The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-05-11
YOUNG; CRIMINALS
Mrs. Hudspeth- Benson Says
There Should Be a House
ofDetention for Them.
TAUGHT GOOD, NOT EVIL
Association With Old Often
ders is Bad for Children
She Contends.

The murders recently committed by
boys of this city have made Mrs. Mary
Hudspeth-B Benson and Miss Clara McCar-
ter determine to make another effort 10
secure the establishment of a County
House of Detention for boys and girls.
These ladies, who are Hudson county
members Of the State Charities Aid Asso-
citation, have been agitationg the project
for some time. Their failure to interest
the county authorities made them drop it
temporarily, but now they are confident of
arousing public opinion in it's favor.
Mrs. Benson has devoted much time to
charitable enterprises affecting this coun-
ty, and has been especially active in her
efforts to improve the condition of the
county's waits and strays. She has done
much for this unhappy class OF humanity,
and she is ever ready to devote her time
and energy to the accomplishment of any
purpose which would prove beneficial to
her fellow-creatures. Referring to the
plan for a County House of Detention
Mrs Benson recently said
"A great evil in this county is the COM
mitting of boys of boys for petty offenses
to the County Jail. While perhaps their
arrests were justified, it seems cruel and
unnatural to force them to associate with
hardened criminals. 1t is hard to estimate
the evil resulting from such a state of
affairs.
Some time ago I visited the County
Jail and was shocked to find twenty
eight boys, many of them under ten years
of age, serving time for petty offenses,
of course they were confined there as a
punishment. Confinement would compel
them to see the errors of their ways.
They would repent and abjure future
crime. This undoubtedly is the effect
which the law pretends to suppose it has,
when as a matter of fact the result is
usually the reverse. Boys sent to jail for
the first time and forced to associate with
the matured and hardened criminal are
influenced by them and such influence is
usually evil.
1T is the old story, the man tells the
boy highly colored stories of crime, which
if the boy is impressionable, fires his
imagination and invites him when he
obtains liberty to seek glory in life of
crime. My plan to remedy this evil Is
to purchase the old Christ Hospital build
ing on Magnolia avenue, and convert it
into House of Detention. The building
is situated on site composed of eight city
lots and would make an ideal home of
this kind Senator Alan L. McDermott,
who is the owner of this property has
agreed to sell it for $1,000 with the under
standing that it be used for a House of
Detention. He is willing to make the terms
extremely easy. 1t it is found impossible
to raise this amount at once he will allow
us the use of the property for the pay
ment of the interest on the purchase
price, ($5, ,000), and will also allow us an
option OF future purchase.
s'It will cost about $1,000 to refit the
building The allowance daily for the
maintenance of boys committed to the
County Jail would nearly meet the ex-
pense of conducting such an institution.
The building could be so arranged as to
accommodate both boys and girls and
keep both sexes separate.
Competent teachers should be provided
to give instruction in the simple branches
of study Girls should be taught house,
keeping, while some light and instructive
employment should be provided for the
boys. AS this would be county institu-
ton it would be advisable for it to be un-
der the direct control of the Board of
Freeholders. An institution of this kind
is badly needed, and should be provided
without loss of time"