Waterbury Democrat., 1901-12-13
MUNICIPAL JUDGES.
Discussed the Question of Handling
 Incorriglble Boys.

Incorrigible Boys.
 The Municipal Judges association held it's annual meeting yesterday af- ternoon in Hartford at pO- lice headquarters. Almost the entire afternoon was devoted to the discus sion of how to handle incorrigible boys in order to give them q future chance in life after they have seen the error of their ways. After all the discussion the judges were compelled to close the meeting without solving the perplex- ing problem.
 Judge James Bishop of New Haven. president of the association, presided at the meeting. The others present were Associate Judge Arthur Perkins, secretary and treasurer: Judges Albert c. Bill, Hartford; Wesley U. Pearne,
 Middletown: L. T. Tingier, Rockville; J. F. Davis, Enfield; D. A. Lyman,
 Willimantic; Samuel J. Bryant. West Haven; Frank W. Seymour, Winsted;
 William H. Comley, Bridgeport; Ed ward M Judd. Wallingford. and Dep
 uty Judge W. A. Arnold Of Williman- tic.
 The discussion of the problem of handling boys started when Judge Ly
 man as a member of the legislative committee took up the suggestions
 made at the last annual meeting i'll re-
 gard to the school for boys at Meriden.
 The judge pointed out the fact that under the present law the judges had
 no discretion as to the sentencing of
 boys to the school. Every boy had to go there to remain until he was 21 years old unless sooner released by those i'll charge of the school. The authorities in charge of the school had arranged a certain credit system by
 which it was possible for boy to get out at the end of one year. Judge Ly-
 man advocated q change in the law
 which would allow the judges some l latitude in sentencing unruly boys. He l said that there were cases where | few months in reform school would | be of benefit to q boy, while if he was kept there for several years he was liable to become vicious and hardened
 Judge Comley then took up ths dis
 cussion of the problem. He said that he did not believe it would be wise to l take away any. of the power from ths
 school authorities and give it to the judges. He thought the divided re- sponsibility would be harmful.
 Judge Judd said that the discussion last year of the same subject had aroused the school authorities and since then he had studied the subject more closely. He believed that there ought to be two separate departments of the school, the really vicious boys to be kept in one department and the other used for those boys who are in need of a mild sort of discipline. He advocated the increasing of the age l limit under which boys could be sent to the school from 16 to IT years. and l further change in the laws by which boy could be committed for as short period as six months. The judge said that many parents were deterred from sending their boys to the school on account of the possibility of their having to remain there until they were 21 years old. It was often the chil- dren of these parents who turned cut bad men and he believed that if they i had experienced q few months of the discipline of the reform school earlier in life they would have grown up good citizens.
 Judge Bishop took part in the dis cusslon. saying that he was the real cause of the argument at both this and last years meetings. He was often very much embarrassed as to how to dispose of cases ill which ! small boys were concerned. He took as m example the case of q boy steal | ing apples He only had one of two alternatives Tn such a case. He must either let the boy go free or else send | him to the reform school until he was 1 21 years old. If he let the boy go free l it was establishing a bad precedent, and If he sent him to the reform school for the full term demanded he might be taking the boy away from good home. and i'll the end make him worse. The judge then made the fo.- lowing novel suggestion as to the pest way to keep boys out Of mischief: ."The vacation period is the worst time for boys to get into temptation. I be- i lieye that In every city and town thare should be large lot surrounded by a 1 high board fence with spikes at the | top. and that parents should be com pelled to take their boys there every morning and keep them In the encios- ure until night. Tliis would prevent i lots of mischief and we would find the number of our bad boys rapidly re- duced."
 Several of the other judges expressed their views on the question of sentenc- l ing boys to the reform school and each declared that the handling of the ju- venlle criminal was the hardest prob
 lem they had to contend with and they
 could give no suggestion for a remedy | fo, the present condition There was no formal vote taken. but it was the
 almost unanimous opinion that the | judges should not attempt to interfere with the present rules governing the | SchooI af Meriden