The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-12-15
JUVENILE
OFFENDERS

~ dinner and literary session last nisht
at the v NJ. g. a. and were addressed
by Judge william l. whitney ~ The
local District Court and by eN-Judge l..
A. Dickey of the same court. Judge 3
r. Kingsbury. lately admitted 90 the
local bar on certificates from other
states. presided very acceptably.
Judge whitney spoke OF the police
court. which he said was the peoples
court where they could by going To the
District Magistrates clerk have COM
rants made out and people arrested
which. said he is a much better way 10
do things than to take the 'aw iiit1 ones
own hands lie presented one Of the
longest calendars, in which 1876 cases
were recorded ana q shor. one for yes
terday, in which only twenty cases ap-
peared.
He said II was a common idea that
the police court. over which he pre-
sides. is merely or mostly for the SEN
fencing of drunks whereas the facts
were that the drunks take up a very
small part of the space of the calendar
and time of the QUIT In this list OF
1876, there were but two DRINKS ana
over 100 gambling cases, besides en-
bezzlement, theft, profanity, assault
and battery and many other classes OF
cases The hardest cases coming be-
fore him, he said, were the cases or
Disbursements between man and wife.
The cases averaged about 1000 per
month and out of these but 79 per cent.
were drunks. The idea of the district
courts was principally to deter others
from acts such as he adjudicated, while
courts that passed life or capital sem
fences did so to keep the criminal him
self from doing further damage to the
community.
Speaking of the juvenile court, So
called, Judge Whitney declared II was
not q court at all. Jurisdiction had
been conferred by the last Legislature
OF the Territory upon circuit and dis
trlct judges so that they could appoint
probationary officers and keep children
under fifteen from going to the reform
school. IL they showed a disposition to
reform without it. There had been
forty cases before him under the new
law and the procedure was for the
court to sentence the offender to two
years, say, in the reform school ana
then turn him over to a probation Of
ficer for the space of six or eight weeks,
during which time the child was re-
quired to report to the probationary
officer once in so often, carrying the
reports himself from his employer or
school teacher, or principal of the
school as the case might be, and the
probationary officer would report to the
court at the end of the term or sooner
as to what disposition, In his opinion,
should be made of the case.
The probationary officers report
would recommend that the child be
discharged, or that he be sent to the
reform school or that he be given a
further term of probation. And the
court would usually follow the recon-
.nondations of the officer. such ofn-
GERS serve without pay, merely as pub
lc-spirited citizens.
The beauty of the law was that the
probationary officer was expected 10
keep close tab on the child under his
charge and see that he behaved hlm-
self, making a very complete report
to the court of the conditions at the
home of the delinquent and such other
facts as the court ought to know.
In reply to a question as to how the
plan is working, Judge Whitney said
that of the forty cases which had come
Defore hiHl' ten resulted III
ito the reform school. He said that
there We're cases hoWeVeI' wliieh shom
eu eAceheht hhpIoFv''en.' 10 80
rlous iac' that al we 'u' 1870 hn,,
ers, WIN one Iy,,D port,,.
lau oeen 80. ~. ~ ,,,1 a aaoirs,
suese a,a saa haa, tbat ~ trnancv
iiama'ilns is.u oaoinst en-.
mo -, 80, ,oroany
M t,,,'a,,iia ofsan6ers; Man had
,u,,,,r,,oa a., Dan,or where Judpe
I,,ss.o,, ia ,,ada great success Of
tha sobon,a IT had now snread all
- ,t, Ir,,.aa States on snots" ant
Was nrohahIv nermanent contribu-
t,on 70 cri,ninal procedure
Az IN the cost of sending of chill
aren 10 tho reform school n cost the
Tarritor,, Ok cents ner dav To keen one
thoro ana therafore avery child that
,vas not cont 40 the school was a saving
90 ~ aovornmont Of that much az.
go, Iuaaa Uhitrov ala NOT think