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juvenile or first offender should be tried victed or not."23

Along these lines great advances are being the trial and subsequent treatment of juvenile Public sentiment is growing in favor of having in every court where children are tried whose du be to investigate thoroughly the home enviro every child and report his findings to the Co officer should act as friend and counselor to and have it under his supervision both during trial. Where advisable the child is returned to under the surveilance of such probation offi course, it is now recognized by intelligent offic law that juveniles should be kept entirely ap older and more hardened offenders in police c jails.

From experience it has been found that so quent children, as well as neglected and depen be placed to good advantage in suitable count under the supervision of a competent officer. becomes necessary to commit a child to some i the so-called "cottage plan" is preferred. In fa and more the problem is seen to be primaril education, not of repression, or even of reforn the term is ordinarily used. The evil tendencies attacked indirectly by the introduction of new new ambitions, and new powers."

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It will be seen that the Probation System is bone in modern methods of dealing with our offenders. Without some adequate provision fo investigation of the personal characteristics of and of their social environment, any legal treatm

28 The Science of Penology, by Henry M. Boies, pp. 250 24 The Care of Destitute, Neglected and Dependent Child

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prove ineffectual so far as the reformation of the offender is concerned. Further provisions should also be made to suspend the sentence of juveniles and first offenders, placing them under the surveillance of probation officers.

For some years Massachusetts has had the probation system. Slight modifications of this system have been incorporated in the Juvenile Court Laws which were recently passed in a number of our States. A careful reading of the extracts of the Illinois Bill appended to this study will show how important the probation system is as a part of the juvenile court idea. It seems unnecessary to comment further upon the need for a juvenile court and probation system in every place where large numbers of children are arrested and brought into the courts. Where the system has thus far been tried there has been a great reduction in the number of arrests and commitments to Industrial and Reform Schools, and therefore a direct saving to the State.

About fifteen States now have some form of juvenile court with a probation system. The benefits arising from this change have been two-fold. In the first place, as was mentioned above, there are much fewer commitments to reform schools and hence a great saving to the State. Secondly, and most important, the children are removed from the contaminating influences of criminal courts and jails and aided in living their normal lives.

It is to be hoped that the citizens of Detroit will adapt a juvenile court and probation system to the needs there. Especially is it necessary to provide some house of detention where children may be confined both before and after trial without undergoing the soul-blighting effects of a county jail with its formidable bolts and bars. The trial should by all means be held entirely separate and apart from older offenders. The Judge might bear more the relation of friend and counselor to the child, and dispose of its case in a somewhat summary and informal

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With few changes the County Age could be made into an efficient probation syste provision should be made for unsalaried probati appointed by the Court. The officers appoint after the interests of the child should be remo as possible from political influences.

As a result of public sentiment in favor treatment of our juvenile offenders a bill embo essentials of a juvenile court was drawn up sented to the last session of the Legislature. framed on the model of the Illinois Juvenile C bill, and proposed "to regulate the treatment a of dependent, neglected and delinquent children age of sixteen years within the city of Detroit; t the practice in such court; to provide for the ment of probation officers; to prohibit the comm any jail or police station within the city of I any child under the age of fourteen years; t certain duties upon the State Board of Correc Charities and the Board of Inspection of th House of Correction."

This bill unfortunately called forth opposit several quarters. It was rather surprising that sition should have been led by men whom we to stand for sound principles of law and penolo haps there were a few flaws in what otherwise to be an admirable bill. The greatest opposition upon the clauses which relate to the establishm entirely separate court, and the appointment of a Judge who should give his whole time to juven "In addition to his other duties the Judge of s shall, so far as may be, visit the homes of all the who shall from time to time be subject to the tion of said court, secure employment and goo for them as far as possible", etc. This, it seem much to require of any Judge, and the objectio

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clause may have been well founded. But these few minor details should not have obscured the real worth of the bill. They could easily have been adjusted if the friends and opposition to the bill had met and reconstructed the objectionable sections. The bill, it seems, passed the House with but few dissenting votes. It was then referred to one of the committees of the Senate. In some way it was shelved before the Senate had an opportunity to consider it. Whatever the reasons were for suppressing the bill it is certain that the public sentiment which urged it has not died out. No doubt the matter, with some modifications, will be presented to the next Legislature. In the meanwhile a campaign of education in the interests of more intelligent treatment of our juvenile offenders should be carried on by every public-spirited citizen.

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