IT IS WISER AND LESS EXPENSIVE TO SAVE CHILDREN THAN TO PUNISH CRIMINALS THEJUVENILE CURT RECORD ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR TRACESABENCOUNCIL 234 10 CENTS SINGLE COPY OBJECTS OF THE JUVENILE The object of the JUVENILE COURT RECORD is to disseminate the principles of the Juvenile Court throughout the United States, and, in fact, the entire world. When the Juvenile Court was first established the sociologists of the entire country stood by watching anxiously the outcome of this new departure in childsaving methods. It was realized that a medium was needed whereby the results accomplished by the Juvenile Court might be set forth in an intelligent manner. The JUVENILE COURT RECORD stepped into the breach and has devoted its pages exclusively to news of the various juvenile courts. As a result of the publicity thus given to the foundation principles and routine work of the Cook County Juvenile Court other States have passed juvenile court laws, and bills are being prepared in nearly every State in the Union to be presented at the next sessions of the Legislatures of the various States providing for similar legislation. The foundation thought and idea of the Juvenile Court law is that children should be kept in the home to the greatest extent possible. The child's own home is preferred by the Court, but in lieu of that it is intended that any good home where proper care and training will be given shall be provided for the child. The State, in assuming its relationship as the guardian. of the rights of the child, assumed a serious responsibility. Every child has a right to education and physical Primarily, this duty lies with the parents. This obligation should be enforced wherever possible. The family is the unit of society, and most of the evils of society arise from demoralized homes. It is the duty of the State to co-operate with the family as long as possible and help hold it up. If, however, for any reason the family fails, then a new home is necessary until such time as the family may again be brought together. If the family proves recreant and abdicates its functions altogether, it is the duty of the State to secure as nearly normal conditions for the children under its care and custody as may be in its power. The home is the normal place for a child's education and training. The fact that children are to be placed in homes presupposes the idea that some agency will be at hand to find a childless home for a homeless child. To the limit of its resources the JUVENILE COURT RECORD assists in finding homes for the homeless, helpless little waifs drifting about the country. These little unfortunates need an advocate, and the JUVENILE COURT RECORD acts in this capacity, standing side by side with them, pointing the way to a brighter, happier life, where the weeds of evil will be choked out of existence and the flowers of hope will bloom in their place. Ma, she says: "S-s-h-h!" Pa, he says: "Don't!" Aunt Lou, she says: "Kee-ee-eep still!" An' Grampa says: "Oh, go outside If you mus' wissle, Bill!" An' even Jane, the hired girl, Says, "Goodness, hush that noise!" It's plain enough to me 'at home Ain't no fit place for boys. 'En Pa says: "S-s-h-h!" an' Ma says: "Don't!" An' Grampa says: "Land sakes!" 'Cuz home's no place for boys. 'En I go down to Uncle Jack's, It seems to me 'at Uncle Jack's Nobody never says "S-s-h-h!" there An' 'en, 'ist like it was before, Aunt Lou says: "Tush, boy, tush!" Gosh, but I'd like to live somew'eres Or make a little noise, 'Cuz such a place as that would be A bully place for boys! -Saturday Evening Post. Likes to Make a Noise No. 2 MILWAUKEE, WIS. Mr. A. C. Backus former Factory Inspector is placed in charge of the Juvenile Court work of the District Attorney's office. Mr. Backus says he will discourage the use of warrants in the arrest of children and encourage the use of Petitions instead. Judge Benjamin B. Lindsey addressed members of the Children's Betterment League and other Juvenile Associations in Milwaukee on January 25th. In his remarks he said, "The whole problem of the children is one of education. The boys are all right. Give them the right chance, a fair show, trust them, appeal to the best that is in them, and they will come out all right. If there is trouble, it is in your method of going at them. If one of my boys should run away instead of going to the reform school alone, I should look for the trouble in my treatment. The reason that two-thirds of inmates of penitentiaries are under twenty-four is because the state failed to work with the man. My investigations show that one-fifth of the boys between 10 and sixteen years old in Omaha, Topeka, Lincoln and Des Moines have been in jail." ST. LOUIS, MO. Senator Thomas E. Kinney will be asked to introduce a bill to amend the Juvenile Court enactment of the last General Assembly. The present law provides for the appointment of two probationary officers by the circuit judges. The proposed amendment will give this power to the police board and provides that the probationary officers and regular policemen. The chief probationary officer will be sergeant and will have charge of the court with two patrolmen to assist him. One probationary patrolman will be provided in each police district. This patrolman will be expected to familiarize himself with the youngsters of his district and be ready to inform the court at any time of the character, disposition, surroundings and parental influence of nearly every juvenile in his district. The present law provides that juveniles out on parole must report weekly or monthly to the probationary officer at the court. Frequently the boys complain of being forced to miss school in order to fulfill this requirement. This inconvenience might be obviated by having the boys report to the police probationary at the nearest station house. OLYMPIA, WASH. Representative Vilas introduced by request on January 11th a Juvenile Court Bill which is the product of the Bar Association. It provides that any child of the age of 16 years or under who breaks any state law or city or county ordinance; who associates with thieves, immoral or improper persons of any character; who lives in idleness or in surroundings having a degenerating tendency, or who may be upon the streets at an unseemly hour of the night without business, shall be known as a juvenile delinquent and as such amenable to the provisions of the act. Any such child may be informed upon to the clerk of a superior court, and the superior courts shall have jurisdiction over such cases. The courts shall hold special sessions to be known as "juvenile court sessions," at which cases of the character described shall be given exclusive attention. The court may appoint one or more persons, suitable for the work, as probation officers, and these persons shall serve without compensation. The child, upon conviction, may be given into the charge of these officers, committed to some institution suitable in the opinion of the court, given in adoption to or in custody of a suitable person or persons, or be permitted to remain in its own home on probation and under the direct supervision and subject to the report of the probation officer. Counties of the first and second class are required to provide detention rooms for such cases, and it is made unlawful for any juvenile delinquent to be placed in any place of detention where he shall be within sight or hearing or in direct association with any adult offender, and no child under 14 years of age shall under any circumstances be placed in or committed to a jail. A special clause makes it unlawful for any child of 8 years or under to peddle or sell any article. The bill becomes effective immediately upon its passage. A second measure offered by Mr. Vilas supplements the first. It provides that any parent or parents, guardian or person having custody of a child of the age of 16 years or under, and who knows that the child is a delinquent or permits it to become or remain a delinquent, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding one year, or both such fine and imprisonment. In such cases the court may suspend sentence pending the future lawful behavior of the person charged. ST. CHARLES BOYS' HOME The St. Charles Home for Boys which was opened on December 15th seems to delight the wards who are assigned there. BOYS LIKE FARM LIFE. The report of the three weeks' experiment with the boys in their new surroundings was most pleasing to the members of the board. The short experience shows that the boys take to farm work like "ducks to water." Nothing, seemingly, remains to be done but to enroll more boys for the same work. Notification of the opening of the school has been sent to the judges of the state, and after representation from various parts of the state has been given the John Worthy Sshool will send its quota. Big boys of 16, small boys of 8, bad boys and "pretty good boys" make up the present attendance. The downtown streets have been cleared of so many incorrigibles and the same number of boys have donned overalls, and, with currycomb, dustpan and broom, have become members of a new land, to them, a more satisfactory fraternity. LEARN ALL ABOUT COWS. The little Boys did not care so much, but the big boys did. They regarded this work beneath the dignity of their fifteen or sixteen years. The detail to housework caused more wry faces and arguments than all the other features of the work combined. Taking hold of it like one who wishes to get over a disagreeable duty as soon as possible, this objection, in a measure, was finally overcome. The work in the live stock departments appeals to the boys like a veritable holiday a privilege to be enjoyed. The big red barns where the twenty-three cows are kept is the stellar attraction of all the farm features. This was one of the first places the committee visited last week. The boys were all armed with currycombs and brushes. The interest in this work was genuine. No one ever worked with greater fervor. An onlooker might think they were competing for a prize, so great was their interest. "Have the boys learned all about the cows?" inquired Judge Tuthill. "Indeed, they have," replied Mr. Smith, who has charge of this department. At his request the boys stood at attention and answered Mr. Smith's questions on the physiology of the cow. They answered promptly and as intelligently as an experienced farmer. This is all the more surprising when the fact is known that two-thirds of the boys who went out to the farm three weeks ago had never seen a cow and knew nothing of her merits. INTEREST IN LIVE STOCK. A lesson in the individual interest of the work and stock was learned when the boys returned to their duties after the catechism. The barn was in half-darkness, as the doors and windows were closed owing to the severe weather. It was with some difficulty that the boys found the respective animals they had been assigned to care for. "You've got my cow," wailed a small boy. "No, yours had spots on; don't you remember?" After the temporary ownership of the cows had been decided the work progressed. The cows showed a feeling of thorough reciprocity in their acquaintance with the boys. They appeared to be fond of the attention they received from their youthful attendants. While the cold weather does not add the attractiveness to the farm that the summer will, the winter sports hold the interest of the boys. Henry E. Weaver, member of the board and one of the prime workers for the school, gave the boys a surprise by sending out a number of sleds to be used during recreation periods. "GOOD T'INGS TER EAT." "Look here, Jimmie," exclaimed a bright-looking boy, exhibiting the lining of his new cap. "Dis is what I likes about de place. Dey gives yer better clothes dan dey do at de John Worthy. Dis cap's got earlaps, and the linin's better, an' dey give yer better shoes." "What I likes, Jinks," spoke up another boy, gathering up a handful of beans, "is de t'ings we get ter eat. Eeverythin' yer gets here's fresh an' all de milk yer wants ter drink." With all the criticism among the boys there has been heard nothing but praise of their new school and home. So far no truant cases have been reported. PRACTICE IN JUVENILE COURTS A PAPER READ BY T. D. HURLEY BEFORE THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL It is essential that the practitioner in any court first understands fully the procedure, jurisdiction and power of the court. So that before practicing in the Juvenile Court it would seem advisable that we first acquaint ourselves with the full meaning of the term "Juvenile Court." The Juvenile Court, as such, strictly speaking, does not exist, except in name only. In some jurisdictions outside of Illinois, it is supposed to cover the probation system only, in others the separate trial of children, and in others a distinct court and building where all cases pertaining to children are heard. In Illinois, where a Juvenile Court exists, it is understood to mean that all cases of truant, neglected, dependent and delinquent children are heard in the Circuit Court, the judges of that court assigning one or other of their number to hear and dispose of all children's cases that are transferred from the police and justice courts, or that are first originated in the Circuit Court on petition. It is generally understood and accepted as true that the Juvenile Court, as such, is a distinct and separate court. Such, however, as you well know, is not the case. It is the Circuit Court, directed by the Legislature to try all children's cases as a separate and distinct class. Section 2 of the law known as "An Act to Regulate the Treatment and Control of Neglected, Dependent and Delinquent Children" provides "That the Circuit and County Courts of the several counties in this State shall have original jurisdiction in all cases coming within the terms of this Act." Section 3 provides that "In counties having 500,000 population the judges of the Circuit Court shall at such times as they shall determine designate one or more of their number, whose duty it shall be to hear all cases coming under this Act; an especial court room to be designated as the "Juvenile Court" shall be provided for the hearing of such cases, and the finding of the court shall be entered in the book of books to be kept for that purpose and known as the "Juvenile Record;" and the court may for convenience be called the "Juvenile Court." (See "An Act to regulate the Treatment and Control of Dependent, Neglected and Delinquent Children," Hurd's Revised Stat., Chap. 23, p. 26.) Previous to the enactment of this law, in April, 1899, there were on the statute books the law known as "The Industrial School Law for Girls," approved May 28, 1879 (see Hurd's Rev. Stat., 1903, Chap. 122, p. 1707); and "The Training School for Boys," approved June 18, 1883; (Hurd's Rev. Stat., Chap. 122, p. 1710); and the law known as "State Home for Girls," approved June 22, 1893 (Hurd's Rev. Stat, Chap. p. The law known as the "Juvenile Court Law" or as it appears in the statue by title of "An Act to Regulate the Treatment and Control of Dependent, Neglected and Delinquent Children," especially provides, Section 1, that "This Act shall apply only to children under the age of sixteen, and not now or hereafter intimates of a State Institution or any training school for boys or any Industrial School for girls, or some Institution incorporated under the laws of this state;" and Section twenty of said act provides, "that nothing in this act shall be construed to repeal any portion of the act to aid Industrial Schools for girls, or the act to provide for the Training School for boys, or the act to establish the Illinois State Reformatory, or the act to provide a State Home for Juvenile Female Offenders; and in all commitments to said Institutions the acts in reference to said Institutions shall govern the same." It will thus be seen that the practitioner in the Juvenile Court_must_acquaint himself fully with the acts above referred to. The Court, while designated and known as the Juvenile Court, however, remains the Circuit Court, and as such administers not only the Juvenile Court Law but all laws pertaining to children; and in committing children administers the law pertaining to the practicular Institutions where the children are committed and which are governed by special statutes. It will thus be seen at once that the Court must be given Jurisdiction in accordance with the various acts. All of these Acts being statutory, it is essential that the requirements of the statute be fully complied with, otherwise the Court will not have jurisdiction. There are no presumptions in favor of the jurisdiction of any Court acting under any of these various laws. The record must affirmatively show that the particular law has been strictly complied with. The petition must state the facts as defined in the law, and the facts must be such that if proven they will bring the child within the meaning of the particular act, as either truant, dependent, neglected or delinquent. If the child is to go to either the Parental School, the Industrial School, the Manual Training School or the State Home for Girls the facts as contained in these various Acts must be stated in the petition and proven. It is absolutely necessary that the petition contain one or the other of the causes of Turancy, Dependency, Neglect or Delinquency as is provided by these several laws, and in the trial of the case, the proof must fit the statutory requirements, and bring the child within the Act. The children coming under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court are divided into three classes as follows: Truant, Neglected or Dependent, and Delinquent. A truant child as defined by the Parental School Law is "any child of compulsory school age who is not attending school and who has been guilty of habitual truancy, or of persistent violation of the rules of the public schools." See "An Act to enable Board of Education to establish and maintain parental or truant schools," (Hurd's Revised Statutes, Chapter 122, page 1730.) PARENTAL SCHOOL. Section 5 of said law provides as follows: "It shall be the duty of any truant officer or agent of such Board of Education to petition, and any reputable citizen of the city may petition, the County or Circuit Court of the County to inquire into the cause of any child of compulsory school age who is not attending school, and who has been guilty of habitual truancy, or of persistent violation of the rules of the public school, and the petition shall also state the names, if known, of the father and mother of such child, or the survivor of them; and if neither father nor mother of such child is living, or cannot be found in the county, or if their names cannot be ascertained, then the name of the guardian, if there be one known, and if there be a parent living whose name cannot be ascertained, or a guardian, the petition shall show whether or not the father or mother or guardian consents to the commitment of such child of such parental or truant school. Such petition shall be verified by oath, upon the belief of the petitioner, and upon being filed the Judge of County or Circuit Court shall have said child named in the petition brought before him for the purpose of determining the application in said petition contained. But no child shall be committed to such school who has ever been convicted of any offense punishable by confinement in any penal institution. ((See "An Act to enable Board of Educations to establish and maintain parental or truant schools," Hurd's Revised Statutes, Chap. 122, page 1730.) JUVENILE COURT LAW. A dependent child is defined by the Juvenile Court Law to mean "Any Child who for any reason is destitute or homeless or abandoned; or dependent upon the public for support; or has not proper parental care of guardianship, or who habitually begs or receives alms; or who is found living in any house of ill fame, or with any vicious or disreputable persons, or whose home by reason of neglect, cruelty, or depravity on the part of its parents or guardian, or other person, in whose care it may be is not a fit place for such child; and any child under the age of ten years who is found begging, peddling or selling any article, or singing or playing any musical instrument upon the street, or giving any public entertainment or who assists or is used to aid any person so doing." The same Act defines a delinquent child as "Any child under the age of sixteen years who violates any law of this State, or any Village or City Ordinance; or who is incorrigible; or who knowingly associates with thieves, vicous or immoral persons; or who is growing up in idleness or crime; or who knowingly frequents a house of ill fame; or who knowingly patronizes any policy shop or place where any gaming devise is or shall be operated." (See "An Act to regulate the Treatment and Control of Dependent, Neglected and Delinquent Children," Hurd's Revised Statutes, Chapter 23, Page 261.) STATE TRAINING SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. The act relating to the State Training School for Girls provides (Section 17) that "When a girl between the ages of ten and eighteen years is charged with or found guilty of the violation of any statute, law or city ordinance before any justice of the peace, police magistrate, examining magistrate or court, if any creditable person and resident of the county, setting forth the offences charged, and that such girl is a vagrant or without proper home or means of subsistence, or lives with or frequents the company of reputed thieves or other vicious persons, or is or has |