Evening star., 1948-02-12

the constructive use OF leisure time In the
neighborhood In which the child lives the
spare time of the child is likely to be occupied
with unwholesome activities. The stage Is set
for the child to become victim Of sex crime. :"
In brief, it becomes apparent from the FORE
going that the principal factor in the produc-
ton of the child victim is the lack of parental
control or any kind of supervision.
Illustrative of the effect of supervision Is
the history of the Pension Park area referred
to earlier in this article.
The lack of such parental control or super
vision of children living in that area led to an
increasing number of attacks. The situation
became so aggravated that in 1886, In desper-
ate effort to break up this center OF perverted
practices, the District of Columbia Recreation
Department was asked to assign skilled play
supervisors to the park. Two supervisors were
assigned to the park and they remained there
each day until a comparatively late hour
organizing activities for preschool and school
children until October of 1898. During that
period there was sharp decline in tire num-
ber of reported offenses. But starting again in
october of 1888 the crime rate in the area
once again rose.
1t is not urged, however, that such super
vision would end the possibility of sex crimes,
Of children in the home and outside would
make it more difficult for such perverts to
attempt the commission of these crimes and
in that way reduce the problem to more man
ageable proportions. This is best summarized
in Capt Millikens own words in her conclu-
sion to the history of the Pension Park
situation:
"Of course, it is highly probable that in such
an area these children would have been ex-
posed to this type of activity to a certain
extent even If they had had better and closer
supervision, but We feel very definitely from
our experience with this same neighborhood
during the time there was recreation leader
ship there that there was much less exposure
and fewer problems created for these children"
Effects of Attacks.
The effect of such attacks on the victim
in terms of mental and emotional maladjust-
ment is not determinable statstically. There
have been reported cases resulting in mental
depression leading to suicide, severe emotional
shock, etc. The more frequent effect, however,
is that of physical INJURIES pregnancy and
childbirth which permanently imposes on
the victim or society an unwanted child; and
disease, the cure of which is indefinite.
The anomalous situation is thus created Of
the criminal who, by serving a short Jail
sentence or paying a fine, expiates his crime
in the eyes of the law in comparatively short
period of time, while the victim and society
long afterward may still be suffering from the
effects of his act!
Another problem relating to the victim and
at the same time affecting the work of the
police is that the victim, rather than appear in
public in circumstances which to her may be
extremely embarrassing, may refuse to report
the crime; or If the crime Is reported may
refuse to press the charge, thus permitting the
criminal to remain at large to repeat his crime
at future date
A less frequent but far more tragic effect Of
publicity in terms Of the victim, however,
is illustrated by the case tnyolving young
girl which came to Capt. Milliken,s attention.
This young girl had been the victim of an
attack. The girls mother reported the cir
cumstances to the police. The criminal was
apprehended prosecuted and convicted for
his crime. Local newspapers, in reporting the
story, carried the name and address Of the
victim
Not very long afterward this same girl was
attacked again. The criminals, when picked
up by the police, turned out to be two teen
age boys. Under questioning as to why they
committed this crime, they said that they had
read the name of their victim and picked her
out