The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-02-14

training school and prison is an ad-
 vantage which cannot fail to be
 recognized by anyone familiar with
 the enormous amount of money
 spent in this state each year for
 correctional institutions. If tax
 payers know and understand that
 1t costs just one-tenth as much fo
 keep an offender on probation as
 the cost of two months in training
 school they will have no difficulty
 in deciding that q probation de-
 partment more than pays for itself
 in money value alone. In New
 York state, the cost of keeping q
 man in prison is $550 per year
 The cost of keeping him on pro.
 passing on to other phases of the
 work am happy to state that my
 relations with the police officers
 with whom my work brings me in
 daily contact are not only friendly
 but helpful in every way.
 The relationship between the
 schools and the juvenile court is
 and should be close. When the
 school brings child before the court for truancy, for example, the
 Judge is far more concerned with
 the school, why the child runs
 away from it and where he goes
 after he runs away than he is with
 almost any other aspect of the case.
 It is not the function of the tu- VeDile court to administer punish ment or to frighten boys and girls into obeylng at school or at home.
 Our superintendent of schools Thomas J. Cohdon, recognizes that the machinery of school and juve-
 nile court is practically the same
 when dealing with behavior prob-
 lems and after comforting with
 him, we outlined a procedure which will make 1t impossible for
 misunderstanding or disputes to arise. When q child is brought
 before tho court for truancy, the preliminary investigation of the case has been made by the att tedance officer. Tho principal of the schol also gives a report, If the child has been adtudged guilty he Is placed on probation. If he
 doesn't run away from school again the school is satisfied with probation. The fact is that usually the child does run away again and the school believes the court, pro- bation and the child all have failed.
 The court, on the other hand, feels that 1t fig being used as court for school behavior cases and school failures; that in cases where a child has been brought in for truancy or other schol prob lems and the child has been placed on probation the attedance depart ment of the school has the super vision and full responsibility for getting results. If, after tho schools plan of treatment fails, then the court will cooperate by following the recommendation presented by the schools. In this way the child realizes that there are but two agencies working with him, the school and the judge, and he is responsible to these agencies alone. Also, there can be no rnls- understanding between probation officer and attendance officer since he former does not take tho re- sponsibility of adjusting school be- lavior problems. As n result, the probation officer, overloaded with cases, has an opportunity to give more and better attention to cases which really belong to juvenile court. on the other hand, parents YhO refuse to send their children 0 school, or who neglect them arc
 he responsibility of the court and his iB Il problem of tho probation officer after the school department ms presented information concern ng such failure or neglect.
 It is matter of pride to me that belong to the teaching profession md because l am aware of the far reaching influence of IL great .cacber, 1t is my belief that one of
 he best aids to probation officers, Q girls clubs, boys clubs. 0irI Scouts, Boy Scouts, YMCA's and 'imilar organizations. is the under standing and cooperation of the 'x"cutives and teachers of the pub 'ic and parochial schools. It Is only tho help of the schools that make. It possible for them to reach SO many boys and girls. In so far ts the court is concerned, home, school. and court representatives working hand in hand iB the best way to rchabilitate children who are found In need of legal control.
 One hcartbreaking fact connect- cd with the children who are brought into court is that in the of cases they come from families in which husband and Wifc are rnlsfts. from broken fam ilies, from families where the mother iB the bread winner and Frequently from large families with a background either criminal or victims of dcgcncrativc diseases-- tuberculosls, cancer or insanity. Tn almost every case the family is l,n- able to adjust itself successfully. The present economic depression has created problems whose grow Ing numbers were prophesied long time ago by the National Child Welfare league. Chief among them is that the widespread suf. ertng increased the number of of- renders who normally never would come Into contact with the courts, Just as unemployment increases the number of offenders who should Do on probation, SO do the hihiculties of the probation officer home Is upset, char agencies whose bud get should be increased, show cur lailment and the probation officer Is at wits ends trying to find time enough to give each case the sup BryisiOn required.
 Sex delinquenclea are thoroughly understood by nobody. We cannot explain sex to child but we can try to develop right attitudes to- ward it and this is one of the ma Tor problems anyone of us who works with adolcsccnts must face A famous psychologist said, "if you help q young person secure Inc kind of work for which he or ghe iB well adapted, you will have an individual who is happy, con. tented and for the most part. good".
 There is no need, however, to doeolve ourselves with the Bmuk belief that probation of Itself auto. eorreetH socially malad- Iusi0d human beings and enables hem Co iit Into BOolaiy, lh ihefn days tho task of guiding M delln, luSnt child back tO normal, unlls Igr more energy, ingenuity and re- f4Ga efala