Evening star., 1936-05-07
HEARINGS BEGUN
ON BILL TO AID
JUVENILE BENCH
Complete Survey of Present
Procedure Promised by
House Body.
MEASURES HACKERS
SEE MANY BENEFITS
Rights of Parents Will Be Pro-
tected in Act, Chute
Declares.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

An investigation Of all institutions
to which children are committed by
the Juvenile Court or the Board of
Public Welfare will be made by a
special subcommittee of the House
District Committee, which today be-
gan public hearings on the Norton
bill to modernize Juvenile Court pro-
cedure.
Representative Nichols, Democrat,
of Oklahoma, chairman of the sub
committee, made that announcement
at the outset of the hearings and
asked proponents of the bill to furnish
him with the names and locations Of
the institutions
The subcommittee is going to visit
these places and find out if they are
fit to handle children" he said. If
We find any that are unfit we will
take away the Jurisdiction of the court
or the Board of Public Welfare to
commit them there"
Hearings Are Begun.
Proponents of the bill. who were
given the privilege of opening the
hearings, were drilled with questions
by Nichols and other members of the
subcommittee as to present Juvenile
Court procedure and the Improvements
that would be brought about under the
proposed new legislation.
Nichols said it was the intention of
the subcommittee to proceed infor-
mally at first and build up a complete
picture Of the present set-up Of Juve-
rile Court procedure.
In this connection he requested the
proponents to furnish information
showing the ratio of children under
supervision and observation this year
in comparison with past years. He
also asked for comparative statistics
in some of the States that have hu-
manized juvenile court procedure to
show whether any improvement had
resulted.
Chute Cites Safeguards.
Charles L. Chute. executive director
of the National Probation Association,
told the subcommittee the opposition
TO the bill had been based on misun-
derstanding of its purpose, which is to
protect and save children and set up
non-criminal procedure in juvenile
courts.
Plenty of safeguards are provided
in this bill to protect all constitutional
rights of both children and their
parents" said Chute. Children do
not need a. jury trial and no good
juvenile court in the country pro-
vides it."
Chute pointed out that a provision
to include 17-year- children under
the benefits of the bill is in accord
| with juvenile court laws in force in 81
States for boys and 26 States for
girls. There are ample provisions, he
explained, for appeal to the District
Court of Appeals in the case of chill
dren between 16 and l8 years who
commit a series of repeated offenSeS.
Wilbur Laroe, jr., chairman Of the
Committee on Civic Affairs Of e
| Washington Federation of Churches,
said his organization had Endorsed the
measure and cited the safeguards it
has up for the protection of children.
I'VE must get away from this busi-
ness of sending children before the
criminal bar of justice" he declared.
I'VE must have court that is social
instrument of rehabilitation. Pass
this bill and you will reduce felonies
in the District"
Miss Mcclure Testifies.
Louise Mcclure, director of social
work of Juvenile Court, testified that
6s1 children we're placed on probation
last year. and that 900 others were
committed.
John E. Laskey, former United States
attorney for the District; owen Love-
Joy of the American Youth Commits
sion and Alice Nudge of the Children's
Bureau of the Department of Labor
were among those who stressed the
need of modernized Juvenile Court
procedure.
The hearings will be resumed to-
morrow at 10 am.
Chairman Nichols said he planned
to call Judge Fay l.. Bentley Of
Juvenile Court as a witness later in
the hearings. Since the bill vitality
affects her court and extends its power
and Jurisdiction he especially wants
her views but not until some Of the
leaders in the movement to change
juvenile court procedure have been
heard.
Nichols thinks the hearings may
last three or four days. after which
he plans to prepare a report for the
full committee without undue delay
so it will be possible to place the bill
on the House calendar in time for
consideration before adjournment Of
Congress, now tentatively set for
June /.
The measure probably would have
been on the House calendar at this
time If 1t had not been allowed to
languish for about two months in the
judiciary subcommittee, of which
Representative PalmiSano, Democrat.
Of Maryland Is chairman. Palmisano
returned 1t to the full committee
about 10 days ago without recon-
mendations and Chairman Norton. in
an effort to prevent its death at the
current session of Congress, appointed
the special subcommittee to conduct
hearings and submit report.
|
Enp1ish Admiral puuefar