Evening star., 1940-05-21
Judge Bentley
Cites Need for
Larger Staff
Juvenile Court Report
Calls for 9 More
Probation Officers


Probation Officers
A total of 1859 juvenile and 1910
adult cases were handled through
the Districts Juvenile Court during
the fiscal year ending June 80,
1889, it is revealed in the annual
report of Judge Fay L. Bentley,
which yesterday was forwarded to
Congress by President Roosevelt.
OF the total juvenile cases. 1888
were heard by Judge Bentley and
1,424 adjusted without court hear
ing.
There were 375 additional hear
tngs on adult cases returned after
the first hearing for change of or
der, making grand total of 1855
hearings in this classification.
OF the original 1910, 870 were
placed on probation, I'll dismissed,
18 committed, 6 fined and 245 con-
tinued subject to call. Appearance
of the returned adult cases resulted
in 1853 being placed on probation,
10 dismissed, 191 sentenced to serve
a year, 5 committed for 48 hours
for contempt and / continued, SUBJ
ject to call.
Nature Of Cases Shown.
The figures for both juvenile and
adult cases which the court handled
under provisions of the Juvenile
Court law, which became effective
June 2, 1888, are broken down into
various smaller groups to show the
nature of the cases and final dis
positions of the various types. The
items are covered in 72-page
typed report, containing tables, etc.
Judge Bentley suggested in the
report that cases could be followed
to better advantage and even more
accomplished with larger staff Of
probation officers.
She recommended an increase by
nine of the staff of Is probation
officers of the court to permit,
especially, the assignment of nine
additional probation officers to adult
cases, to which only five were as
signed during the fiscal year. This
meant the five were responsible "for
the work in $40 new cases placed on
probation during the year, plus 1858
cases carried forward from the previ-
GUS year. asserted the report.
Cites Case Load.
Judge Bentley reported $50 cases
are considered by responsible social
work agencies" as the proper num-
ber for probation officer to handle,
in place of the more than 400 ham
died by each CT the five officers
during the fiscal year
Judge Bentley praised the new
Juvenile Court law under which the
court operated for the first time
during the fiscal year, asserting:
THE annual report marks
a thrilling departure in Juvenile
Court reporting for the District of
Columbia"
She described as manifold" the
advantages of the section of the law
which provides that upon the
presentation to the court of COM
plant concerning any child, there
shall be preliminary investigation
by the Social Work Department. The
investigation, she points out, in
cludes study of the source of COM
plant, the child, its environment, etc.
THE social study permits that
whatever action is decided upon can
be taken with full knowledge of the
social needs of the child and his
| family and the community"
Family Benefits Seen.
Judge Bentley also declared that
from the procedure "a great ad-
vantage accrues to the family Of.
the child, for during the time in
which the investigation is taking
place, they have the opportunity to
make plans for the child which they
might not have done had not the as
sistance of the Social Work Depart
ment been available"
She also praised the provision of
the measure for approval of the
petition of complaint by the corpora
ton counsels Office, declaring it
"offers the legal advice necessary in
the case and affords assurance Of
proper legal protection of the social
welfare interest in the case"
Judge Bentley added that through
the new law a closer working rela-
tionship has been arrived at between
the Social Work Department of the
Juvenile Court and the social
agencies in the community" She
also praised the time saving in
court resulting from the new methods
of procedure under the measure.
Out of thte total of 1859 juvenile
cases, 473 were 17-year-olds, which
age group fell under jurisdiction of
the court for the first time, during
the fiscal year, Judge Bentleys re-
port showed.
"Of this group, 230 were given
service without court hearing and
243 were presented to court for hear
ing and judicial disposition" said
the report.
Below 1898 Year.
The total of 1885 juvenile cases
presented to the judge for hearing
and disposition was 202 under the
1898 fiscal year figure of 1,737. OF
the total presented for hearing, 1920
were delinquent, as compared with
1858 in the previous fiscal year
Leading the list Of cases taken
before the court was stealing, 742;
with ungovernable second, with 221,
and traffic violations third, with 1873.
"Of the total delinquency com.
plants (preSented for hearing),
1,047, or 86 per cent, concerned boys
and 173, or IA per cent, concerned
girls" says the report. The white
cases In this classification numbered
40, and colored $40, or 66 per cent
of the total.