Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
COURT FOR JUVENILES
HOW SYSTEM WORKS IN CITY OF
NEW YORK.
Comprehensive Statement by Deputy
Clerk Ernest 4. Coulter-Great
Benefits Shown.

The following statement relative to the
establishment and the work of the juvenile
court of New York city, made by Ernest
K. Coulter, deputy clerk, is in response to
an inquiry from Zed HI. Copp, probation
officer of this city, to its founding and
operation. Mr.. Coulter says:
1.-THE children's court is a part of the
court of special sessions. The first court
established in New York opened on Sep
TENDER 2, 1902. This court is part of the
court of special sessions of the first division
of the city of New York. The value of the
work of the court was so apparent from
the start that second court, whose juris-
diction extended over the county of Kings
Brooklyn). was established about year
later. The children's court of the first
division has jurisdiction in the cases Of all
children under the age of sixteen arrested
In the boroughs of Manhattan and the
Bronx. The age limit in the Brooklyn
court is, of course. the same. The need Of
a childrens court in New York city may
be appreciated to some slight extent, when
it is stated that in the first twelve months
of the existence of the children's court of
the first division LAT children We're ar
raigned at its bar on charges that ran
nearly the entire gamut of the penal code.
The number of children arraigned in the
first division children's court for the year
ending December 81. 1903, was 1911 while
the number arraigned for the year ending
December 81, 1904, was 1881.
What Happened Before.
Before the enactment of the law estab-
fishing the children's court these children
would have been arraigned In the various
police courts of the boroughs of Manhattan
and the Bronx. In those police courts, no
matter how elaborate the plans of arecau-
la,F,
into contact with adult offenders-drunis-
ards, prostitutes, taeves and persons of.
the viiest class. The exposure of these
children to such an atmosphere could not
but cause harmful results of lasting char
acter. 1t not infrequently happened that
police magistrate would have calendar
of $50 cases to dispose OF in ole day. You
viii readily see that when the magistrate
was working under such pressure as this
that there was little time for the careful
consideration of the case of the child that
happened to be brought before him ON that
day. Experience has shown, too that chill
dren offenders and adults charged with
crime are not to be treated at all in the
same way. The adult is, to a very large
extent responsible for his own misdoings
but too often in the case of the child 1t is
merely a VICTIM of evil environment. The
fact that the child has been brought into
court is often due to an acciuent of sur
roundings.
Effects Of Environment.
I'm the treatment of the child offender,
too. it must be remembered that he is still
In a formative state-mentai and moral, as
well as physical With the proper handling
and the right influences at work the evil eff
fects of environment can very often be
overcome and the child can be nodded into
a useful citizen Of the future. So you Will
see how important 1t was that the consider
alton of these children's cases should be