The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-03-31
WORTHY ENTERPRISE
UP TO The VOTERS
DETENTION HOME NEEDED FOR
DEPENDENT CHILDREN
Judge Swayze Gives Many Pertinen,
Reasons Why Institution Should
Be Provided

To the Voters of Genesee County:
The state of Michigan has done a
great deal toward helping her unfortu-
nate juveniles.
She has provided an Industrial School
for Boys, an Industrial School for Girls,
State Public School, Home for the
Feeble Minded. School for the Deaf,
School for the Blind, Home for the
Epileptic and a Home for Crippled
Children.
One of the best things that the state
has given us is the juvenile law which
requires all juveniles under the age of
seventeen years who violate any law or
are incorrigible or immoral to be ham
died by the juvenile court, which is
branch of the probate court.
The juvenile law takes the child away
from the criminal courts. and away
from the officers of the law and turns
them over to the juvenile judge, county
agent and probation officers. The rec
ord that is made in the juvenile court
can never be used against the child.
The object of the juvenile law is to
reform the child and not particularly
to punish him.
In order to do this we must have
place to detain the child. The juvenile
law requires the board of supervisors
to furnish that place. Section of the
juvenile law reads as follows:
'It shall be the duty of the board of
supervisors in each county within
ninety days after this act shall take eff
| feet, to provide and maintain at public
expense, detention room or house of
detention or other suitable place, sepa-
rate from the Jail, lookup, police sta
tion or other place of confinement used
for the Incarceration of adult criminals
charged with crimes or misdemeanors.
Such detention place shall be properly
located both for the convenience of the
court work, and with a view of the
healthful, physical and moral environ
ment of all children within the provis-
| ions of this act, who shall when neces-
sary be detained in such place of de-
tension so provided, and it shall be un-
lawful to confine or detain any juvenile
coming within the provisions of this
act in any Jail. lookup, police station or
place of confinement used for the in
carceration of criminals or persons ac-
cused of crime or in any place not con-
forming to the requirements of this
section, and any officers or persons so
OBTAINING or confining such Juvenile
shall be deemed guilty Of, rnisde-
meanor and pdmshe6 accordingly Such
| 1f ohon hn IN oh Of
a matron or other person, capable and
of good moral character.
You will see that the law is manda-
tory, it uses the word "shall" all the
Way through.
Now. for the last seven years, the
writer has been trying to have the
board of supervisors provide us suit
able detention home for; juveniles.
They have given us two rooms at the
County Infirmary.
The County Infirmary is good home
for those poor unfortunate people who
have to be sent there, but it is no place
for good live boy or girl who has COM
mitted some offense and has to be de-
tanned in order to determine what is
best to do with them. The state insti-
tutions will not receive any boy or girl
who is not well, and we must have a
place to keep these children until we
can get them well.
The county physician treats these
children and he must certify that they
are absolutely well before we can send
them away.
We often have dependent children,
whose parents are dead, or whose
mother is dead and father neglects