The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-12-28
BOISE MAYOR WRITES

man Oh BOISE 10 ltu0 oIAte l0dCuoTS
association at Thanksgiving time
was subject for some comments in
The Republican of December Z, and
he makes the following reply in q
personal letter, showing that condi-
tions in Boise are rather startling.
Family authority seems to be 60.
ing to pieces pretty fast, and the
number of delinquents is large and
constant. 1t is a safe assumption
that what Is doing in the cities will
sift down to the towns soon, and the
condition he describes are worthy Of
study by people everywhere in the
state. Here is what the letetr says:
Mayor Sherman Says
l have been much interested in
reading your editorial of December
z. If the situation in Boise were
what you evidently think it is, or If
my views were what you thought
them to be from the very brief refer
ence to them in my talk to the
teachers, your criticism would be
very we'll founded.
Under the present statutes the
Boise police department has no
authority over juveniles, and all of
it's work, which in the total is very
considerable amount, is entirely in
cooperation with the Juvenile court
and entirely under the authority of
that court. To take care of the
thousands of juveniles in Boise and
Ada county there is one authorized
juvenile officer who at the present
time is a woman of considerable ex-
perience and great earnestness, but
who cannot possibly cover the terri
tory and take care of even those de-
linquents paroled to her. There is
a very justifiable sentiment in Boise
against sending child to the state
industrial school when there is any
probability at all of the child's i'm
provement while left in the home.
However, there are many broken
homes and some homes where both
parents are still in the home that
are not competent to control their
children. 1t has been the custom
of our court to parole practically all
children either to the one Juvenile
officer or back to the parents, who
in many cases, appear in court and
announce that they are unable to
control their children. The situa-
tion is somewhat helped by two or
three patriotic citizens, one of them
very prominent lawyer, who have
at times as high as ten and twelve
children Daroled to them,
The situation here as result is
that there is no option between
paroling the delinquent, either to
parents who confess their inability
to control a child, or to an over
worked official, or, as an only alter
native, to send the delinquent to the
state industrial school, q.,
1t is my belief that the city should
have at least one more probation Of
ficer, who should be man of the
right temperament and character,
and who would devote his entire
time to work among the children. 1t
is also my belief that we should
have some kind of local home to
which delinquents could be sent for
very short periods until proper ar
rangements could be made for their
parol. In my opinion this detention
home, which by the way is an ele-
ment in practically every progress
sive city, should never contain more
than five or six children. 1t should
be the device whereby the commun-
ity can avoid either sending the
child to the industrial school or
merely turning loose the child with
nothing more than scolding as
result of what might possibly be a
very serious delinquency.
We furnish a number of inter-
mediate steps between the warning
of the court and the penitentiary
sentences for adult offenders; we
have nothing between release and
the penitentiary for juvenile offend
ers.
If you should be at any time in
Boise l should be very glad to talk
with you about the juvenile situa-
ton in this city, and l think l can
convince you that my opinions are
based, not on theory, but upon
knowledge of local conditions and
upon my experience with school
children, juvenile courts and proba-
ton officers, and also my experience
in charge of a state industrial school
similar to the institution at st.
Anthony.
Very truly yours,
EUGENE B. SHERMAN,
Mayor.