New-York tribune., 1910-01-31
TO PREVENT CRIME
WILL AID DEFECTITE
CHILDREN.
Plan SAID To Be for 81 900, 900
Building -lLrs. ". K.
Tanderbat's Part.


cal defects is rapidly taking form. Mrs.
William Il Vanderbilt has been deeply
interested in the project for some time.
and it is understood that when all the
details are given out she will be found
TO be the largest, if not the sole, con-
tributor
The ultimate idea is to keep the popl1-
lation OF jails and other kindred institu-
tions in future generations down as
much as possible. if not eventually to
wipe it out altogether
In brief. the city's children under six
teen years of age who become enmeshed
in the cobweb of the law in many cases
need medicine or the surgeons knife. or
in some such way should be treated for
mental infirmities, it is believed The
plan, therefore is TO build hospital for
just such cases as come before the Chill
dren's Court, where expert investigation
may be made of the cause of crime
1t is rumored that the hospital will be
erected in the vicinity of the Children's
Court and. again, that Mrs Vanderbilt
has in view the building of an addition
to the Presbyterian Hospital for the p1Ir-
to more than 100000
NEW COURT BUILDING.
The new building to be erected for the
Children's Court will, among nuny i'm
provements, have suitable detention
rooms for children pending the calling
OF their cases; the younger children will
be separated from the older. and those
charged with actual offences from those
in custody merely because of improper
guardianship. A nursery, too, will be
provided for the very small children of
this latter class.
Mayor Gaynor will receive this morn
ing the report of the Children's Court,
1st Division. for last year. The report
says:
~, It has long been known scientifically
that many adult criminals are the victims
OF conditions, acquired or hereditary
which result in a mental disturbance pre-
olsposlng them to the development of
With such cases the time for relief if
curative or nleliorating remedies are pos
ton of criminal tendencies, and the best
opportunity therefor is through the Chill
drens Court whereto such unfortunates
will naturally drift 1t can thus be early
determined, with suitable medical expert
assistance, whether the difficulty is ciIra-
bic or incurdble. Cures will be less ex-
pensive to the public than confinement in
The charitable institutions and later On in
TrsIformatorles. rtIfe prisons and workaomses.
or public value when youth ripens into
| full maturity. fsds, . : ~
that come through similar causes and sus-
/ ceptible of help sufficiently TO stop the
criminal inclination The court has bee
experimenting somewhat in this direction
and has the subject under most careful
consideration: It lacks proper facilities for
fully determining the value of such work
There is no institution to which such
children ordinarily may be committed that
| possesses such facilities in any proper de-
| gree
One simple case may be cited in Illus
tration. A boy fifteen years old was sent
theft and it developed that because Of
mental deficiency II was impossible for
him TO write the simplest word. such as
the He had been released therefrom
only a very short time when he was again
arrested for stealing. AS the court recos
ntzed the futility, so far as the child's
welfare was concerned, Of sending him
| back to such an institution. he was re-
| leased on parole and the parents were in
structed TO obtain proper medical attf1tion
Within one week after release he was
again taken into custody for theft. In the
absence of any proper institution dealing
with cases of this character. il was ueces-
sary to send the boy back 10 the institu-
| ton 70 which he had originally been COM
/ of more than sI2O There are one or two
institutions in the state where such child
can receive special treatment. but these
are usually filed and have long waiting
lists
The report shows that one child in
every seventy-dve in New York County
under sixteen years old is arrested. Lack
of parks and play space is the cause.
the report says, of bringing many boys
| and girls before the justices. But en-
couragenent is found in the fact that,
although there was an increase of popu-
lation in the county of 5000. there were
less commitments last year than in 1908.
and only eighty five more children were
arraigned
'LIFE-SAvING STATION
New York City has two children's
courts. The one now reporting, located
at 18th street and Third avenue. in vol
ume and variety Of business exceeds that
of any like tribunal and therefore has
been called the worlds biggest life
saving station
Individual salvation is the upperr7ost
thought in dealing with each child. OF
the II .494 children arraigned in this one
tptlIA III Ib'c. oiliS T. o. we're committed
10 institutions. either charita BILE or re-
formatCry 1T is generally agreed -"
says the report. that a home must be
poor indeed not tn be better than the
best institution ever created"
The good results of the law which
went into effect on September / last in
saving the child from the brand of Grim
inal are emphasized as follows:
BY A wise amendment N the pensI LAM
which went into effect September l. Ieea
Chapter AIS, Laws of 1909 a child of more
than seven and less than sixteen years
Of age who commits an act or on,ission
which. if committed by an adult wouid
be crime not punishable by dearh or
life Imprisonment, "shaE not he deep,s5
guilty of any crime but of Juvenile deiin
quency only
The fact that there would be no legal
| right for public prosecutor TO appear
ia the Children's Court under this new
law is indicated as follows:
The methods Of procedure in the chu-
drens Court are based on humanity and
common sense. The Justice presiding is
prosecutor, defendants attorney iudge ana
jury in one; in fact, big father in time
of greatest need 10 the unfortunate chill
dren brought before him Those charged
with actual offences are by Law, OF course
entitled 10 the beneTt or counsel which
they always receive. but there is no pubIf-
prosecutor 10 hammer and harass the
Young defendants; nor, under the Law asr
mentioned. would public prosecutor have