Evening star., 1922-12-18
new CHILD BILL
IS INTRODUCED
Senator Brookhart Would
Replace Juvenile With
Parental Court.
PENSION FOR MOTHERS
Measure Seeks Divorcement From
Criminal Law of Children
Under 18 Years.

| Changing in important respects the.
| law and the method of dealing with
dependent and delinquent children in
| the District, a bill was introduced in
| the Senate today by Senator Brook
hart Of Iowa. 1t is understood that
an identical bill will be offered in the
House by Representative Free of Cali
| fornia.
The Brookhart bill defines the legal
| status of all children under eighteen
years Of age in the District; creates a
parental court, which will take the
place of the Juvenile Court, and pro-
vides for pension to mothers with
| dependent ,hilldren.
! Bill Explained.
In Il statement issued by senator
| Brookhart explaining the bill, the
| Iowa senator. says. in part:
| with the growing law violations
| by the youth of the land, we need
| somewhere the establishment OF a
| system of child control and mothers
| assistance that will be modei IN
| statute provisions and in actual work.
1t is my belief that Washington.
| therefore, should inaugurate and put
| into force this plan for parental
court.
Courts of punishment were never
intended to save the individual. but
| to protect society from the criminal
| Therefore in my bill we propose nrSt
| to lift children from adult measure
ment in law and make them infants
| in criminal. Now, they are infants IN
| civil law.
/ With the enforcement of all chill
| dren under eighteen years OF age
! from criminal law, this necessitates
| the establishment of judicial Ge-
| partment of a very high order. whlch
for the moral education. the detention
! and the care of children, must ex-
| ercise equity jurisdiction.
| This, then. is embodied in
parental court of the District of CO.
! lumbia.
| Aims Sought.
Being Of a parental nature. this
! court only steps in to assume any
| control of child after the two other
| parental agencies fail-that of the nome
| and the school.
ITO these two institutions the parental
court offers assistance for such children
as are disobendent to law and authority.
or are in distress because OF the acts OF
others.
Under the parental plan. no child is
arrested, never Criminal complaint can
, obtain against child, but the matter
! is wholly one of right and proper Gus
tody. Thus, there can never be rec
ord against u child under eighteen
years of age.
Protection to Parents.
"The measure offers every protection
to parents in the permission of petitions
and appeals and continued hearings, the
whole bent being to keep children in
the home under control of parents and
in school under normal conditions.
In the child's relief allowance. we
~. Il Nofh nrfs yAnv
sion idea from a more dignified angle.
Instead of a sort of charity given
the mother by some organized agency.
we dignity the home and make an
appeal to the child by stating that all
children under certain conditions are
entitled to child relief allowance. The
child in plenty today may. because of
circumstances. be in need tomorrow.
In this event it is wonderful thing
for 4 child to know that his govern
ment comes to his relief and that he
has a right to assistance because of
his condition, which adults have
brought about.
With the unit the child. then the
mother is designated as the proper
person to expend this allowance and
to provide a home for her children.
Pension Measure.
"The ordinary mothers pension
centerS all about the mother. and sub
jects her to delays, to legal investi-
cation. to prying into all her
domestic and friendly relations, to the
prosecution of her husband If per-
chance he is able and has not con-
tributed to the support Of herself and
children. And all the while the
children are in need of food and
shelter. and pending investigation
of the mother, they have been taken
away and placed in other homes for
board, where those assuming custody
for this purpose are not investigated
relative to their moral and domestic
and friendly relations.
Referred to Committee.
The Brookhart bill was referred to
the Senate District committee. which
already has before 1t the Calder and
Pomerene bills providing for assist
ance to mothers with dependent chill
dren in the District of Columbia The
committee is expected to refer the
Brookhart bill to the District Com
missioner for report and recon-
mendations. The committee made 1t
/ clear at a recent meeting that 1t
would not undertake to legislate on
child relief until it has received the
report Of the Commissioners.
! Under the provisions of the Brook
hart bill the parental court would
have one judge. appointed by the
/: President and confirmed by the SEN
ate, serving for a term of six years.
The salary of the judge would be
Sc, 900 a year. The court officers would
h1,f ha i,,d0