Evening star., 1936-04-05
JUVENILE COURT
BILL GETS BACKING
Dr.. White Among Students
Of Subject Urging Pas.
SAGE of Measure.

Expressions of support for enact
rnent of the new juvenile court law
for the District. now pending before
the Judiciary Subcommittee of the
House District Committee, and ap-
proved by the Commissioners. have
come from students of the subject both
within and outside Washington.
Among those recently placing them
selves on record in favor of the legis-
lation was DR.. w. A. White, superin-
tendent of St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
DR.. White writes:
May I express my hope that the
pending juvenile court bill will pass
essentially in the form in which 1t Is
now written. Its principal danger. as
I see it, Is due to lack Of information
and understanding Of its purposes and
the means of carrying them out, plus
the great difficulty of making people
understand that in the nature OF the
ease danger does not exist always where
It is feared. I refer, of course. to the
matter of so-called secret hearings.
Holds Secrecy Necessary.
"I wonder if any one who opposes
the bill on this score would like to
have medical consultations that may
be necessary from time to time IN his
family conducted in open court. The
hearings in the Juvenile Court are OF
the same nature, and for the same
purposes, and if we are anxious to SAL
wage our children and put them on
the right path, they must have the
privilege that such a consideration OF
their troubles implies and involves. II
We can only consider their maladjust-
ments and their mistakes in anger
and feel that the only remedy is to
make them suffer by punishment, then,
Of course, there is no sense In juve-
nile court, nor for that matter in any
other constructive procedure, because
such methods are not only outmoded
but discredited long since by those
who have had experience and are in
position Of authority to speak"
Boyer Makes Comment.
o. S. Boyer, director of the labo
relations section in the office OF tht
Federal co-ordinator of transportation
makes the following comment:
The principle and practice EN-
bodied in H. r. 10363. bill to amend
the juvenile court act of the District
of Columbia, are basic in the laws Of
those States where the need for gooo
juvenile court procedure has beer
clearly recognized, notably Pennsyl
vania, Utah, Wisconsin, Georgia ane
New Jersey. What this bill will thu
accomplish, if enacted into law, I be.
lieve, is to bring the juvenile court
procedure of the District of Columbis
up to date and into line with the best
that has been developed elsewhere ir
the United States where the matter
has been carfully and seriously worked
out"
Mrs. Frank A. Linzel, president o.
the Womens Club of Chevy Chase
supports the bill in the following
terms:
1T is my understanding that tht
bill changes the status of the Juvenil.
Court from that of a criminal court
to that Of a court of chancery. With
this change it becomes possible fol
the Juvenile Court to secure to ths
child not the melting out of stereo'
typed punishment, but rather a con-
structive correction that will seei
out the cause of his difficulty anc
help him to become an asset to him.
self and his community.
The very standards and qualifi
cations set by this bill for the judg,
of such a court would, in my opinion
entirely preclude any remote posi-
bilty of the misuse of the power
vested in the office. and would assure
the appointment of only those per-
sons having a highly socializee
training"
History Of Legislation.
Mrs. Arthur j. Altmeyer. chairman
of child welfare activities of the Dis
trict League of Women Voters. trace
the history of the pending Legislation
for the District as follows:
In the belief that the existing Dis
trict law needed revision, the chile
welfare division of the league spon
sored a movement to bring this about
In accordance with its policy as a la,
group to seek technical advice wher
acting on civic problems, it enlisted
the aid of a group of lawyers, among
whose members were Miss Laura Ber'
rien Of the Women's Bar Association
and John Lasky of the District o.
Columbia Bar Association. This com
mittee of lawyers adapted the Sand
ard Juvenile Court act Of the Nationa
Probation Association to what the!
considered were the particular need.
and conditions of the District.
This Standard act, on which tn
proposed bill is based, was formu
lated in 1926 by leading Juvenile Cour
judges, representative of the Nationa
Probation Association and other au
thorities. including Bernard Flexner
an eminent attorney. The expert.
ence Of the members of this grour
under the law of at least eight diff.
ferent States assured understanding o
desirable Juvenile Court procedure
The act has been used extensively
by State children's code commissions
and the language of the act has beel
adopted in the revision of Juvenile
Court laws in a number Of States.
THE Children's Bureau of tn,
United States Department of Labol
served in q consultant's capacity Il
the committee sponsored by the Dis.
trict League Of Women Voters"