Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1929, Side 247

TÍUiNDA ÁRSÞING
213
son 'has spent four years in the Prince
Al'bert penitentiary and has been a model
prisoner and that he would probably be
able to obtain a parole after he had spent
at least ten years in the institution and thaí
in the opinion of the authorities no lifer
has obtained a parole in less than ten years
from the date of entry into the peitentiary.
W'hen going into this aspect of the situa-
ation I enquired of the age of the prisoner
and after looking up the records I was
advised that he was born in the year 1870.
and sinoe that tinie I have ascertained that
lie was given as 59 years of age at the time
that the application for commutation to
life imprisonment was made. If a parole
were obtained it would mean that Ingólfur
Ingólfsson would be at least sixty five
years of age when consideration would be
:given the matter and you can readily as-
certain that he would not l>e in a position,
if freed, of maintaining ihimself, unless he
has some dependents to look after ;him in
his old age. I would point out that a
parole does not mean an unconditional re-
lease. If Ingólfur Ingólfsson were let
■out on parole and remained in Canada, hc
would have to remain in Canada if he were
■on þarole. It means that it would be
necessary for him to report to the cíhief of
police in the town, city or district, where
he was then living, once a month, and ií
it should happen that he again carne into
the toils of the police and was convicted
even of drunkenness that his parole would
he automatica'lly suspended and he would
then have to report to the penitentiary to
■complete his sentence, there to remain until
his death, and if the Icelandic National
Patriotic League were responsible for the
obtaining of such parole, this happening
would naturally react against the societv
.and would be very harmful indeed. In
view of his crime record I would not see
any possible advantage in ahowing Ingólf-
nr on parole in Canada as I feel assured
that in due time he would again come into
the hands of the law, then all the efforts
that had been expended on 'his behalf
would be in vain, and that vanity would
again rise and become blacker than ever.
On the other hand, if it were so found fchat
Ingólfur Ingólfsson was mentally un-
sound, and he was so found by a high
mental authority and the Department
would naturally require him to be placed
in a mental hospital at the expense of tihe
Society as they would be responsiible for
tihe finding, tihen he would not be rekased
until a certificate from the surgeon in
charge of such mental hospital would be
obtained, certifying tihat he was sane, and
at the same time thqy would require án
undertaking of tihe Society tihát tihis pro-
cedure would be taken, and if he were then
declared to be sane, as above stafced, he
would still be on parole ,and if he ever
got into tihe ihands of the law again, back
to tihe penitentiary, he would go to com-
pkte his sentence.
I must say here that I did not see Ing-
ólfur Ingólfsson while at Prince Albert
Penitentiary because I was not allowed to
do so. It is impossible for a lawyer to
interview a prisoner in tihe penitentiary
witihout first obtaining leave from tihe
superintendent of penitentiaries at Ottawa,
Ontario, and it is also not open for a pris-
oner to communicate witih a lawyer at his
own request witihout first obtaining leave
of tbe superintendent of penitentiaries at
Ottawa, and as I felt no need to gaze upon
his countenance I did not go to tihe trouible
of obtaining tihat leave whidh might have
taken days.
It has been brought to my attention by
one of tihe authorities at tihe penitentiary
bhat if the Sociey had the welfare of Ing-
ólfur Ingólfsson a heart and wished to do
him well tihat they would not take tihe
chance of having Ihim declared insane and
sent to a mental hospital, whiah would
react as against ihis physical welfare as
he is better cared for in tihe penitentiarv,
but that tihey would allow the matter to be
dormant for tihe next five or six years and
if at the expiration of that time Ingólfur
Ingólfsson was still in tihe world that tihey
make application to the Minister of Justice
for his parole. At the time of such appli-