St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-01-03
Care of Detectives


Much Of the crime in the state Of
Vermont is committed by a class of
people not criminally vicious but
mentally defective. Many boys and
girls in the State Industrial School
are sent there because they come
from defective homes and the state
has no other place to keep them free
from undesirable home conditions.
1t also has many mentally defective
boys and girls who can never be de-
veloped into responsible citizens.
The state now sends a few of these
children to Massachusetts state in
situations for instruction and is pay
ing that state $4,000 year for this
service. But Massachusetts cannot
care for ali of this class of children
that should become public charges.
Any man who has served as governor
would state that he has received
more applications than he could
grant. Vermont needs an institution
of this kind of it's own. Some papers
have suggested that provision for
this class could best be made at the
State Industrial School by charging
it enough to accommodate them
There is much in favor of
such a plan but there are also OBJ
jections. Probably under the super
vision OF the present able head OF
this institution the necessary build
ings could be erected at less cost
there than elsewhere. But the train
ing OF intelligent children capable Of
development into useful citizenship
should be entirely different from
that of children incapable of devel-
oping moral responsibility and in
dividual control of themselves and
we should question the ACCESSIBILITY
of bringing them into contact with
each other. 1t would be impossible
to prevent some abuse of the more
unfortunate and the limitations of
these unfortunates would also limit
the aid that could be given the more
capable We believe Vermont could
accomplish more good by having
separate institutions for it's intelli-
gent and unintelligent children.
The state also needs more laws
regulating the conduct of minors.
OF course the best and proper place
for the training of minors is in good
homes but there are too many homes
that are not good. How far the
state should enter into the home
and assume charge of the child is a
delicate question but it should do so
to a greater extent than it is now
doing. Here is a concrete example.
A former member of the police force
in this village advised two young girls
who were on the streets nights too
much for their own good that they
should stay at home and behave
themselves. They replied that his
advice was all right but the fact was
they were encouraged to be on the
streets because their mother did not
want them at home. She received
other visitors AMI did not want them
about. The authorities had no con-
vincing evidence OF crime on the
part of the mother or the children
yet the necessity of state interven-
tion in a case like this is evident.
Without direct evidence of crime the
state was powerless under present
laws. 1t needs more law in cases of
this kind.
If a reformatory institution or in
stitutions could be established as
suggested in last weeks issue prob
ably the state could care for the
mentally defective adults but it's
provisions for unfortunate children
are seriously deficient. 1t needs in
stitutions similar to the Kurn Hat
tin Homes where unfortunate boys
and girls can be properly cared fol
and trained. 1t means expense but
it might prove effective economy in
the long run. Inc expense of the
state in controlling its unlawful anc
irresponsible citizens is immense
and will continue so unless it adopt:
methods that will prevent the devel
opment of such a class of citizen
ship. 1t is the preventative posi-
bilities OF such institutions as We
have suggested that should com
mend them to the public.