Evening star., 1901-04-03
THE JUVENILE OFFENDERS
BOARD OF CHILnREN's GUARDIANS
HAS CHARGEnoF THEM.
New Method of Dealing With Chill
dren of Tender riYears-How
1t Works.

Juvenile offenders wlao appear In the Po-
| lice Court are no longer packed into the
prison vans and hauled off to the work
house and jail, but they are turned over to
the board of children'sl guardians This
plan has been in operation about a month,
and Agent Douglass of the board is al
ready satisfied that it is the proper way
| to deal with children. He is now formu-
| lating plan for carrying on the work
which will be submitted to the judges of the
Police Court in a few days.
In his investigation of the question of
handling juvenile offenders Agent Douglass
has ascertained that the plan he has
adopted has been in successful operation
in New York, Chicago and Boston, and in
| these cities a boy who is turned over to
the probation officer seldom has a second
experience in court.
1t is his idea that children should not
have conviction recorded against them
for the first offense. Where it has a suit
able home and proper parents he believes
the child should be placed in charge of pa
rents, under the supervision of the proba-
ton officer, and this is the rule that has
been practiced by him. He now has about
twenty boys on probation under this
method, and not one has been arrested a
second time The agent will probably rec
ommend that boys be committed to the
guardianship of the board for period of a
month, at the end of which the court may
extend the time to six months, the full
probationary period, upon recommendation
Of the officer
This plan of dealing with children is more
a modern one, and Agent Douglass is salts
fled that great amount of good will be
accomplished. 1t is said the method does
not suit all the members of the police
force. An officer who made an arrest in
one case afterward made complaint be-
cause the small boy whom he had taken
into custody was seen on the streets the
next day.
The law under which the courts are COM
mitting children to the care of the board
of chtldrens guardians was approved
March last, and a week later the first
boy committed. The law provides
that the judges of the criminal and police
courts of the District of Columbia are
discretion, to commit to the custody and
care of the board Of children's guardians
of the District of Columbia children under
seventeen years of age who shall be con-
victed of petty crimes or misdemeanors
which may be punishable with fine or i'm
pr1sonment: and said board of children's
guardians shall place under contract, such
children in such suitable homes, institu-
tions or training schools for the care of
children as it may deem wise and proper
Under the second section of the act it is
provided that no court shall commit a
child under seventeen years of age charg-
ed with or convicted Of q petty crime or
misdemeanor punishable by a fine or i'm
prisonment, to a Jail, workhouse or police
station; but If such child be unable to give
bail or pay a fine, it may be committed to
the board of children's guardians Temporal
rily or permanently, In the discretion of
the court and said board shall make some
suitable provision for said child outside the
inclosure of any jail, workhouse or police
station, or said court may commit such
child to the reform, school under the laws
now providing for such commitment
The law also directs that the board of
children's guardians SHAH designate a pro-
bation officer. Agent Douglass fills this po-
sition at present. Later on he may be
given one or more ASSISTANTS