New-York tribune., 1911-12-18
NEEDS OF CHILD COURTS
Judge Mack Tells Importance Of
Probationary Officers.
LONG TERMS FOR JUDGES
Declares They Should Come in
Personal Touch with the
Young Offenders.

Julian w. Mack. one of the judges of the
Court Of Commerce. sitting in the United
States Circuit Court here. told yesterday OF
his experience in Children's Court adminis-
tration, and defined what a competent Chill
dren's Court ought to be. Judge Mack was
formerly judge of the Superior Court OF
Illinois and professor Of law in the Uni
versity Of Chicago. He was also judse OF
the Children's Court Of Chicago for four
years He said that competence and cor
rect administration could be attained only
through a proper number OF probation OIL
GERS and a term of sufficient length to alo"
the Children's Court judge TO master the
intricacies Of his place
'T cannot speak too strongly on this last
point" Judge Mack went on. 'If you are
fortunate enough to find men willing 10 de-
vote themselves to this work they ought
to be given opportunity and time. nave
criticised for many years the practice Oh
changing Judges too frequently"
Judge Mack set the number Of PAID pro
bation officers required for New YORK CITY
at one hundred and fifty. and said that
they should be aided by Intelligent Voluh-
teer work. He said that medical eXamina-
tions were a necessary part of correct deal
ing with the child delinquent and spoke OF
the medical department connected with the
cbudren's courts OF many Of the larger
American cities.
The need TO treat the child not as GRIM
inal. but as a case for attention ana STUDY
was also dwelt upon by him. The Juuse
should come into personal touch Win lh7
Juvenile delinquent before him. The hours
of the Cbildren's Court session, he declai eu'
should be at least as long as those OF the
other branches. although Judge Mack sald
that he did not recommend worKins Ten VI
eleven hours a day on children cdseS 90
he had sometimes done. -.
The judge Of the Childrens court II.
declared. should be not only a lawyer Ou'
psychoogist, a philanthropist ana io' "
- children OF course, to obtain sue"
t,,doee would be difficult, but Juuse III
- Cbildren's Court should at least re az
Iov,od time 10 gain an interest III MS worn
- This he could not do in term OF t"o
- .hrao rnortbs. The first judge OF tHe
C,biIdren's Court I'm Chicago served HNe
wears. Judge Mack went on. Inc Se'o,'u m
,,.doo served four years, and already th'
,,,rd iudqe has been three years OH 'he
,,,,,sro,,s bench In order to solve tHe
child problem there must be made an an ,2o eN,
animation of the child, the home anu TIC
child's heredity. he said. .,,.
In regard to Judge Mack S slalel.i''s n. -
some figures from the Children ; Sous .Sa %
New York City, which is prahch VI wv
court Of Special Sessions, were luote' yes.
terdav The judges are shifted thleo -.
four times year, allowing maximum ,
iorm fern Of three months. Where Chicago mas mas
sixtv probation officers, New YORK mas
about fifteen. ,..a,,, i,for-
As a case for attention, study ana ihi1,, ,no
malitv in treatment, it was po'hteu ou'' '-,o =,
iuvenile delinquent IN Mdiiiia''l' ~
Ju.v-,l, ,.,,,t 60 court in a patrol wagon ana
~ -, -. 9verage time allotted to his case Is
ere five minutes. There is 10 medical eAaini- 1n
nation nat in connection with children's justice,
and there is no organized system oil tracing
tba cbild's family record, it is stated