The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-12

Judge Hayden is much interested in
the juvenile court work and he is going
about the administration of juvenile
justice in a manner all his own. The
sessions of the court are private, for
the Judge and the juvenile only, and
are held at five o'clock in the after
Moons, after the busiest part of the day
is yer in the court house. These ses-
sions of the juvenile court are not held
in the large, opel court room where any
curious Individual may drop in to lis
ten and satisfy his curiosity. The Juve-
nile court sessions are all held in a
little back private office. There is no
ballin, no pOmp, no ceremony, no crowd,
no stern, scowling judge and cold
bloOded justice. Instead the court and
the boy who has been hailed into our
have a heart to heart talk
These heart to heart talks, between
the judge and the judged, are the char
acteristic feature of the court. Judge
Hayden talks to a boy offender just as
one boy would talk to another. There
are no strange Latin phrases; no diff
cult terms of law; no citations from
Blackstone or the common law and no
lodging under technicalities nor through
h paths to freedom left by errors.
The judge and the juvenile get right
down to facts n no witnesses, so far,
have been needed.
When complaint is made to Judge
Hayden hat a certain boy is unruly,
is a dependent or neglected child, a
criminal, or an offender against the law.
the probation officer is handed a paper
which directs him to bring said boy
forthwith to the juvenile court. The
boy is brought, he n the judge have
a little quiet talk and the boy is told
to come back and talk it over again in
a few days. This talk in a few days
will be the real trial. The first talk
was a preliminary hearing. The boy is
not required to go to jail nor to give
bond. He is placed on honor to return
and few boys there are who will break
their word of honor
The day for the trial comes and the
record, so far, is that every bow has
been on hand as he agreed to be. The
judge and the juvenile retire to the lit
tie office room and close the door be-
hind them and Informally open the
trial.
80 far no witnesses have been need
d." said Judge Hayden in speaking of
the workings of the juvenile court.
"When the juvenile court was first ak
ed of it was an entirely new thing to
me. I got hold of all the authorities I
could and read all I could on the sub
ject and since then I have become very
much interested. All depends upon the
proper handling of these boys. So far
every boy has told me all that was nee
eSSary in the cases and no witnesses
were called. I now have 16 boys under
my jurisdiction. They are all on their
good behavior. 1t has not been neces-
sary, so far, to send any of them to the
Reform school. The one girl who has
been before the court was sent to the
girls school at Beloit."
So far the complaints made against
boys in the juvenile court are for steal
ing small amounts Of wheat, stealing
bicycles, not going to school, being in
corrigible. When a boy comes before
the the judge, in his own discre-
/ ton, may give him his freedom on pa
role depending uDOn his good behavior,
can send him to the Reform school or
can find him a home with some family.
So far five boys have been placed in
families and there are applications on
file in the court from many people who
wish to take boys to their homes.
When a boy comes before the juven-
lie court he is under the jurisdiction Of
that court until he reaches the age of II
years. The judge CT the court. or at
least it is the case with Judge Dick"
1 Hayden, is the father cOnfessor the
counsellor of the boy.
When the boy once omes before Hay
den he talks kid talk to him and
avoids all the stilted phrases. Judge
Hayden was a boy one strange to say,
and he has not forgotten all Of his
youthful ideas. He knows better than
to nsult a boy who comes before him
by telling him to wash his face and
hands and comb his hair. He talks
with them, chats with them, tells them
the truth about their being in court,
does not try to scare them, is honest
with them and the result is the boy is
won over and he tells all about the lit
tie escapade he was in.
The boys are told that If at any time,
while they are out on parole, which
Will be until they are q years old, IN
less they do wrong and have togo to
the Reform school that the can bring
their troubles to the and they do,
One boy had q consultation with Judge
Hayden over the death of his pet dog
The dog was killed by a neighbor and