Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-10-02
CHILDREN NOW WELL CARED FOR
AT THE HOUSE OF DETENTION

He hit upon the simple expedient oil
satisfying his morbid craving for such
norsels by subtracting them from RAJ
tons supplied the boys, and, further
more. persuaded the boys to pour the
cream from the tops of their bottles
into one appropriated for his private
use. After INDUCING in an orgy OF
cream and prunes, this Grant guard
often took a surplus Of fruit and
cream home with him. He likewise
was discovered by officials Of the
House of Detention and was dis
charged. Another guard was charged
with having cuffed some of the boys.
Another was charged with having
cursed some of boys. Still an
other guard was discovered with O
whip In his possession. All of them
were discharged. Corporal punish.
ment Is forbidden at the House OF
detention, and attractions Of the rules
have resulted in disciplinary meas.
ures. There have been, and probably
will be, more infractions.
***
These dark happenings may or NAV
not have Influenced the Bureau OF
Efficiency to recommend that the
Board of Publ;a Welfare take over the
custody Of TIA children and that the
custody fusfhwith and Immediately.
The broader view to take, however. Is
that the Bureau OF Efficiency has
aligned itself with those social workers
who believe that the detention of
children should not come under the
police, and that, in any case, children
and adults taken by the police should
he kept separated. This Is q perfectly
sound principle as far as it goes. But
it does not go far enough.
The work of the police in appre-
bending children, hayward or limo.
cent. is inescapably bound up with
the problems of their detention. The
eyes of the police are never closed.
nor do the manifestations of the devil
through youthful, idle hands ever
cease. The Washington Woman's
Bureau has afforded an example which
has attracted the interest of social
workers throughout the United States.
and even abroad. This example has
consisted in combining the functions
Of the police with those of the social
worker. The task of the Woman's
Bureau in dealing with children does
not end with their apprehension. It
includes the work of examination and
of going behind the scenes to find out
why.
y
Although the Bureau of Efficiency
has not laid all its cards on the table.
for the edification of the public at
least. it is difficult to understand how
it's plan to remove the children from
the jurisdiction of the Woman's Bu-
-eau to that of the Board of Public
Welfare would accomplish Il great
deal for the children. They could not
be better cared for than they are now
with existing facilities. The transfer,
In addition. would involve the setting
up of additional machinery and more
workers to fulfill functions now being
satisfactorily fulfilled There would
be an inevitable overlapping of juris-
dictions--which already exists to a
great extent in Washington-and a
conflict Of authority. For the fact
cannot be escaped that the police are
equipped for police work, which can
be shared with no one, and that this
police work must continue regardless
of what is done with those they
apprehend.
The bureaus contention that adults
and children should be separated at
the House of Detention is a good one.
The House of Detention. as super.
vised by the Woman's Bureau, is an
agency which has demonstrated it's
ability by past accomplishment to go
far into new field of police work
which as yet is almost UNEMPLOYED.
What the House of Detention needs
is an enlargement of it's personnel and
equipment, and not q limitation upon
its scope which would cause it to re-
vert to the status which many con-
tend originally was planned for it
that of police station. maintained by
police matrons, for woman prisoners
only. Such reversion would be the
natural result of adopting the recon.
mendations of the Bureau of Eff
CienCY