The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-31
JUVENILE COURT
IN Los ANGELES
WISE POLICY OF PREVENTION
HAS BEEN ADOPTED.
Delinquent Children Are Provided For
by Combination Of a Detention
Home for Their Restraint and Care
and Parental School and a Juvenile
Court. -.
Correspondence of The Journal.

Correspondence of The Journal.
Los Angeles, Cal, March 3O.-A resi-
dence of several months in Los Angeles
has deepened the conviction that she
has earned the right to be called a
progressive city. Los Angeles seems to
have the long look-ahead policy, which
seeks to prevent those disasters that
cause. such great wastes to society,
namely: The loss in good citizenship and
pended to care for the bad citizen or
the incipient criminals, not to speak Of
the loss to the individual nor the suf-
fering ~entailed upon the family in
volved which cannot be estimated.
Fortunately there seems to be gen.
eral waking up of the conscience of the
whole country to the Importance Of pre-
wastes of society,". In Los Angeles the
three instrumentalities of this nature
the juvenile court, the detention home,
and the parental school were organized
early in the year 1904 in accordance
with. the provision Of law enacted by
the legislature of 1908.
If the parent or guardian gives evil
children, the child or children must be
placed under some judicial authority.
To meet this need the law provided for
the establishment Of a detention home
for such juvenile offenders where they
might live under wholesome conditions,
but also under supervision. The law
also empowered boards of education to
as parental schools for truant, way
ward and dependent children. -
A Sympathetic Judge.
Curtis D. Wilbur, a young lawyer
widely known and highly respected by
all classes of society, was appointed
Judge of the juvenile court. Judge
spirit and broad. sympathy, and seems
to have a keen insight into the causes
that have brought these children under
his care. At the same time he has the
judicial mind that is able to see what
course Of action will bring them back
to the paths of rectitude in the short
est time.
The detention home was established
in the old county jail. A matron and
two supervising officers were placed in
charge. Soon after the organization
of the home Judge Wilbur and his COM
mission decided that the children under
the care Of the court should be reg
ularly employed and instructed by or
binary school methods. The board Of
able teacher for this difficult work,
which the law had empowered them to
do. This request was promptly granted
and teacher was selected who had
been eminently successful in the un-
graded schoolrooms Of the city.
At the end Of three months the
board Of education appointed an as
sistant teacher, a young woman ply
stefan who had an aptitude for teach
ing and love for this kind Of work.
Besides these qualifications, her ability
to diagnose the physical condition Of
these children makes her most valu-
able assistant.
The mere acquisition of bo6klearning
is held to be subordinate in this school
to the work of building up the charac-
ter of the boys and girls concerned. AS
much industrial work as is possible
under the crowded conditions is EN-
ployed to teach self-reliance. BY the
cultivation Of powers undeveloped, this
line of work seems to have a human
izing influences; the ability to do one
thing well gives great satisfaction.