Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-01-09
COUNTY JUVENILE COURT
HAS 4 BUSY YEAR


| The Juvenile and Domestic Relation,
Court of Shenandoah County was IS
tablished in March 1923, and during
1924 warrants were issued in about
one hundred cases, and large mum.
| Der of cases were settled amicably.
The jurisdiction of the court is ex-
elusive in all cases affecting children
under eighteen years of age; of all
cases of neglect or contributing to the
delinquency of children; OF all offenses
except murder, manslaughter and rape
by one member of a family against
another, and Of prosecutions of persons
who contribute to the disruption of
the marital relations of home. About
four times as many cases have been
prosecuted in the court during 1924 as
in corresponding period in 1923.
In all juvenile cases the law provides
that the welfare of the child is the
paramount consideration, and delin-
quency, neglect and abandonment are
defined in the broadest terms. ODE
linquent child" is defined, in part, as
any child under eighteen years of age
who violates any law of the state, or a
city, town or county ordinance, or is
incorrigible, etc. Neglected child" is
defined broadly to mean not only
physical neglect, but moral neglect on
the part of the parents; and when
such neglect exists, the law provides
for the state to assume the guardian
ship of the child
AS the law further provides that
the proceedings of such courts shall be
private, it is proper for the public to
know only in a general way the nature
of the cases which come before the
court.
During the past year warrants were
issued in twenty-four school attendance
cases with fourteen convictions. In
the six non-support cases, four of the
defendants were required to furnish
support to the wife, one case is still
pending and one case was dismissed
In the fourteen cases of delinquency,
twelve have been found guilty and two
not guilty. Of the guilty, three were
compelled to pay fines, in five cases
sentences were suspended andein four
cases boys and girls have been COM
mitted TO the Reformatory. Of the
forty-four cases of neglected children, |
four cases are still pending, thirteen
cases have been dismissed and twenty-I
seven children have been committed |
to the Children's Home Society, which |
has placed these children in good
homes
In addition, one adult was found
guilty OF subjectng children TO i'm
moral influence; two adults have been
found guilty of contributing to the de-
linquency of children; another adult
was found guilty of disrupting marital
relations; another was found guilty of
a malicious assault on a child; and a
husband was found guilty of an assault
On his wife.
1t is evident that the greatest num-
Der Of cases during the year haveI
iealt with neglected children. In a
ew cases there has been PHYSICAL
neglect, as where upon the death of
he mother a father abandoned his
or where improvident par
nts have wholly failed to provide for
heir children the very essentials of
Ife, But the majority of cases were
where the mothers are living in i'm
norality and giving birth to namelessl
hildren. In some sections of the
county this improper mode of livingl
bounds, and it is altogether too com
non throughout the county, but in the
owns the conditions in this respect
re better than in the rural sectors.
his form of immortality can only be
tamped out by concerted and diligentI
fort on the part of our best citizens.
7irgiuia leads all other states of the
Jnion in illigitimacy among its white
and Shenandoah County
will continue to contribute her quota
o this disgraceful record until we can
EDUCATE and elevate this lowest stratum t
If our society. i
NJ. l. Walton, Jr. is Judge of the II
County Juvenile Court Il
md the impartial and humane way in !
which he has handled the docket evi- |;
fences his judicial temperament and
lis thorough knowledge of the duties
md requirements of this important
)ffic9.