The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-05-25
DEFECTS IN
JUVENILE LAW
ASNOW EXISTS
TAMPA'S LADY PROBATION OFF,
GER POINTS OUT SOME MIS-
TAKES, WHICH SHE is IN HOPES
OF HAVING CORRECTED AND
GETTING SALARY FOR HER Of
FHE.
BY FRANK [. HUFFAkER.

Tallahassee, May 24.-Miss Mary
Taylor of Tampa, juvenile probation
officer of that city, who has chung to
her work with a womans determine
ton despite the fact that no salary
was forthcoming is in Tallahassee try
ing TO induce the legislators to give
the Juvenile courts q chance to be
courts IN TACT as well as In name. Miss
Taylor, who has given twenty years
of her life to mission and newspaper
work in Cuba, Tampa, Chicago and
elsewhere. talks most interestingly OF
Juvenile court work and the needs OF
such work in Florida.
In calling attention to the defects Of
the juvenile court law now In force,
Miss Taylor said:
in the state that has given the new
juvenile court law a fair trial We are
satisfied there that il Is good thing
If properly directed, but its benefcent
effect has been greatly curtailed by
the limitations of the law
What are the most serious defects
Of the 1aw?'' l asked.
First the mistake Of the last legfs-
lature in attempting TO delegate to the
boards of county commissioners the
power to fix salaries of probation ON
GERS In the case of Tucker Savage
VS.. the Board of County Commissioners
of Hillsborough county. carried up to
the supreme court. the decision was
that the bin was constitutional except
for THAT one provision. In consequence,
under the decision OF the supreme
court the payment of probation officers
was enjoined I realized that the tuv
emile court itself was on trial before
the people, and that II I should re-
tire from the work of probation Off
Ger, it would more or less cripple the
work of the court and tend toward
bringing on It the criticisms OF it's
.1& ~ ~
its friends. So l determined, on the
advice of friends Of the law, to en-
deavor to finance myself until the leg
islature could right the mistake of its
predecessor. Working fifteen months
without an income or salary Is strain
that would not like to undergo again
Second Deficiency.
Tn the second place, the failure 10
provide a place Of detention for defin-
quents under that law, has proven one
OF it's greatest deficiencies. The law
forbfds that any minor under fourteen
years shall be incarcerated in any
common jail; yet. no other provision
having been made. that clause IS fire.
quently violated by our judges and
peace officers. In maty cases the au-
thority OF the court could not be en-
forced without using some restraint.
and the judge would have to consider
what would harm the cuip1-it most, TO
inlprfson him with adult criminals, or
to leave him his liberty, simply on pro-
baton. The latter course has been fire.
Quent1y chosen as the lesser evil, but it
does not always tend to create respect
for the law in the minds OF Juvenile
offenders
Good, But Needs Strengthening.
DO you thing the law a poor one?'' |
was asked.
No. it is good law. and with proper |
officers chosen in the various counties. |
It will be good The fixing OF salaries |
of these probation officers, and pro
viding for detention houses in our !
larger counties by this Legislature viii |
make our Juvenile court law both |
strong and efficient. These detention |
homes should not be penal institutions |
in any sense, nor connected in any |
way with any common jail-seeking |
to supply in every reasonable way the !
deficiency the delinquent has suffered /
in his own home-in other words, max |
Ing for him a model one"
Not a Police Officer
'Ts the probation officer q police Off /
cer2" was asked
NO. decidedly no. The probation |
officer is the friend of the child, and a /
child has an almost innate fear of |
cop. The work of a probation officer |
is one of the most delicate possible |
under the law, and is distinctly a field |
for which women have been found best |
fitted. From so TO 90 per cent of the
probation officers of the United States