Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
HOME LIFE
IS AIM Of BUREAU.
Police Agency Deals With
Families to Prevent Children
Becoming Criminals.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK. May 28.-That lack of
proper home care is responsible in part
for the youthful criminals so greatly on
the increase was stated recently in a
public address by Police Commissioner
Mulrooney. 1t appears at the same
time that parents unable to cope with
the wild ways of their offspring are
seeking the diplomatic aid of the police
More than a thousand parents and
guardians entered into alliance with the
Bureau of Grim Prevention last year
to solve their problems and this year
methods employed are new and original
and differ widely from the old-time
plan of dealing with the "incorrigible
child"
One feature of them is that no time
is lost on Scolding the juvenile Of
fender or in reproaching the parents.
The earlier style of dealing with such
cases was for the father or mother to
cause the arrest of the erring child,
hale him or her before a police magis-
trate, and stand by with an air of
martyrdom while he held forth on the
depravity Of youth. The magistrate
len defiance; sometimes scare him into
daZed silence. In any case. the
youngster, unless of naturally callous
nature, always resented the attitude Of
his parent, especially if he were sent
to reformatory. breach was made
: in the relations which was seldom
healed.
Thousands of Cases on Record.
Such conditions do not obtain when
the Bureau Of Crime Prevention takes
hand, as directed by the deputy po-
lice commissioner in charge. Miss Hen
rietta Addition The parent or guard
| ian goes to one q the units of the bu-
reau in the city and states his trouble.
A policeman or woman investigator IS
assigned to the case There is no ar
rest and, as the representative Of the
department wears no uniform, no ink
! ling of the proceeding in hand need get
| to the neighbors.
Thousands of cases of trouble into
| which the adolescent embroil them
selves and their families have been
| fully reported and described in the
| records of the bureau Books on So
GEOLOGY could be written by analyzing
| the facts there catalogued. The prin-
| cipal reason for the bad stars seems
| to be lack of understanding Of each
other on the part of children and par
| Especially step-parents. A study
of the reports showed that the step
| mother was often the start of the break
which drove the boy or girl from home
and into bad company.
Home Quarrels Cause Trouble.
In one instance, which is a typical
one, a father had gone to one of the
| branches of the bureau to consult the
| police about his son. The boy of l8
| had been raising ructions at home and
| had finally gone away to consort with
evil characters. A young policeman
| was assigned to the case and soon
made contact" with the youth. He
| followed him over five or six roofs be-
| fore he did so. After hearing the boys
story he had talk with the STEP
| mother.
THE way you have been acting to-
| ward your fathers second wife" he
| said to the boy, is no way to treat
| lady. She may lecture you, but she
means it for your own good"
To the parents the adjuster talked
very frankly. He told the step-mother
that she had mistaken idea of her
| place. end although she meant well,
she Was merely nagging the boy and
making his life at home, if he remained
there. more than could be borne by any
young person. The son agreed to be
courteous, the stepmother to leave all
discipline to the father. The peace of
the family was restored; the boy got
a steady Job and is not likely to stray
into forbidden paths.
Many young persons-boys and girls
| Of 16 years and more" said Miss Addi-
| ton, ARE started on the wrong tack
| through quarrels at home When con-
ditions become strained they grow
70 nj - Oh
| bravado. perhaps, take up with evil
| associates. Boys become members of
gangs, at first doing nothing criminal
| and finally becoming involved in acts
| which result in their arrests on serious
charges
Social Agencies Cooperate.
Trouble at home" she continued,
may be due merely to misunderstand-
lngs or indifference on the part OF
parents. This is especially so in
large city. as is New York, where there
are so many things to scatter the in
tereSts OF the members of a family
! The parents go one way in the evening,
the sons and daughters in another
There is little time for them to become
acquainted. In the country or the
town. where there are fewer things to
divert and distract than in the city. the
members of family have more amuse-
| mentS and interests in common and
the drifting away of children from the
parental influence is less marked"
Social agencies of many kinds CO.
operate with the bureau in making the
homes more inviting, and especially
in the promotion of good cooking and
comforts in the individual room.
Irregularity Of meals is one of the
causes of preventing members of
| families from knowing each other
| better. There are many thousands of
| households especially in the poorer
| quarters of the city, WHO have no
| formal meals The fathers and mothers
! may eat at different times, and no
| table is spread. The children rush In
| and help themselves from a pot on
| the stove or forage in the cupboard, or
! perhaps get something from the
| delicatessen store. 1t is certain social
workers say. that the formal meal,
where the table is set. and the members
| of the family sit about it and talk,
promotes those confioences and inter-
| changes which make for an under
standing among the old and the young.
| However varied their interests, parents
and children, who meet regularly at one
meal day, at feast, are likely to learn
what the members of the household
are doing and with whom they are
asSociating. 1t is fact that some
| parents see SO little of their children
| that they are surprised and shocked
| to learn that they have for years been
| associating with the worst elements
| of the community.
Workers Study Home Life.
After a worker of the Crime Preven-
l IL