Evening star., 1936-04-02
JUVENILE COURTS.
BILL IS SPEEDED.
TOBUDGET BUREAU.
Immediate Approval Urged
by City Heads After Call
From Capitol.
49 SEPARATE CHANGES
ARE RECOMMENDED
Removal of Mandatory Provisions
of Secret Trials One of Three
Major Amendments.

Urging immediate approval, the Dis
trict Commissioners today transmitted
to the Budget Bureau the proposed
new juvenile court bill, along with 49
amendments, and asked that 1t be
speeded to Congress for early con-
sideration.
The action was taken after the
Commissioners were informed that
Chairman Palmisano. Democrat. Of
Maryland of the House District Judi
ciary Subcommittee said no considera-
ton would be given the measure until
he heard from them.
Former Corporotion Counsel E. Bar
rett Prettyman. who studied the bill
as introduced by Representative Nor
ton, chairman of the House District
Committee, submitted his formal re-
port to the Commissioners yesterday.
At the time the Commissioners planned
to act on it at the regular meeting
tomorrow.
Action Is Speeded.
A call from Capitol Hill, however,
caused them to act at once, and the
report with a letter of approval was
hastened to the Budget Bureau early
today. The bureau will have to pass on
the policies involved before the Com
missioners can recommend enactment
OF the bill.
Commissioner Hazen said the three
members of the board heartily favor"
the bill with the amendments suggested
by Prettyman.
Although there are 49 separate
changes recommended, most of them
are Of a minor nature, and will bring
about only three major changes.
These are:
l. Narrowing the scope of the act
by redefinition of delinquent child"
and the provision that it will have as
a part of its purpose ito conserve and
strengthen the child's family ties
whenever possible, removing him from
the custody of his parents only when
his welfare or the safety and protec-
ton Of the public cannot be adequately
safeguarded without such removal"
2. Removal of the investigative
power of the court from the judge ond
turning it over to a separate officer,
who shall determine whether or not
case shall be prosecuted. This is done,
Prettyman said, to preclude "the posi-
bility of prejudgment or biased
approach" to any case of Juvenile
delinquency.
3. Removal of the mandatory pro-
vision for secret trials, secret court
records and ban on jury trials. The
amended measure would make trials
by jury or behind closed doors permis-
sible but not mandatory.
To view jury trial as a mere
legal technically is wholly erroneous"
Prettyman declared. 1T is the prin-
cipal bulwark in our conception of
government against abuse of judicial
power. If secrecy and the denial Of
jury trials are wholly desirable in given
cases, the judge should be required to
shoulder this responsibility"
Prettyman also informed the Com
missioners that sponsors of the new
legislation, which is copied from a
model act already adopted in %
States, have agreed to the amend
ments to make the first two changes,
but that there is a difference of opin-
ion on the matter of juries and
secrecy.
The Commissioners support the
stand Of the former corporation coun-
sci and plan to appear before the Pal
misano subcommittee to ask for the
changes Prettyman has recommended.
The threat to let the bill accumu-
late dust in Judiciary subcommittee
pigeonhole brought the speedy action
OF the Commissioners. The Prettyman
report had been completed for several
days, but had not been returned to the
Commissioners from his former Office
until the possibility Of letting it die
was brought to their attention by
Palmisano.
Hazen said that action will be
sought as quickly as possible so that
hearings can be held in time to have a
new juvenile court bill reported to
Congress during the present session.