The Indianapolis times., 1928-04-13
BY MORRIS MOORE

"His hand was shaking so I
thought the gun would go off any
minute. Of course I gave him the
money. He was only a boy, appar-
emily his first job; got away in an
automobile"
Such is the story of the filling
station operator, the grocery store
proprietor or the citizen held up on
the street, when he relates the
crime in the Office Of Prosecutor
William H. Remy.
"I have heard the story so much.
that I can tell just what happened
almost before the victim goes into
Details" said Remy. He was dis
cussing the survey of Criminal
Court records just finished by The
indianapolis Times, which brings to
light the fact, we'll known to law
yers and judges, that the major
crimes are committed by boys under
81 years of age.
Figures Compared
Remy compared The Times fig
ures for 1927 and the first three
months of 1928 witH some of his
own, for 1913, just before the war,
and for ten years later, when In
diana was SOLDERING up"
The average age of men guilty of
this list of offenses in 1918, 1928 and
the present is shown in the follow
ing table. Remy compiled the first
two columns, The Times the third.
Crime 1918 1928 1929
Burglary ....:::.. 80 al Gsst st ddsgrss| $5.$$ q
G9Si.d. GEsnd larceny a{9y 80 2s 2l.2
VehlcIe taking. =. II 21.5
Remy takes the position that the
increasing age shown in the crimes
of robbery and burglary can be ex-
planned. He is of the opinion that
the comparison is not true picture
in these instances, and his stand is
supported by Criminal Judge James
A. Collins, whose records were ex-
amined.
Ages Get Lower
The prosecutors table was COM
piled of all men charged with these
offenses. The Times figures came
from the judgment docket. A great
many boys charged with robbery
and grand larceny are sentenced
only for grand larceny.
1t Is often the case that Judge
Collins, who is firm believer In a
sensible system Of parole and sus-
pended sentences, finds boy of ex-
treme youth charged with robbery
and grand larceny, but sentences
only on the latter.
In this way, the Judgment docket
shows the conviction only on the
grand larceny, the lesser of the two
charges. Remy believes the average
ages of robbery and burglary would
be down to 20 or 81 if each case
charging these offenses were con-
sidered.
In the years Remy has been
prosecuting attorney, and the years
before that that he was deputy, he
has studied the crime situation as
it affects youth, and has compiled
many statistics for his own infor-
nation.
He is of the opinion that the age
is getting lower and lower each
year. Conviction records for the last
two years show more than half the
men sentenced under these counts
are minors, and five out of every six
are under IS.
Show Minors Leniency
Between 81 and q are the "most
dangerous ages" according to Remy.
It Is here that the second Offend
er" faces the court. If leniency has
been used in the first, through Col
lins' probation system, none will be
used the second.
The Indiana law causes them to
be sentenced for indeterminate pc
riods. For robbery it is five to
twenty-one years. Collins has sent
thirty-fve minors to the reforma-
tory for that period in the last two
years. Five years is the minimum.
Judge Collins views on the Sus-
pended sentence and probation Sys-
tenn for boys will be explained in to-
morrow's article of this series, He
also will explain through The Times
the way the law governing minors
who are first offenders is working in
Indiana.