New Britain herald., 1926-04-08
REFORNiAToRY BOYS AND CRIME

bNpIbe A' LlahlHNI suPVllitVhuVHf Of the Connecticut reformatory at Cheshire, Is engaged in the noble work Of reforming boys, but writes that the failures get more publicity than the successes, The record Of Cheshire retormatory he states. shows that for tho year ending June 30. 1923, cut of i06 boys on parole. only four were re-sentenccd for another crime: and for the year ending the same date in 1924, only seven were re-sentenced. Con sidoring that the average number of arrests made prior to the one for which they were committed to the institution was three, the parole record unquestionably can be regarded as highly significant and satisfying; especially Is this true considering that such instltu- lions receive only the cases that have been failures with other agencies.
 Reforming boys who Ego wrong" is q mans job, one requiring sym pathy and understanding of tho boy character. In this work Of sal vaging the young the state has created an institution at Cheshire that on the face of the record Is making good as an agency to pro- duce good citizens in spite Of bad starts. As Superintendent Erskine intimates, It may be customary to magnify the failures and overlook the successes, and he does well to call attention to the self-evident value of turning youthful minds from evil ways and producing worthy citizens from the vast ma jority of his charges.
 A few days ago a news item ap- peared in the Connecticut press re- lating to a crime attempted by a 16-year- old boy, who, 1t was said, had been an inmate of the Cheshire reformatory. It turns out that the lad had never been an inmate of the reformatory, but during his in yestigation the superintendent was told that the youth had been trou- blesome for many years, one re- port being that the boy had been arrested by @ constable on an aver age of three times a year since he was eight years old, and for crimes Of almost every description. If these reports are accurate 1t can be taken for granted that the youth is Of q mental makeup re- quring permanent Custodianship.
 Superintendent Erskine writes:
 'I had the honor of being
 member of a commission who
 reported to the Legislature in
 1921 recommending the estah
 lishment of an institution with
 q suitable law for the care Of
 cases. was also befor,
 the Legislature at its last scs-
 sion, but no action has yet
 been taken. Unfortunately,
 neither the formation nor the
 reformation of individuals tG
 keep them from becoming anti
 social has yct attained that cnl
 which might make it an exact
 science. In spite of our schools.
 churches. our civic bodies and
 other good influences of SO
 ciety q certain group persists in being anti-social. Penal in
 etimtions got individuals oNlv
 when other methods have fail cd. think I can honestly
 state all of our penal institu-
 ions in states where there is
 "n enlightened public opinion
 there is a real ondcavor being
 made in an attempt to prevent , anti-social acts by individuals when they arc released, but 7 until we know more of human nature there will most certain
 lv be failures"
 &upcrintondrnt Ersl,me by al mans should continue his effort 10 improve the handling of anti social youth so as 10 avoid cvt . consequences when they grow III That our methods are not ontircl successful is due, as the ChcShir superintendent aptly states, to ou lack of knowledge as 10 human na ture. Yet we are improving ou knowledge Of youthful rsycholog constantly and the lcGislatur should not continue to perm j idoas of false economy 10 hindc the efforts Of such men as tn Cheshire superintendent 10 brin about more efficient control of th anH-social complex.
 Gerald Chapman, 1t will be r, .. membcrod, returned from Elmir z rcrormatory, and he might ha' bcon reformed ut tho time had
 not been for the squoamishnoss ( 2 his subsequent employers aho, I his "rccord" after they discovcrc e iL He obtained employment as
 street cur conductor and was di' charged when his history was du q closed, One cannot help wondcrir s whether this discharge was n q one of the turnSg points in h Il rorrer cp,bi1fprIWr him 1r1in