The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-03-21

REFORM And SHAM
Big Batch Of Changes for
the Girls Reform School
at Trenton.
MEN AND WOMEN TRUSTEES
A Man for Head of the School
Committee Dodges the
Eyler Issue.

Especial to ''The Jersey City News.O
TRENTON, March 2l, 19OO.-The commit
tee investigating the charges against the
present management of the Industrial
School for Girls sprang surprise on the
public this morning by submitting this
report:-
"To the House of Assembly
'sYour special committee appointed un-
der the resolution of February q last to
investigate the charges made with rela-
ton to the management OF the state IN
dustrial School for Girls, and to report
with all convenient speed, respectfully re-
ports as follows:-
ity contained in said resolution, your
committee at once began an investigation
of the matter referred to it and is still
engaged in that work. A large amount OF
testimony has been taken, both IN sup
port of said charges and on behalf of the
management Although your committee
has diligently prosecuted the work as
signed to it we have not been able as yet
to conclude our work. A large number
of witnesses remain to be examined and
we have had no opportunity at all to go
over and digest the testimony already
taken. Your committee has therefore
unanimously concluded that it will be i'm
possible to present a final report to this
session of the Legislature. We therefore
recommend the adoption of the resolution
hereto annexed authorizing. the committee
to continue the investigation during the
recess of the Legislature so far as in their
Judgment the same may be necessary
with power to report to the Governor as
soon as their laborS are concluded and a
final report can be prepared.
your committee is at this time prepar-
ed to report as follows:-
''We had not proceeded far in our inveS-
tigation in the affairs of the school before
we became satisfied that the existing
statutes regulating the school We're. in
others wholly wrong. The school was es-
tablished under the act of April 4, 1871
This act was modelled largely upon the
act of 1865, establishing the Boys School
and contained all the defects which it
has been found necessary to remove from
that act.
'The more important of these defects
may, in the judgment of your committee,
be stated as fOllowS:-
'-First-The powers and duties of the
lady managers are nowhere Defined The
act provides that the trustees shall ap-
point six lady managers who shall be
associated with them in the management,
care and oversight of the inmates of the
school,. The act, however, confers all
governing powers on the trustees alone;
and the lady managers cannot be said to
exist as an Independent board and they
are not trustees. Through no fault either
of the trustees or the lady managers,
confusion and uncertainty as to their re-
spective duties and responsibilities must
follow from this state of the law. Your
committee believes that the services of
women in the management of an institu-
tion of this kind are Indispensable and
tnat tney SnOulQ nave authoritative voice
in its management.
..Second-The act of 1871 is defective in
that 1t contains no provisions as to the
proper subjects for the school or as to
and forms of procedure, or as to the dis
charge of inmates, except in SO far as the
provisions of the Boys School act are
made applicable to this school.
"Third-The authorities of the school
have been constantly and greatly ham
pered and embarrassed in their work Of
to their charge for lack of essential in
formation as to the previous conduct and
character of the girls and the specific
causes of their commitment Experience
in this and similar Institutions shows that
there are three things concerning each
girl committed to this school which it is
| essential that the committing papers
should show on their face viz, the age,
as near as may be of the girl; her place
of residence at the time of her commit
ment and the specific cause of her COM
INITIAL Under the law as it now exists
the committing papers do not in most
cases disclose the cause or reason for
committing the girl to the school. The
commitment describes her simply as
fit subject and the authorities of the
school do not know whether she has COM
mitted crime. or is immoral, or is simply
incorrigible. This defect in the law we
regard as serious.
Fourth-The state of the law is such
that there is at least some doubt whether
the trustees now have the power to dis
charge girl as reformed before she at
tains the age of twenty-one, unless she
has been indentured, no matter how
| thorough her reformation may be. Ger
tainly all doubt on this point should be
unquestioned right to discharge, as re-
| formed, a girl who in their judgment is
thoroughly reformed.
"Fifth-Whatever conclusion may be
finally reached as to the power of the
trustees to discharge a girl as reformed,
they certainly have not the power to par
ole a girl with the right to take her back
if the conditions of her parole are violat-
ed. The power to parole exists even as
to the inmates of our penal institutions
and should certainly be given to the trus-
tees of this school. The existence OF such
exercised as a. reward for good conduct
would be an inspiration to the girls to
so conduct themselves as to be thought
worthy of a trial on parole. Parole would
| thus become a preliminary step to a full
| discharge as reformed.
| ''Sixth-The law now provides that girl
| over seven years of age may be commits
| ted to this institution. All agree that this
| age limit is too young and it is the
| opinion of your committee that no girl
| under ten years of age should be commit
| ted to this school.
ssIn view of these and other palpable de-
| fects in the law regulating this school,
your committee caused to be prepared a
| bill remedying these defects and contain
/ ing such new features as to your COM
| mfttee seemed wise. This bill we pre-
| sent herewith and recommend it's pas
sage. The defects above pointed out
! have been remedied and some new fea-
| lures in accord with modern methods and
! ideas have been inserted. In it's general
scope and plan the bill is simply re-en-
/ act1nent of the existing laws with their
| defects cured and their omissions sup
piled.
"Your committee believes that the en-
| actment of this bill will greatly facilitate
/ the work of the management of the
school and prove substantial benefit to