The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-08

old.
Permanent Guardianship.
Life sentences or permanent guard
ianship by the State was urged for a
certain class of offenders against law
by DR.. William Healy. director of the
Juvenile Psychopathie Institute Of
Chicago.
He made certain comparisons be-
tween the manifestations of delin-
quency in children and criminality In
adults and pointed out that children
who came back to the juvenile court
again and again are usually OF the
same type as older offenders who have
become habitua1 criminals and who
are committed to prison repeatedly.
While Or. Healy did not subscribe
to the theory that all criminality
I is disease or due to II diseased con-
dillon, he stated most emphatically
that in his judgment. very many
| cases of recidivism or the recurrence
/ OF Unlawful acts ts due to some dis
coverable mental defect in the of
fender. But" said he, mental de
feet is TO be considered simply as
one OF the causes of crime, but n
is a cause SO obvious. SO readily de
terminable in most cases and so GER
tainiy 1rremediahie and provocative
of recidivism and mental cnntagion
that one of the first Steps of reform
I in dealing with criminals ought to
be directed toward this. The mental
defective is suitable neither for pro
baton. reformatory education nor
punitive measures. custodial care
alone Is of service and in the ease Of
the criminalisticaliy inclined defective.
the courts should directly commit and
the State protect itself by permanent
/ guardianship"
Advocates Special Treatment
1 Ernest *. Coulter clerk Of the
children's court of New York. In An
address before the section on Law
! Breakers said that the most import
/ ant step to be taken by the State in
its SLOW abandonment Of antiquated
/ methods OF treating child offenders
and victims of bad environment and
neglect must lie the establishment "
institutions for the special treatm ent
/ Of the mental detectives Of this class.
The speaker, who has seen at close
) range more than 80 900 children pass
4 through the largest children court
( in the world, denounced as sentimen-
/ taiists thOse who claim that most
/ Juvenile delinquerts are mentally de-
( fective. but concluded that the most
+ conservative observers must agree
: that there are certain well defined
! cases Of exceptional children. victims
I OF environmental or eongenital causes
which irresistibly pre-dispose them Ia
crime Some IF these children said
Mr.. Coulter. Il have seen come back
+ TO the court flve or six times after
J they had spent Years ia the ordinary
1 reformatoriea ali before they have
! reac he'd the age IF sixteen In fore
/ ing the commitment af the defective
child IN the ordinary refurmatorI, IN"
i State Is blind 70 IS cruelty 10 the
! children. the injustice to the in@titu-
! t!ou. and the menace To the com
r1Unity.
Relief s4as Beer NiaaardIy.
! BOSTON. June S-That both private
ard public relief giving charities haV'
/ been uiggardiy ia the amount ~ re
/ lief given TO the poor was the arraign'
nlent made by Frederic Amy genera
secretary os the Charity 0'rga nizatior
Society II Buffalo III an address OF
/ Adequate Relief before the Nationa
( Conference Of Charities and Correction
here this morning, Air. Amy contend
81 that the old cry which has go IRE
queujly heeu raised against WoderT
charity organization societies that tfi"i
( spent too much fer salaries, has los
any point Il may ever have bad are
/ that on the contrary. ii is necessary e
! provide IN every city. the highest grade
! 81 trained men and women Ia admins
/ ter charitable and social activities
/ whom ii Is possible TO OBTAIN, ana ina
I budgets ~ the right kinds or chaT'ta
t H. Ati+4ta 4s instant sham III
creased expenditures for salaries, Blu
ON tho other hand II IS Just as neoes
sary to make proportional increases fo
actual material reitei- More lndiNld