The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-12
CRITICISM Of THE
JUVENILE COURT
Recent Cases in Which the Judge Is
Thought to Have Made
Mistake.
CASE OF MARY DAVIDSON
BOY OF ts YEARS SENT TO THE
ROCK PILE.

The criticism of the juvenile courts au-
thority in sending girls and boys to the
state industrial schools and to the city
jail has resulted in quite a stir in o.
den and some good is expected to ma
terialiZe as a result.
A few days ago Judge A. B. Patten
OF the juvenile court committed 16-year-
school for no other reason than that
she was homeless and friendless. At
the time Judge Patten claimed that the
Crlttenden home was full and could not
receive the girl. Since that time an in
Xestlgauon has shown that such a con-
dlIlon did not exist and that, irrespec-
tive of how well filled the home might
be, that there is always room for still
another girl, just as was intended when
the home was founded.
In the case of Miss Davidson, 1t ap-
neglect Of her mother. was permitted to
roam the streets at will. 1t was not
claimed that the girl was bad, but that
she was merely unfortunate From this
1t would appear that the Crittenden home
was the proper place for her, but she
was sent to the industrial school. In a
statement to The Herald yesterday Judge
THE little girl, Mary Davidson, whom
sent to the state industrial school, had
committed no infr9ctiOn of the law and
was simply homeless and friendless First
let me say that 1 do not regard the in
dustrial school as place of punishment
1t is simply home, and an excellent
one. too.
The probation officer telephoned me on
the afternoon Of Jan. 80 that the girl
mad been TO the court room and asked
for protection. 1 telephoned to the Crit
tenden home and asked if they could
take her. 1 got the answer from the
we have no room"
1 tried to get her into private homes
and finally Mrs. A. A. Richter said:
Il will take her for a short time
took the girl to Mrs. Richter. On
the next day I learned that the girl is
one that we had been trying to do some
thing for. / saw nothing else to do but
10 send her to the industrial school tenn
porarily- There are reasons that should
not be made public why she ought to be
where there is authority
Mrs. Anna Adams. the matron of the
home, was interviewed yesterday regard
judge, and stated that there must have
been some mistake; that they always
made room for the girls, and that the
girl would still be received at the home
when the home was what would be
termed full Of occupants that they would
make some arrangements whereby the
girl could be received and properly taken
care Of.
This is a home for girls said the
matrOn, land we always try to make it
as pleasant. as possible for those who
1t will be seen from this statement that
some one has erred in the matter of Miss
Davidson, and the indications are that
the error will be corrected without much
delaY.
In commenting upon his having sent
an 18-year-old boy to the city Jail. where
he would be forced to work on the rock
pile with the regular prisoners, Judge
Patton said:
Yes. sent an 1S-year-oId boy to serve
ten days on the rock pile. He is much
above the average size of men in the
state, served a term of two years in
more than that I think, beyond hope.
In my opinion it would be of no bene-
fit to him to have sent him back to the
school, and it would be very detrimental
TO the other boys. Perhaps I was wrong.
do not claim to be infallible I simply
acted in both cases as my best Judgment
indicated -