AUGUSTUS, JOHN
During the nineteenth century CRIMINAL LAW,
in particular, was slowly evolving toward a more
humanistic and equitable approach than had
previously been taken. One man in Massachu-
setts, through an act of compassion, initiated a
procedure that was the forerunner of the PRO-
BATION system.
John Augustus, born 1785, was a cobbler in
Boston during the 1840s. He was interested in
the legal process and often visited the criminal
courts in Boston. In 1841, he was especially
touched by the plight of a person convicted of
public intoxication who begged the court not to
incarcerate him and promised to give up alcohol
in return for his freedom. Augustus, sensing
hope for the man’s rehabilitation, paid the man’s
bail; three weeks later, Augustus returned to
court with his sober charge. The judge was
favorably moved, and the man was allowed to go
free.
After his initial success, John Augustus con-
tinued to take custody of convicted criminals. By
