STATE OF IOWA 1920 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF PAROLE FOR THE BIENNIAL PERIOD ENDING JUNE 30, 1920 INCLUDING CRIMINAL STATISTICS • J:.Ubllah•d by TilE I!TA'PE OP IOWA Dee Moln•• •r,, Ilonorablc W. lJ. llarding, Governor: We IJa,·e the honor to trnnsrnit hcrewilh in uceortluncc with law, the biennial rcpo•·t of the Board of l'a•·ole, und of C•·iminul Statistics for the period ending June 30, 1920. W. S. WITIIIIOW, GEO. '1'. R~;OOI C K, J. 0. \\'OOD MAS ~E~, Board of Pm·olc. Xovcmbc•· 19, 1920. BOAHD OF PAROLE AND DEP;UlTMEXT W1N1·u:u, s. WtTIIKOW. ChaiNnon, Mount Pleasant OooooE T. R&ODICI<, Member, Iowa City. JOIJ!< 0. W OODMAN8f.Y., .Member . ., Leon. Sam D. Woods, Secretary, Des Moines. Joseph Lampman, Parole Olrlcer, Jelreroon. William J. Greene, Parole Olrleer, Clinton. Bertha Boydston, File Clerk, Des Molnea. Olive Carventer, Stenographer, Des Molnea. Muriel Rlulns, Stenographer, Des Moines. • REPORT OF THE BOARD OF PAROLE This •·~port of the Board of Parole covers the biennial period ending June 30, 1920. Presented with it are t-omt>ilations of stati~t ics covering the same period. and also sincQ the organization of the board, together wilh county reports of ~riminal statistics •·equired to be made by clerks of the district cou•·t, under section . ::!93 of the code supplement with amendments thereto. PAROLES GRANTED During the period covered by this report 596 paroles have been granted, this total including men paroled from the two institution~. Fort Madison and Anamosa, and those paroled by order of the board before commitment and upon the recommendation of the !.rial judge and cow1ty attornfy. Of the total number thus paroled, 258 were acti,·ely reporting at the end of the period, and 181 had been discharged from parole. or the remainder, 103 had ab· seonded and not been aPt>rehended, parole had been revoked in 48 instances and the violator~ rctul'lled to prison, 5 bad died, and the ~>entence of one was commuted by the governor upon the rccom· mendation of the board. In general, the results of the work have not varied materially from previous periods. 'rbcre hiiB been a ((ood peruentage of success, measured by the number who have Ulet the condjtions or parole. There have been failures, as there always ";11 be; for no matter how much aid and encouragement may be given to them, there are men of criminal purposes and hereditarv moral wcakne><s who cannot, or do not, respond to efTOJ'ls for their .betterment. But taken in full, what hill! been done fully justifies the expenditure and efforts which the state iB making ulong the lines or aiding the willful and unfortunate. CA<SES REFERRED BY THE GOVERNOR During the biennial period there was re(errcd to this board by the governor, w1der the t>rovision of code supplement section 5626, twenty.cigbt applications for pardon or commutation of sentence. Of this number twenty·six were under life sentence, anq two were BOARD OP PARO L ~; 6 BIENNIAL RE PORT OP <·nun t il."! in the state without l'<'!!llrtl tn tbr <· rime, a~:e. or other t'On­ h('n·inJ,: M•nteut-e;, lt'ISS thau lift, lhe>.t' latter l>t'iu~: referred unl er tl u ion.<. A• a !'holt of thi, method. bo>••ml >·oun~:: men t'Ommittl'd t I•<• umr111lmeut to ~ lion ;;li:?6 made hy <·ho1ller 173 8tls o[ the :11- th (leucral J\s.-,embh·. 0 £ the \\bOle lllllllhPr t hUS referred, for their lin-t otren.'-1' wei'!' a_, a 1\1"'"'-~~"' rt"Uit of their t'Onunit­ ment brou~ht into dire<·t B-"--ol'iatinn " i;h older men of crimi nal rl'<•om mendatiollll for <~mm uta tiou of life M'ntcrwes to 8 definite iu '<l int·h aud •-ubje;,ted to influenr!"< mo-t damo:;:in!f to tho.<e " ho tt•nn of yean< were made in twenty-one <· ol>l"', r.nd rt'Commenda­ m i~:h t wi th proper :;:uid&n loe and iutluenecs be tunted awa,· from rinnK ugain~l clemency were made in t.c\·en cllllCII. With one CJ<t'('ll­ H ime. Thrse l t'f: i~la t i,·c provi•ions weroe iu dirN·t line wl rh the tinu, oil or the re.-ommcndatinn• wrr<> appro,·ed . or the total reformatory idea, aJtd intcndNI to nrre. t the criminal tcnd e n ~ie-< r•nmb<•r· of r~frrrrd cases twelve were for murder. Herommenda­ of y oun~: ml'n nncl boys not so fur l!'onc in e rim~ ns to be beyond tionA llfCIIin•l clemency wer·e mndc in fh-e I'IIKCS, mod in 8C\'CI1 it reusonnhle hope of reformation. It wu• rt'Cogniwd in lhc nc• t nrlviKrd that there be commututiou of with one wa.~ ~entrnr e, t h:1t trial courts would at times IJI' mi•lecl n• to the uge or prcviou• <·xc·r1Hion the terms recommended ranJ,:inl!' :30 to 6ri years. Ten o£ record of the man, and to meet sneh ~o ndit ions it is l't'<\Uin'<l that lhe applicutionK which were referred were in r11pe cases. In two nfl er rommitmcnt. when it shall appear that the age or record or "" llltrt·e• r('(·ommeudaticm was made orcaiu't pardon or eommula· the man i.• such that original eommitml'nt ~h ould ha"e been cnotlc twn, and ei!!ht were recommended for clementy. These latter to Fort ~! edison, be shall at once he tran•ferrtd to the proper in,ti­ <·UM'S were of the clas.. commonly termed "~tatuto ry rape," where tJ tion. Trial coum ha,·e ~nerally ollllt-n ·ed th ~ pro,·i!<ion o[ the the ac•t had bet-n mutual with a girl below the &lfe o£ consent, not act M to commitments, )'et there hi\'C ~~~ many instances where having the element of force. Otben; were of robbery, larceny, and men haw been committed, witJt pre,•iollll erimin81 record.~ kno\\~t pl11d ng ob,tructious on 8 railroad track. In se,·eral of the CE.ses to the committing authorities. "here rom mutation of sentence was made, ll&roles were subse­ In the lu~t biennial report of tbe warden of th~ l'l'formatory the IIU~ntly granted, and \Vith good results. following stattmcnt appeaN<: "ConditionR Ktill exist which llre­ vcnt our ltnving reached the modern conception of a reformatory, SEORI!lOATION OF FIRST AND OLD OFFENDERS the chief of which is the presence in the inKtitution of the following: We c·11ll allention to a condition which in our judgment seriously 56 who hove served tenns in prisons and penitentiaries, 22 re­ impuirM the results of the work of a reformatory nature which the ceived who were over thirty years of age," etc. O~nernl Assembly had in mind at the time of the act fixing the Conditions such as are above noted are practically continuom ir•dctrrminate sentence and tl'tablishin(C the board of parole. nt the reformatory at Anamosa, varying 110mewhat in numben!, but Section 2, chapter 192 of the acts of the 32nd Oeneral Assembly, ne,·er without the presence in that institution of a large number being 571 a5 or code supplement of 1913, provides that pen;ons \lho under the law and in the intertllta or the plan of reformation hetwl'l'n the ages of sixtetn and thirty years convicted of crimes, 1Jf those who are more plal!lie, should be at Fort ;)flllison. rxcepting murder, treason, IIOdomy and inel'st, who had not pre­ The admini<tralion of th~ law iA not with the hoard of parole. viously bet-n convicted of felony, shall he t'Ommilted to the reforma­ but we ha\·e fl'lt it vital to the work committ.N! to n.q that such tory at Anamosa; all others, which includes men of maturity and netion be taken as will •ubstuntially ml'l't tht purp!l8CS of the law. former offenders, shall be committed to the penit~ntiary.. Section We ore advi!Oed and have re&Mim to btli~,· ~ that facililil'l! at Fort IJ71A·II8 of the same act provides that if it shall appear at any time ModiMn nre not sufficient to properly hou~ all who Ahall under ufter conviction and incarecratiou in the reformatory that a pris­ tire lnw be in that in&titulion. Whatever Mtep~ may be needed wer waR over the age of thirty year~ at the time of commitment, along thl'llll line!! should be taken, that thr IW'gregation of the old nr thnL he had been before convicted of a felony, "he shall at once ofTNHirrR from the youthful anti primary pri11onen~ mny be eom1Jicte. IJ~ transferred to the prison at Fort M8dison." Prior to the pa118age o( this act both of the institutions were peuitentiarits, and ''Ommitroents to them were from designated BIENNIAL REPORT OF BOARD OF PAROLt: PROSECUTIONS FOR PAROLE VIOLATION BY ABSCONOINc; of our criminal ~tatute» Wtf<' cnat·lt'd hefore th~ I"'""!!~ of I be law Section 41!!17-a eodt '"PI>Iement, as amended by chapter 83, acts under which we are now operatiu~:. llnd a uumh.-r of those ~·tt pro· of the :l!'th General A~mbl~·. fi~ed nn adtlitio11al penally of fi•·e •·ide both ma.-.:imum and minimum penah it"<. In our 1~-t te(>Orl yean. u for parole violotol"l! "ho abseo11d or escape. p11ni~hment ''~' l'l'l'(lntmended re\·ision to th~ e~ tr nt that the pro,·ision a.• lo Ourin,:c thl" 1>a•t biennium a number ha,·e violatro paroles in tba~ miuimum penalties be repealed, but no lrt:is)Mii,·e .