Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-08-17
CARE OF DEL1NUENT CHILDREN

AL Stdleo OuG tWO nave recognized
the principle of the juvenile court,
according to information furnished
by the United States Department of
Labor through it's Children's Bureau.
But the difficulties of administration,
especially in small towns and rural
districts, are great.
The Minimum Standards for Child
Welfare" adopted in 1919 by the con-
ference held under the auspices of the
Children's Bureau stated the follow
ing principles with reference to juve-
nile court:
Every locality should have available
court organization providing for
separate hearings of children's cases,
a special method of detention for chill
dren, entirely apart from adult Offend
ers; adequate investigation for every
case; provision for supervision or pro-
baton by trained officers, such off
icers in girls cases to be women; and
system for recording and filing So
cial as. well as legal information.
Thorough case study should in
variably be made. Provision for
mental and physical examination
should be available. !"
It is especially difficult in rural dis
tricts to provide trained probation of
ficers and facilities for the physical
and mental study Of the child. Yet
the fundamental Importance of pro-
baton service has long been acknowl-
edged, and more recently has some
recognition of the value of scientific
study Of delinquent children, both the
mentally defective and the mentally
normal. This study must be carried
on by experts, and is for the purpose
of discovering and remedying, if pos
sible, the causes of the children's
misbehavior,
AS part of its program, the divi-
sion on the prevention of delinquency
of the National Committee for Men
tai Hygiene is planning to demon
strate the Importance Of scientific
study Of delinquent children. Through
a gift from the Commonwealth Fund.
q philanthropic foundation located in
New York City, this division will fur
nish temporarily to limited num-
er of juvenile courts showing definite
interest, a specially trained staff The
staff will include psychiatrist,
psychologist, and a social worker.
The division will also make series
Of studies Of delinquency in special
population groups. beginning in Mon
mouth. county, N. j., where an ex-
traordinary opportunity presents it.
self to study the school children of a
county.
The Children's Bureau is cooper.
ating with the Children's Code Com
mission in making a general study
Of Juvenile delinquency and dependen-
cy in North Dakota, with special at
tention to the problems involved in
extending juvenile court work and
other methods Of child care in rural
communities. The Bureau has been
making a series Of juvenile court
studies. and is also issuing a series
Of brief pamphlets written by authori-I
ties on juvenile court work. Because
it found 50 much diversity in methods.
Of court procedure and Of probation
work, the Children's Bureau, in 1921,
cooperated with the National Proba-.
tion Association in calling confer
ence Of Judges, probation officers. and
others interested. AZ 4 result Of this
conference. a committee, was appoint
ed to advise with the Bureau in for
mulating detailed standards. The
committee is now at work, and It's
conclusions should be Of value to-
those who are interested in. seeing
that all children in need Of protection
Of the juvenile court receive the bene-
fits the laws intend.