Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-15
THE JUVENILE COURT.
No one who has ever seen bows

their way to a reform school can deny
that he felt lump in his throat at the
sight of the youngsters, of ages that
should see them in school, learning
those lessons that make men of them,
going under the guard of an officer to
imprisonment For, call it what one
will, the reform school is no more no
less than "a prison. For every good
boy or girl who energies from it's con-
fines there are dozen whose lives are
forever Swallowed by the remembrance
of their years in confinement.
The Juvenile court, in many of the
large cities, is proving the solution, at
least in part, of the problem thus pre-
sented. The police courts, justice
courts and district court through which
the youngsters pass en- route to the
reform school are too full of business
for the boys, their individual cases and
their peculiarities to receive the atten-
ton that should be given them. The
boy is complained of in the lower
court, his case is sent to the district
judge and the latter, upon a perfume
tory recommendation, sends him to
the reform school
The juvenile court acts differently
and through it's liberal Interpretation
OF the statutes many life is made
useful that might otherwise be thrown
away. To be sure, sit is the law" to
|, send the youthful offenders to the re-
form school, but the law may be read
little awry with impunity when a
juvenile court Judge sees the need.
The Kansas City Journal, published in
city that has recently Instituted a
y. Ia E~l1O 1ryi,, 10 cnx
in support of it:
GAS an example of the numerous
cases where generous, humane and
thoughtful treatment of the young in
saving life and character, one reported
in the Journal yesterday morning may
be here referred to. A small boyle
was only IL years old--was arraigned
before Judge McCune on the heinous
charge of wanting to go to work In
stead of attending school. 1t was in the
hands of Judge McCune to send this
boy to the reform school for four years
! if he had wanted tos But it would have
been crime against humanity to i'm
pose such sentence and, of course,
Judge McCune did not impose 1T. He
discharged the boy upon the promise
of good behavior And he did more.
He talked sensibly and confdentially
| to the youngster of the advantages OF
acquiring an education that would fit
him for a better position than he could
| fill without an education. He impressed
upon the boy that it was much better
to go to school and learn things that
would help him in after life than to
90 out and work for $1.75 week. The
! boy understood that this was friendly
advice, given him by friend, and 1t
was appreciated. He left the court
room with his self-respect stronger and
new resolve to be a good boy. The
chances are that in future years that
boy. grown to useful manhood, will
/ have cause every day of his life to
thank Judge McCune, not only for
i tempering justice with mercy, but for
strengthening mercy with wholesome
counsel
Judge McCune has way OF making
| friends of his small offenders who are
brought before him. Once winning
/ their confidence, he has little trouble
in influencing them for the better. He
points out their faults and tells them
how to conduct themselves. Frequent
ly boys and girls do wrong because OF
their own ignorance or the Ignorance
of their parents. When they find out
the right way they gladly accept 1t
/ 1t is a somewhat remarkable thing that
never since his occupany OF the bench
has Judge McCune had case OF mis-
placed confidence. Every boy and CIR
who has been placed upon honor to be
have has kept good faith. If the par
ents of these boys and girls could only
learn the lesson of kindness. conn
dence and tact from Judge McCune
the accessions to the army OF crime
would be rarer."s
| mot one case of misplaced conf
dence." A splendid recommendation !,
/ for the juvenile court. OF course !,
is useless to think of district courl
having the time to treat with each IN
dividual case in this way, but the ex
perience of the Kansas City judge
/ teach the men who preside over the
lower courts that they can well afforc
to take the time to talk over every
4 every childs case, try the plan O
Judge McCune and watch the results