The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-15
JUVENILE COURT
WORK DISCUSSED
Legislation to Increase Eff
cheney of System Is Now
Under Consideration.
DETENTION HOMES NEEDED
JUDGE NOON THINKS THE AGE
LIMIT TOO HIGH.

mere was an informal dlScuSSIoh VI
juvenile courts and court work at
meeting held in the court room yester-
day afternoon. Owing to- the fact that
the notice of the meeting had been
brief, the attendance was not so large
as had been expected, but a number
of judges and other officers from out
side cities were present, as well as
many from Salt Lake who are inter-
ested in the work.
The principal object of the meeting
was TO discuss the means whereby the
present laws relating to Juvenile court
work could be brought to a point of eff
f1ciency, or be replaced with other
laws. 1t is likely that the whole juve-
nile court system will be incorporated
in one bill to be presented to the next
! legislature bill that will be concise
and prepared with view to avoiding
conflicts with other courts or judicial
institutions. The sense OF the meeting,
which was presided over by Governor
elect William Spry, was that another
meeting should be held between now
and the time when the legislature
meets. It was left to Willard Done,
secretary to the governor, to call the
attention of the Juvenile court COM
mission to the expression of the meet
ing yesterday. and no doubt a meeting
will be called at which drafts of bills
viii be presented.
Judge Moons Address.
Judge A. A. Noon of Provo made an
extended address. in which he related
his experiences with children as a lee
turer. as a Justice of the peace and as
a juvenile court judge. Judge Noon
believes that one of the essential
| things to be done is the establishment OF
q detention home in each district-not
a voluntary home, but home whose
esta blishment is made obligatory by
law. Judge Noon furthermore believed
that the age limit so called-1S years
when boys may come under the control
of the juvenile court is TOO high He
believed that a boy had fixed views
and fixed trends and developed traits
! of character after he passed the age
of t. and that after such an age, he
ought to be dealt with by other courts.
II believe the child should be
reached in the schools. and before he
gets into the courts. We do not want
courts, if we can help it; we want TO
reach the heart of the child"
Job P. Lyon Talks.
Job P. Lyon thought the plan Of pro-
| baton ought to be extended. In New
Zealand" said Mr.. Lyon, the proba-
ton system has reached as near to
perfection as possible. In that country
| first offenders. instead of being sent to
prison, where they are only made the
more hardened, up to an age of 50
years. are given III charge of prOba-
ton officer. who finds work for them.
| They are required to report once or
twice a month and bring report from
their employer. Mr.. Lyon said the
| record showed that SO per cent of the
first Offenders in New Zealand were re-
claimed. In New York, under the pro-
baton system in operation there, 80
per cent are reclaimed, and in Massa-
chusetts IS per cent.
1T has been the experience, said
Mr.. Lyon, that jails and penitentia-
ries do not reform, but only accentuate
the conditions.
Mr.. Lyon believed that probation
law of greater latitude than now
operates would be well for Utah.
Cows Versus Children.
Judge f. G. Gowans of the Salt Lake
Juvenile court said that while there
was Juvenile court. it was practically
/ poWerless should the defendant de-
nland a jury trial, for. in that event,
the case would have to be sent to the
justice courts.
+ Judge Gowans deplored the lack of
financial assistance given the work by
the state.
Il see they are about TO ask the
state to bond itself for vast sums of
money to build roads. but / do not see
that they are asking for money to
build men and women. There are ap-
preparations for the purpose of teach
ing boys how to feed pigs at Logan
how q cows rations ought to be APP
portioned: we have all these, but we
have less than a pittance to carry on
the work of building up the young
boys and girls who are in need OF
help