The morning call., 1892-10-06
JUVENILE CRIME.

A census bulletin furnishes information
respecting juvenile crime in this country
and we learn from it that the number Of
inmates of Juvenile reformatOries on June
/, $780, was Il, $40, as against 1924 adult
inmates of prisons, in total population of
about g.. 000, co., II is not very clear from
tie bulletin what ages are classed as
juvenile, but it appears to embrace young
people between the ages of 8 and 10, though
in the North Atlantic States Is children
under are confined in reformatorles under
convictions for crime.
The offenses for which these II, SAC juve-
niles were sentenced were almost equally
divided between offenses against property
and offenses against society. Something
over 800 out Of the IL S45 had committed
offenses against the person, which were
almost all included under some form of
assault. The male offenders against society
numbered 5222. OF these over four 6fths
were held for vagrancy, or as incorrigible
nuisances, being idle. dissolute and dis
orderly. The male offenders against prop
erty are counted as 1859, of whom 3405
were held for larceny, chiefly petty lar
ceny. Few children appear TO be con-
fined on charges. OF murder or the graver
crimes; the convicts are mainly little hood
lums, who play truant from school, roam
the streets and steal what they can lay their
hands on. The danger with them is not
what they are now, but what they may be-
come hereafter.
Not quite one-Guarter of the juvenile con-
Victs are girls. They are held for variety
of offenses, from larceny to attempted MUIR
der, but the bulk of them are accused of
offenses against society and public policy.
Their ages range chiefly from 10 to 10. A
number of them are evidently street va
grants.
OF the total number of juvenile conyicts
Of both sexes less than one-fourth are the
children of native parents. About as many
are the children of unknown parents; 1865
are the offspring of foreign parents and 963
have one foreign parent. Ia round num-
bers, either both or one Of the parents of
something over one-third OF the juvenile
offenders are foreign born. OF the whole
number Of juvenile offenders $780, or less
than one-seventh, are cOlorej, and 1925. or
about the same proportion, are either
foreign born or OF unknown nativity.
Thus the juvenile offenders of native birth
and parentage constitute three-seyenths OF
the total number now confined in reforma-
tories, while the foreign born. the children
Of foreigners and the colored contingent
constitute four-sevenths.
California figures well In regard to juve-
nile crime. The total number of male in
mates OF juvenile reformatories in this State
is 116, and the total number of female in
mates just ninety. About half the males
we're sent up for offenses against public
policy and the other half for vagrancy; the
eehsus-'aker states that The ninety girls
were locked up for ''offenses unknown
They were probably poor little waits who
were imprisoned To keep them out Of mis-
chief. The main supply of iuvenile offend-
ers comes from New York. Pennsylvania
| and Ohio. ""'"
| In the populous European conntriaa tba
ehiei source OF crime is juvenile dalin-
| quency In the great cities, especially uLo
LONDON and Paris. children grow up In The
streets, without care or supervision. and
naturally graVitate into criminal habits.
Inc boys become thieves and the girls some
tllng worse, and when they have gone
through certain apprenticeship in vii
lainy tney become irreelaimabe, and in
| due course OF time fill the prisons. ont of
when they only emerge to come back. Tn
this country the demand for juvenile labor
has measurably saved us from this trouble
But still it is becoming more and more diff
cult for boy or girl to learn a trade and
TO support themselves while they are learn
Ing 1t. Iu the Eastern cities rich men are
endowing technical schools aud granting
small annual sums to those who show pro-
neiehcy, SO that they can graduate with a
knowledge OF trade which will support
them. This is the true way to check juve-
nile delinquency. When bow or girl leaves
a reformaiory after being four or five years