The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-11
Good Work Accomplished
by the Probation System

The probation system of caring for
juvenile offenders, which was. ,estab-
lished in Ramsey county in 1900, has
increased in volume until the work is
now so great that one officer can no
longer care for the duties of the office,
and in his annual report just made
to the state board of control, Proba-
ton officer Albert G. Graves suggests
that new laws are necessary as a REM
edy for the condition of affairs which
now exist.
The report made by Mr.. Graves
shows that the volume of work is now
more than three times as great as it
was during the#flrst year, and is still
on the increase. s...e.=
''The systems has now reached a
point" says Mr.: Graves, where it is
impossible for one person to care for
the duties of the Office. This; together
with the. fact that the present law
makes no provision for stationery,
postage, Office and office furniture, or
salary of a deputy, which is now abb
solutely necessary in its proper ex--
ecution. to a very great degree handf
caps the officer In the performance
of his labors. In this and. one or two
other respects the law should be
changed"
The report shows that during the
ed on probatien,a of which number
1873 were reIeased for good behavior,
and thirty-one., cases disposed Of in
other ways
In telling efgthe work. performed by
him during the year, Probation Officer
| Graves says.
Positions were found for eighteen
| boys, four Of whom went to work on
| farms. Positions were also found for
eight girls, one of whom went on a
! farm. I attended every session of the
municipal court except on the days I
was employed in taking children to the
state public school, the state training
| school and to the Morganza reform
| school in Pennsylvania. also attend
| ed a number of sessions OF the dlSIrIct
| and probate courts.
BESIDES the legitimate work Of the
| office have been called upon. for coun-
sci and advice by parents who were
averse to the publicity of court pro-
! ceedings In such cases, or whose chill
dren were beyond the JurlsdIctlon @. or
| the probation law. Many 1nveStiga-
| tions were made which required a visit
| to the home of the delinquent in nearly
| every instance.
| every child placed on probation was
| furnished with paper or order of the
| court reciting the conditions and re-
| quirements to be entered upon. The
|
| out Of town necessitated considerable
| CORRESPONDENCE A complete record of
every probationer has been kept.
"The probation law came into effect
! in the spring of 1899, but it was not UNI
| til November of the same year that a
| probation officer was appointed and the
! system put in operation in Ramsey
| county.
! sSixty-six boys and four girls were
! placed on probation in 1900. In the
Same year thirty-five boys and seven
! girls, total of forty-two, were com
| n1itted to the state training school.
| Ninety-six boys and three girls were
placed on probation in 1901 In the
same year thirty-six boys and three
| girls, a total of forty-one, were COM
| n1itted to the state training school.
| Two hundred and thirty nine boys and
I eighteen girls We're placed on probation
in 1902. In the same year twenty five
BOYS and sevenEgirls, total of thirty
two..awere committed to- the /, state
| training school.
"Taking the year 1900 for a basis,
| so ner cent of the number on proba-
| tfon were committed to the training
| school in that year, while in the fol-
| lowing wear. 1901, Al per cent were
| committed, q decrease of 10 per cent.
| In 1892 less than Il e per cent OF those
| on probation were committed. de-
crease of At IL per cent oyer 1900 and
% 10 per cent over 1901. AS the dis
parity increases between those on pro-
| baton and those committed to the
training school, the system becomes
more effective in It's operations and