The Jersey City news., 1899-12-19
BOY CRIMINALS.
Judge Fort Will Introduce
a Bill Providing for
Their Punishment.
rspecial 70 ..rhe Jersey city News. y

/ Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News
NEWARK, Dec 10, 1S9s.-What to do
with youthful first offenders Is the serious
question that confronts Judge Fort near
| ly every week when passing sentence IN
the upper criminal courts. He does not
want to send them to penal institutions
where he recently said to reporter,
they are thrown in company with old
criminals and are hardened instead of re-
formed by their experience, and yet at
the same time, he believes that they
should in some way be made to suffer
for their misdeeds.
In order to overcome this serious prob
lem to some extent at least, Judge Fort,
who has given much time and attention
to its study, is now working on bill
which will be presented to the Legisla-
ture during the winter in which he has
a good deal of confidence. and which, he
hopes, will be instrumental in securing
the much needed reform.
The bill will provide for the appoint
ment of probation officers, such as are
part of the administration of criminal JUS
tice in Massachusetts. According to the
present plan they will be appointed by
the presiding judge in each county, or
perhaps only in counties of the first class,
and their duties will be to exercise
sort of guardianship over younthful first
offenders. In this way they will be still
under control of the court. When they
get under the supervision of such proba-
ton officers the movements of these first
offenders are carefully watched and If
there should be any further infraction OF
the law at any time they are liable to
be taken into custody and the first offense
will form part of the basis for severe
punishment.
..Since I have been upon the bench, re-
marked Judge Fort, the other day. there
have been some eco cases under my obser-
walton that would be suitable to the care
of a probation officer. There was bill
introduced in the Legislature about three
years ago of a like tenor to the one
am working one, but the Governor did not
sign it.
81 understand" he added that the
reason was that the Freeholders of the
counties interested objected on account
of the expense But that objection is not
good. because instead of entailing addi-
tional expense the measure will further
economy. The simple truth is that the
Freeholders will not be compelled to care
stitutions as they do now:
1T is regretted nowadays he added,
that the object of penal institutions
should be to reform the criminal and not
so much to deter others from the commits
sion of crime In order TO keep such pro-
baton officers out of politics. the bill will
provide that the judges of the presiding
criminal courts make the appointments
Judge Fort first called public attention
to the matter week ago when there was
a batch of unwashed unkempt and un-
cared for boys before him waiting to be
sentenced for petty larceny.
.The difficulty which confronts the
Court said he, lis to know what to do
with you boys. wish there was some
sort of probation officer to whose care
could commit you, but there is none. The
Court cannot let you go. That would be
flying in the face of administration of
justice.
ssThe sentence of the Court is that you
and each Of you be confined in the Peni-
tentiary of this county for the term of six
months
The same day he had before him Lizzie
Fuchs, a fourteen-year-old servant who
admitted that she had robbed her en-
ployer's family in Montclair of dresses
and trinkets. It was her first offense, and
as there were other mitigating circum-
stances in the case the Court let her go
rather than send her to the Reform
School. 1t was her case that Judge Fort
had in mind. as we'll as that of the boys
when he made the remarks quoted