South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-12-17
BOY CRIMINALS
PROVE PUZZLES
TO j. S. JUDGES
One Magistrate Sends l6-Year.
Old Youth TO Cell 30
10 80 Years.

NEW YORK. D.. 16.--NFhat Is 20
be done with the boy crinlna,--the
youta who seems too young . be put
behind prison bars. yet actually Is
"a menace 20 the community
Judge Burt J. Humphreys OF the
Queens county court. has answered
the question in the only manner
that seems feasible 20 him--he has
se1.t 1G-year-o.d boy o. prison for
a term OF not Jess than 30 nor more
than 80 years. Albert pruEer. alias
Albert Johnson. Che convict" IS
guilty % robbery. assault and grand
larceny.
judge Humphreys. shocked a. the
enormly o. the boys crimes. on
sentencing him. declared.
Judge Shocked.
you are a very young boy. so
young that % shocks me 20 think
that a boy OF your age could COM
m: crimes so brutal in their udtute.
You have had every opportunity o.
live a decent life. yet you have al
ways shown that you preferred a life
OF crime
Il find there are some people 90
whom a month iu Jail IS as good as
lifetime. while there are others
who never should have their liberty.
and I think you are one OF those
mo house is safe with YOU at
large. and people ia Jamaica were
actually afraid 20 remain alone I'm
their homes fearing that you might
enter and do them bodily harm ]
am afraid YOU VIII never change.
therefore I must send you away for
the protection OF the public"
Efforts were made TO prove that
tho boy was insane. for his dcprc-
datlons were marked not only by
shrewd criminal talent. but by acts
Of fendish cruelty. The law de-
cided he was sane. but criminal.
Dangerous Type.
Asked 20 comment on the Kruger
case. Justice Franklin @. Hoyt. who
has studied many similar cases
while presiding over the chiIdren's
court, declared that this particular
type OF criminality IS most danger
Gus OF all, because, being high-grade
detectives they often escape inter-
ception which is sure to appreh bend
those OF lesser intelligence.
1T Is easy enough 70 take care of
idiots and imbeciles-such cases solve
themselves usually" Justice Hoyt
began.
The higher grade detectives are
not recognized at first glance. and
yet they are always the ones liable
20 commit the most serious crimes
a. tho slightest suggestion.
The insane can be recognized and
dealt with as the idiots and inn
beetles can
1T IS these orderland eases that
are the most dangerous.
We need smaller homes and
smaller schools in which TO study
these more difficult types. the higher
grade detectives"
In answer 20 the expected sym
pathy so generally called forth by
the spectacle OF a boy in prison.
Justice Hoyt makes answer:
Menace Community.
The community is not safe with
such a boy at large.
Until some change Is effected in
bis moral balance il is likewise nm
safe TO return him to the community.
This type which we meet coca
sionaily, is the moral imbecile. sane
and abnornuIly Intelligent rather
than deficient mentally But he has
no sense OF moral values or any
lnhtbilOns 90 restrain him.
With many cases we know inn
mediately that we are dealing with
def5ctives- With insanity Il IS diff
ferent. too; that Is. comparatively
easy 70 establish. The insane can
be cared FOR. and the subnornal
can 20 trained.
Long sentences are necessary In
some or the custodian cases on
the other hand. number OF the
higher grade types. after training.
can return as self-supportInE mem
bers or the community"
Most OF us feel sorry that a Is
year-oid must go TO Jail for any rea-
son al all, but what else Is there n
do' We can scarcely wait tin these
lawleSs youngsters add more notches
10 their weapons by Increasing their
numbers OF prey