted by President George Thomas and Dr. Adolph Ladru Jensen, associate assoc-iate professor cf law at t.ie University Uni-versity of Utah. The study, however, how-ever, shows that the prisoners are incarcerated and on parole for 12 per cent longer time under the present system than they were under the definite sentence law, and so tne State has control over convicted felons longer than formerly. for-merly. The study, started eight months ago, has just been completed and is now bing perinted for distribution distribu-tion to trie State legislators, the Supreme Court ana district judges of Utah, all the law schools in the United States and President Hoover's crime commission. It includes findings upon the history, theory and practical operation of indeterminate sentence and parole laws and the presentstatus of these laws and habitual criminal laws in the United States. The only other similar survey made in thi United States was made recently by the joint efforts of representatives representa-tives of Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and tlie University of Illinois. Some startling inconsistencies which have crept into the present system were Drougr.: out in tho survey which included a study ol the records of a total of 1556 prisoners. pris-oners. It was found, for example that in five years under the indeterminate inde-terminate sentence law robbery has. increased one-third in the number of prisoners received as compared with five years under the definite sentence law, yet the time actually served by those sentenced sen-tenced has decreased almost one-half. one-half. But the unal conclusion reached is that tne determinate sentence and parole system, en :he whole, is the Dest method yet devised for passing judgment upon up-on convicts and should be retained re-tained as part of the penal sys- 'ltem of Utah. I Particular reference is made in . "he report of the study to th I ui acuta! operation of the inc!o t.'iminate sentence and parole laws ; in the State of Utah, and also to j U.e problem of adult probation, and to me habitual criminal. The ' --hangs or social attitude from one of primitive harsh retribution for I lie criminal to one of considerable assistance for his reformation is I traced. The advantages and disadvantages dis-advantages of release on parole .nstead of termination of sentence i? cosidered in detail, and also the desirability of a newer probation treatment of adult offenders and the need of adult probation. Recommendations following . the itudy include the following: That ;he total time spent in prison and on parole be extended in a considerable con-siderable number of cases, pai'.ic-I'larly pai'.ic-I'larly for the crimes of robbery aiid criminal assault: that the segvagation of juvenile offenders be provided for oy law and Uie law of 1919 providing otherwise be repealed; that the sentences i for habitual criminals, those guil-, guil-, tyof three or more felonies, be made longer, both to the maximum and minimum, that there should oe mere criminals placed on parole i before termination of sentence (at present oniy about one-third of I the prisoners are placeu on parole j bei'oio then sentences are termin-' termin-' atcd): that prooation officers i should be provided and (he pro-I pro-I bation law be used more extensively exten-sively for adult first offenders, that rther prisoners should be required re-quired to serve some definite minimum min-imum term before being eligible for paroie; and that there should be a careful case study made of each prisoner. Births Mt. Pleasant L. Croft and Eva Ericksen Larsen, a son; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Albert Grundy, a son. Indianola Mr. and Mrs. Merton Spencer, a daughter. Spring City Byrd and Evan Justesen Sumsion, a daughter; H R. an Idella' Dahl Robinson, a son. Fairview Mr. and Mrs. Ernest E. Stucki, a son. |