A board of pardons and paroles should be made up of men who are really
interested in their work. They should carefully keep up with the
literature on crime and punishment; they should be scientists in all
matters touching their work, and they should be men of humane feelings.
It is too much to expect that all of this can be found in a board for a
long time to come, but with good sense and the right attitude of mind
the board could employ the skill that it does not now have. Every
prisoner should be the subject of attention, not of spying, but of
friendly interest that would inspire confidence and trust,--such an
interest as a wise doctor has in a patient. This attention would in most
cases gain the confidence of the prisoner and make it possible to find
out how far he could be trusted, at the same time showing the treatment
and environment he needed for future development. Where this confidence
could not be had, safety would probably require a longer term. Most men
respond to kind treatment. The criminal has so long looked on the world
as his enemy, especially the official world, that he hesitates to trust
anyone. Still the really sympathetic and kindly man who is honestly
trying to help him will sooner or later get his confidence and
coöperation. Every prisoner should understand that all of those around
him are anxious to educate him so as to fit him for society and to put
him in an environment where he can live. Even then there would be
mistakes, and a portion of the prisoners would be so defective or
imperfect that they never could be released; but under proper treatment
many would be restored to association with their fellow-men.
It will be a long time before it will be safe to make sentences entirely
indeterminate. Boards cannot be trusted to give such time and work and
judgment to their task as will prevent cases of great injustice. Until
such time shall come either the statutes must fix an unbending and
arbitrary time which takes no account of individual cases, or it must be
left with the court or jury. Clearly the jury should fix the maximum,
leaving the members of the board to reduce the penalty if they deem it
wise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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