The Washington herald., 1913-09-25
JUDGE ELATIMER
DISCUSSES TRIP
Says Capital Is Behind Other
Cities in Juvenile Court
Methods.
INSPECTED TEN PLACES
ALI Had Larger Forces Than WASH
ington-PIan for Privacy in Hear
ing Children's Cases.


ment and care of criminally inclined
children is appallingly Inadequate, as
compared to that Of other cities of the
country, according to Juvenile Court
Judge J. Wilmer Latimer. who has just
returned from a study OF the Juvenile
court systems of ten cities.
Included in Judge Latimer's itinerary
were Louisville. indianapolis. st. Louis.
Chicago. Milwaukee, Cleveland. Pitts
burgh. New York. Boston, and Brooklyn.
In each Of these cities Judge Latimer
found the force in charge OF the work
of taking care of delinquent children
larger than 1t is here. In not one OF
these cities did he find a dilapidated, an
tiquated structure housing the court, as
is the case here.
Probably the principal change to be
brought about as a result of Judge Lati-
mer's trip will be a plan by which there
will be more privacy in the hearing of
juvenile cases, which will be inaugurated
in the local court Immediately.
For More Privacy.
II think privacy in the trial of minor
offenders is best said Judge Latimer
yesterday. The aim of the Juvenile
Court is not to punish children. but to
help them become better. OF course pun
lsnInent sometimes Is necessary 10 aid
the young delinquent.
I'VE will not undertake to inaugurate
absolutely private hearings, excluding
everybody from the courtroom but the
offender and the witnesses. Our court
room is small, and by mapping out GER
tain cases. for certain days l think We
can make the trials of the children much
more private than they are at present
Commencing Wednesday, October l,
the court will open at $50 each day, eK-
cept Saturday. Adult cases will be heard
Mondays and Thursdays of each week,
thereby keeping away older people inter-
ested in this class of cases except on
those days Juvenile delinquent cases
will be heard Tuesdays and Fridays.
Dependent and neglected cases only will
be heard on Wednesday mornings. and
truancy cases only on Wednesday after
moons. You see, in this way we elimi-
nate much of the publicity that has
hitherto been a feature at the hearings
of childTen's cases.
Seven Probation Officers.
IF Washington is to care for its child
delinquents as Louisville and other large
cities or cities of about the same size as
this city, II should have at least seven
probation officers. 1t is the probation sys.
TEN lndl COUNTS III lne OpeTdllOn OF y
Juvenile court for the gooS of the little
ones. Imagine 1t. Washington has only
three persons to take care of about 40
children. which is the average number
on probation.
Louisville has seven, Indianapolis fif.
teen or twenty volunteer probation off,
GERS, St Louis has sixteen. Chicago
which is the city with the greatest equip
ment in Juvenile Court work, has sew
enty probation workers, a chief probation
officer, an assistant chief four chiefs OF
four different divisions into which the city
is divided. sixteen clerks, and forty-six
policemen assigned in plain clothes to
look after Juvenile Court cases.
The city of Brooklyn. which has less
children than Washington on probation
has eight probation officers Brooklyn
had 3n juvenile delinquents on proba
tion when 1 was there. as compared
with more than 400 which our small
force has to look after at present. Be,
sides these eight officers the. court al
Brooklyn has clerks, stenographers, and
a large office force.
Should He Visited often.
Delinquent children should be visited
at least once a week by the probation
officer. and some OF the little offenders
should even have greater attention. Fifty
children is a large number for a proba.
ton officer to properly look after. Brook
lyn. Chicago, and the other large cities
realize the greatness OF the problem. but
here in the Nations Capital its serious
ness has not yet impressed itself suf'
ficiently on those who provide for tbs
maintenance and operation of the court. >
Judge Latimer said that he would make
recommendations to Congress for tht
early erection of a suitable court build
ing and for the appropriation of money
with which to maintain a force many
times as large as the present Juvenile
Court force. He declared that he had
learned much from his trip, and thai
anyone who would go over the samt
ground and study the situation would
readily see that Washington has not YET
awakened to the urgent need of an sade-
quate Juvenile Court system to look after
those of its little ones. whe, II moi
saved in time from certain vices, will
grow up and seriously menace any civ
iiized community.