Sach, Stalimhary 11-11-30. • FOREWORD Crime and law enforcement are two of the most important and widely discussed subjects of the times. Protection of life and property is the first and most important function of government; and in the beginning, this was exclusively SO. But with the rapid growth of our great country and the development of other governmental responsibilities, is the first duty being neglected? Although our industrial and governmental machines are far from perfect, we probably are the most ingenious and efficient nation industrially. Can we truthfully say this of our law enforcement? Judges of our higher courts, as well as the public, repeatedly ask whether the people are losing confidence in the courts. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION In the past, the courts, prosecutors, indeterminate sentences, the parole law and the Parole Board have been subjects of much criticism. Under attack, an individual is entitled to defense; precisely so with administrative bodies. In both cases, self-defense is proper and advisable, especially when criticism is frequently unintelligent and unjust. In order to obtain an impartial, intelligent, and constructive consideration of the indeterminate-sentence laws and of the parole administration, as well as a comparative study of sentences imposed by trial judges and juries, and of the practice of accepting pleas of guilty for lesser crimes than were really committed, and also in order to avoid suggestion of prejudice or politics, agreement was made with the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and the Northwestern University to undertake an examination, analysis, and report on the entire record of the Parole Board for not less than six/ years past. The representatives selected were: for Northwestern, Judge Andrew A. Bruce, Northwestern University Law School, president of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, formerly Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Dakota, and ex-member of the Board of Pardons and Paroles of that state; for Illinois, Albert J. Harno, Dean, College of Law, University of Illinois; for Chicago, Ernest W. Burgess, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Chicago. The integrity, qualification, and high standing of these university representatives insure to the people of Illinois, and make acces |