Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-20
SAYS JUVENILE COURT
IS DOOMED TO co
Declares It Is Actual Factor in Increase
Of Youthful Delinquents
in Cities.
SENTIMENTAL PROBATION
SYSTEM rs DENOUNCED
Means That Morally Unfit Child Is
Sent Into Midst of Innocent Chill
dren to Be Benefited.
UNITED PRESS LEASED wIRn.l


New York, June 20.-The juvenile
court, despite the great things its ad-
vocates claim it has accomplished for
youth, is doomed to go, in the opinion
Of Judge Willis Brown, formerly of the
Salt Lake City, Utah, and Gary, Ind,
parental courts, and now superintend-
ent of the Boy City in Michigan. In
absolute opposition to such men as
Judge Ben Lindsey, of Denver, and
Judge De Lacy, of Washington, D. c.,
Judge Brown makes the rather start
ling declaration that the juvenile court
not only has proved its unfitness, but
that it is actually a factor in the in
crease of youthful delinquents.
"The juvenile court, " said Judge
Brown today in a special interview
given the United Press, "with its sen.
timental probation system, is manufac,
turing more criminals than any other
agency in the world. Juvenile courts
are absolutely negative in having any
influence in checking what is called
juvenile crime. The system of placing
a boy or girl on probation to attend
school results in forced social in
timacy.
''The placing of boy on probation
and permitting him to attend the COM
mon school, means that that particular
boy is to be cured of his evil tend
encies through social contact with the
son of Tom Jones and the daughter of
Frank Smith. 1t would be silly-yes,
criminal-to send the mentally weak
child into the same school room with
the mentally normal child, in the hope
that the former could benefit by con.
tact with the latter. The idea is pre-.
posterous, but that is exactly what is
done through the probationary system
followed in all juvenile courts. 1t
means that the morally unfit child is
sent into the midst of innocent girls
and boys to be benefitted-at their ex.
pense, 1t is not right
Denver's Crime Record.
CT am not tearing down without be
lieving firmly that I have the remedy
or rather the substitute for the iu
venile court, but before going into that
let us look at some startling statistics
Professor Hugh Beck, of Christ college
Oxford, England came over here some
time ago to investigate what America
is doing for its youth. He found that
Denver-the home of the juvenile court
where they are supposed to have the
best juvenile court system in the
country-has more juvenile criminals
in its jails than were found in any
city he visited and he visited practi
cally every city Of size in America
In Denver, twenty-five per cent of all
crimes committed, and these included
such serious offenses as rape, embezzle
ment, forgery, seduction, etc, were
committed by Juveniles. In Chicago
which followed Denver in the establish.
ment of the juvenile court, twenty pei
cent of the crimes committed were com
mitted by Juveniles, In st. Louis the
per cent was twelve and in San Fran
cisco it was ten per cent.
"Just little more criticism of the
juvenile court system and then we will
take up the question Of what should
replace it, In Washington, D. c., they
have what they call one Of the best
juvenile court systems in the country
1t is presided over by Judge DeLacy
who is not only capable interpreter
of the law, but also a splendid man
Yet what do we find under this sys
tenn to protect the youth of the capita
of the nation2 We find there that un
der he juvenile system, the skylarkinl
schoolboy who plays hockey for a stol
en- swim in the Eastern Branch or "
at Forty foot" above Georgetown i
subject to arrest on the same form o
bench warrant as was served on th