Evening journal., 1916-05-08
State PROBATION
WORK IS outlined
4. Ross Farra Submits Re-
port to National Conference
Meeting in Indianapolis
MUCH ACCOMPLISHED
IN JUVENILE UPLIFT

1he elShlH annual tohlelehtC OF lue
National Probation Association will
open tomorrow morning in lndianapo-
lis, Ind. Although e. Ross Farra. chief
probation officer, of Wilmington. is a
delegate TO the convention, he will be
unable TO be- present.
Discussing "low the Probation Sys-
tenn is Being Carried Out in Delaware" :"
Mr.. farra has submitted the following
paper to the convention:
There is one Juvenile Court i'm Della
ware, and IL has jurisdiction in vii
mington alone. II takes charge of all
the cases in that city of boys under II
years of age and girls under Is years
of age, including delinquents. truants,
neglected and dependent children.
"Nc have a separate Judge who was
appointed April ], 1918. He does not
receive a salary The chief probation
officer receives s 600 per year salary
and 5000 for travelling expenses. The
city has allowed the chief probation Off
Ger to have woman assistant who is
paid n salary of $500 per year The
Wilmington Juvenile Court and Proba-
tion Association, which succeeded in
having the bill passed providing for u
Juvenile Court. has stood nobly by the
court and helped to advance its inter-
csts in every possible way. It has
supplied stenographcr for the office
Of the chief probation officer, but there
is very great need of n man assistant
also. During the last year the Juvenile
Court handled l,2l5 cases
THE rank and fle of Wilmington
are beginning to learn that the Ju-
venile Court is not a prosecuting
agency Of the city; but an organiza-
tion Of which the purpose is to try to
discover the causes for a Child's de-
linQuency. and as far as is possible to
remOye them: also to build up the
character of the child by its proba-
tion system so that he may eventually
become an asset of the community,
instead Of a liability.
Judge William S. Prickett, who
was appointed Judge of the Whining
ton Juvenile COdrt April /, 1915, has
the respect and confidence of the com
munity and is slowly but surely uak-
ing permanent place for the court In
the hearts and minds of the people Of
Wilmington. Judge Prickett Knows
boys as few men do. and gives liber-
ally of his time. considering the indi-
viduality of each child who is brought
before him and pointing out to each
one how he can make Of himself or
herself a valued and respected mem
Der OF the community.
wilmington is a city of about one
hundred thousand Inhabitants, ana
being a manufacturing town. has pc
culiar problems. We are now planning
to have community meetings in va
rious sections Of the city, so that we
can reach the parents. as well as the
children and can try to point out 10
them various community problems,
and ways by which they can be pre-
vented or relieved. We hope much
good may come from these COM
munity meetings.
"The Juvenile Court is trying to Sc
cure an adequate detention house
and plans are being worked out Tor IT,
which encourage us to hope that
within a few months we may be able
to have a detention house that VIII
adequately meet our needs.
"One phase of the work OF the viii
mington Juvenile Court is the placing
of delinquent children, who cannot or
will not make good in their own
homes. in private homes on farms. We
have had a most wonderful success
i'm this line Of the work. About 9S per
cent. OF the children so placed make
good. OF course, a large percentage
OF our success is due TO our splendid
system of following up the child in
their new homes.
"I hope to have far better report
next year to make to the National
Probation Association OF the progress
OF the Juvenile Probation in Della
ware
"The adult probation system in Del
aware has never been developed to
any marked degree. The County
Courts are the only ones that have
authority under the law to place
adults on probation with probation
officer TO look after them.
During the last year the Court OF
General Sessions for New Castle
county placed four young men be-
tween the ages OF rs and 25 years on
probation in the care of the chief
probation officer OF the Juvenile Court
there being no other probation officer