Evening star., 1951-06-04

10 Determine Need
For Revising Law
Continued From First Page,
nate all unnecessary procedure
contributing to this formality.
2. The Juvenile Court Act pro
visions relating to the privacy o
hearings are too rigid" ant
should be amended.
8. The, present court building
although beautiful and modern
is not well designed as a juvenil
court and could better be used a
an adult court.
4. While each division of tn,
court is making every attempt t.
perform in the best possible man
ner, there is some feeling O.
"separatcness" and the lack of 1
clear common objective. Respon'
sibility for correcting this lie
with the judge.
5. The judge should discuss
changes in policy anc
procedure with her department
heads before she puts them in op'
GRAFTON and the department head
should get the judges approva
before they make changes.
6. The judge should delegate
some of her administrative dutie.
to her staff. An administrative
officer should be added to the
staff to supervise all administra-
tive phases of the courts work
under the judges direction.
7. The present number of mer
on the staff is insufficient anc
that fact should be recognized ir
recruiting personnel.
8. The judge should appoint hel
own advisory committee and MOI
inherit" a previously established
one. i2
Sees Rights Violated.
8. The present police practict
Of holding children at the Receiv.
ing Home and releasing them al
will with the apparent knowl.
edge of the (Juvenile) Court" VIC.
lates the law and individual right!
and is "unsound both socially ane
economically" The COMMITTEES
found that last year 654 children
were held on police order and re.
leased without ever going tt
court. The report recommend.
that this practice be eliminated
Immediately.
10. The court should halt tht
policy that makes it necessary fol
dependent children committed II
the Board of Public Welfare to bt
brought back into court every yeal
to be recommitted. Commitment.
should be for an indefinite perioc
Of time and nothing in the Law
prevents that.
IL. Since orders for support oi
legitimate children are being en-
forced for only one year anc
orders for support of illegitimate
children are enforceable until the
child is 16. the present practice
puts premium .on illegitimacy >
The committee recommended that
the Juvenile Court, in processing
cases of non-support of legiti.
mate children, proceed under ths
Juvenile Court Act because Of it,
greater flexibility rather thar
under the District code.
The study committee also criti
cized long delays in preparing
cases for court, recommended tina
cases be presented on the basi
of one complaint rather than /,
series Of them, termed the court
statistics totally inadequate" ant
proposed that a separate unit bl
set up TO make collections from
fathers under court order to sup
port their children.
TWO Quit in Protest.
The study committee was pro.
posed by the present Juvenill
Court Advisory Committee afte,
the designations of the courts di.
rector of social work and chic
probation officer last year prompt
ed the Advisory Committee tt
urge an impartial study as a mean
of restoring the community's con
fldence in the court.
Since the Study Committees ap
pointment last November, tn,
judge has issued two orders cut
ting off court information from
community agencies and anothe
director Of social work and a cas-
have resigned.
The Study Committee empha
sized, however, that this stud!
is not an investigation. nor hal
any attempt been made in an.
way to judge controversies"
While the committee noted tina
it was recommending changes il
operation. Organization and pro-
cedure, it added that "these ar
in no sense to be deemed as criti
cal of any individual or of thos.
charged with the responsibility O
the administration of court serv
ices"
Confused" on Information.
On the controversial question o
releasing court information II
other agencies. however, the com
mittee made this comment:
1.-THE present situation in rela
controls and a fair wage stabili
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