The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-11-23
SWEPT BY WAVE
OF CHILD CRIME
Scores of Youths in Big Cities
Await Court Action on
Criminal Charges.
PRESIDENT TAKES II UP
Considers Plan to Use Army Training
Camps for Offenders-Wayward
Girls and Boy Bandits on
the Increase.

Washington, D. C.-Child crime Is
now engaging the attention of
officials Of the Department of Labor
and other agencies OF the govern
ment, as well as the interest OF
sOciologists, welfare workers and civic
organizations throughout the United
States
More than 100 boys and girls under
twenty are waiting trial on charges Of
burglary, banditry, automobile thefts
and other crimes In Washington, Bal
timOre. New York and other big cities,
according to data In possession of off,
Gals. Nearly a score Of youths are
waiting court action on charges OF
murder and manslaughter.
Juvenile courts in all big cities are
crowded with offenders. In several
cities additional judges have been as
signed to juvenile courts to clean up
the dOckets.
Reformatories, detention homes and
houses Of refuge to which police send
boys and girls OF tender age to await
court action are crowded In all sec
lions Of the country.
Favors Training Camps.
Attorney General Daugherty has
given the problem much consideration.
In q memorandum to President Hard
ing, Mr.. Daugherty suggested the es-
Establishment of federal camps for the
training Of boy offenders. The citizen
ship branches Of the Interior and La
Dor departments are also studying the
problem with view to making recon-
mendations for reform and training
of youthful lawbreakers. On the
possibility Of diminishing child crime
throughout the country depends In
great measure the nations future
standard Of citizenship, officials say.
AttorneyGeneral Daugherty recon-
mended to the President that the gov
eminent convert into reforInatory train
Ing camps for boy lawbreallers some Of
the army environments. He planned to
train there the youthful Offenders in
craftsmanship of various kinds and the
value Of clean and upright living.
This combined course Of training in
work and ethics would make good
citizens of many boys who come into
collision with the police Mr. Daugherty
believes. Under the present system of
sending them to peniteptiaries and So
called reformatories little real reform
Is accomplished, according to the at
tOrney- general, WHO believes many |
youths finish serving their sentences
with bitter hatred OF society which |
transforms them into habitual GRIM
inals.
The increase Of crime by children
now sweeping the entire country has /
Its counterpart ip England, Germany, /
France and many other countries, re- I
ports show, 1t is believed to be
direct result of the war when hundreds
OF young boys and girls were left prac-
tlcally without parental guidance Of
the right kind. With fathers and
older brothers away at war, mothers
in many cases could not restrain i'm
pulses Of their sons and daughters,
with the result that the children sought
evil companions and were led into
habits.
Many Boys Turn Bandits.
Records of the police in New York
and other eastern cities are filed
with facts concerning the arrest of boy
burglars and bandits whose ages are
found to be but fourteen and fifteen
years. The number of Offenders under
twenty years Is enormous, officials say.
Data showing the exact relation be-
tween the numbers Of adult and child
lawbreakers now is being collected
rom police in many centers
Gangs Of boys are responsible for
arge number of holdups now occurring
n big cities, police say.
Police find 1t difficult to cope with
,hild crime because in many cases the
rhine represents the first attempt It
$ the amateur burglar and footpad
Who is most difficult to arrest.
The ease with which boy bandits are
bile to obtain firearms in most cities
$ one cause OF child crime, it Is as,
umed.