The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-23
JUDGE OBJECTS TO
JAIL FOR CHILDREN
Declares the City Should Have
455ps
House of Detention and
Industrial School. ai.

5aaSe John j. Flneh0ut, In an address
made last night at the Atlantic Congre-.
gational church on How to Deal With
the Young Man Charged With Crime. e
spoke in favor of the passage of "a law
which will provide for a house of deten-
tlon and industrial home in st. Paul, an.
institution where juveniles may be Kept
confined pending trial. or after their trial
and during their period of probation.
Judge Finehout said there was a move
ment on foot to secure such legislation at.
the hands of the next legislature, and he
believed it should have the support Of
seyery person interested in the welfare OF
the children in the city.
Such place is absolutely necessary.
said the police court judge. ''if we are to-
and women Sending children to jail does
t-do them any good Here in Ramsey
county we have one of the finest jaiis in
the entire country. one of the best
equipped to care for children, having, as
it does. its separate department for juve-
niles, but it does not answer the purpose.
When a boy or girl has once been in the.
jail it matters but little what the sur.
roundings We're: they Were behind the
bars. they were locked up, and the stigma
remains with them. 1t is. something they
cannot forget, even after their reforma-
ton Should it be brought about.
Chicago and Philadelphia have such
places, and they are great success.
These institutions have gymnasiums and
manual training departments, and while
the children are restrained just as much
as if they were in jail. they have a differ
ent feeling. 1 sincerely hope to see such!
place in St Paul in the very near fu-
ture. / do not believe Juvenile should
be confined in any Jail where other pfls-
onerS are confined, except In additional
cases where a serious crime has been COM
nlitted.
Keep Children at Home.
Judge Finehout explained in a most in
teFesting manner the development of the
efforts made here in ST. Paul to care for
force in other states. He said the foun-
dation thought and idea of the Juvenile
court was to keep the children at home to
the greatest extent possible The child s
own home is preferable, but if the child
cannot secure the proper attention In It's.
own home it should be given a good nome
in some other place Every child mas
right to an education and physical care, a
duty which primarily lies with the par
ents, but should the family fail in this
duty. for any reason, then a new nome
should be sought.
"There are two classes. of parents"
continued the judge t'those who ifstlnc-s
lively guard and are anxious for the Wei
fare of their children, and those whose
various degrees of ignorance and vice are
dead to moral duties. The former class is
capable of protecting their own children,
but for the latter class the law must. stands
between the parents and the children.
Criminals are not born; they are. man
ufactured on the streets, though unWlt-
tingly apprenticed to the business by theif
parents. The parents who permit their
children to wander where they please, as
sociate with whom they please and spend
their time they please are directly re
sponsible for the evil which almost IN
variably follows The cost of saving a
child is only 5 per cent of the cost Of ar
resting and punishingz the criminaly but
there are some parents SO utterly deTold
Of moral sense and responsibility that
they bring their children into court and
endeavor to have them semitic the state.
training school in order to avoid the care
and expense of educating and training
IF you would keep the children out of
the jails, and out of the training schools,
treat them well at home, and 4see that
they are kept in school.
Play Period of ChiId's Life.
"I am In favor of the passage of a law
which will absolutely prohibit the en-
ployLnent of children under the age of. IA
years in any. factory or workshop; The
period under fourteen years is the play pc.
riod of child's life, and every child has
a right to plenty of play and recreation,
under the proper restrictions. Such law
should be passed and strictly enforced.
1t is true that we have a similar law now,
but it is not enforced. All that is neces-
sary is for parent to get certificate
from a school superintendent, and the,
factory or workshop, where life becomes
burdenSon1e and monotonOHs.
.'Truancy is another important factor IN
this matter. We should keep the children
in school, and would vigorously urge the
passage of a law providing for a salaried
truant officer, whose duty it would be- azto'
strictly enforce the tEuant and curfew
laws. IT is impossible to expect the po-
lice department to enforce the curfew
laws, for 1t has not enough officers and
they are given too much territory to-
SnpPi91 officers needed for this
work.
81 understand that the womer's feder-
alton and the different women's clubs of
the state will urge before the next legis-s
lature the passage of a. law providing for
the separating of the female and male
prisoners at the state training school, and
also for the purchase of between 500 and
400 acres of land at the school, in order
that a large number of small cottages may
be used, instead of few large buildings
This matter will be urgently pressed be-
fore the legislature, and L have noticed
that when the women of the state go after
anything they generally get it,
Conditions Have Changed.
-Four years ago, when 1 was city pros
ecutor, those who complained against ju-t
venfles on account of some offense COM
mitted, appeared, with very few excep-.
uons. to desire the infiietion of severe
punishment, and many were disappoint-
ed when informed that a juvenile under
seventeen years Of age could not be sent
10 the WorkhouSe, but this feeling is much
changed under our splendid system of
probation, the complainants being in
chance to reform
"Of course, realize that there is dan
ger of going to the extreme in this direc-
ton. and of treating the bows too lightly
but if a close watch is kept and a reform
IS not brought about. the boy viii sooner
or later find his way to the training
school or the penitentiary. But we must
weigh carefully the terrible result Of send
ing a boy to one of these institutions and
making a hardened criminal out of him
If there is any chance of saving him by.
proper and judicfous methods.
Judge Finehout praised the work of
Probation Officer Graves. and submitted
statistics to show that the probation sys-
tenn had been well handled in St Paul