Evening star., 1951-05-29


.DEGASSING' AT TOP SPEED.
landing aboard their carrier, tt
fire danger in event of q landil
the social files could be made
available for the purpose of carry
ing out the Juvenile Court Act of
1888"
Meanwhile, the judges state
ment earlier yesterday In which
she explained why she had is
sued the secrecy order brought
prompt reaction.
She mentioned several times in
the statement that she had held
various discussions with Chief
Judge Bolitha J. Laws and Judge
Alexander Holtzof of District
Court.
Awaits Formal Revision.
Judge Laws commented that
Judge Cockrill's discussions with
me were solely on an administra-
tive basis without any determina-
tion as to what the law was and
without my undertaking to tell her
what her policy should be-
Judge Laws and Judge Holtzoff
1agreed that any question of the
legality of her Interpretation would
have to be decided formally and
they would express no opinion in
advance. Judge Holtzod added
that in no sense had he made any
ruling on her Interpretation Of the
law. ssssa.ss 1s3.s
Miss Helaine A. Todd. director
of social work at the Juvenile
Court until she resigned yesterday,
also was asked by reporters about
the judges statement that she had
advised Miss Todd of her intention
to issue secrecy instructions to the
staff.
Nothing that was said to me
prepared me for the memorandum
of March 10 (date of the original
secrecy order)," Miss Todd de-
clared. II had no knowledge of it
until it was on my desk"
Harm to Servicemen Denied.
| Miss Todd recalled that late
last fall the judge told her the rec
lords were being misused and Il
asked her where she got the idea. !"
"At that point" Miss Todd re-
called, "she told me she had made
Ia speech to some Naval Reserve
officers. During the discussion
after her remarks, it was said
that juvenile records had been
used harmfully against men in
service. There was nothing to pir.
lit down to our court. ! told ner I
didn't see how that applied here
and that we couldn't take respon-
sibility for the rest of the coun-
try"
Miss Todd insisted that Juvenile
records here were not being used
Ito hurt men in the service, but on
the other hand were making it
possible for some of them to vol
unteer. She explained that police
files, which are not confidential,
showed juvenile arrests and unless
she was free to clear up these cases
for the FBI and the military,
would-be volunteers were blocked
from entering the service.
Specific Instructions.
Miss Todd said in her state
ment explaining her resignation
yesterday that the judge could not
rblame the staff for misinterpret-
ling her orders because the judge
herself had issued specific instruc-
tions in individual cases. Asked
Ifor an example of that, Miss Todd
gave this case:
The mother of an illegitimate
child, which was being supported
by the father under a court order
was attending a hospital mental
health clinic. The hospital asked
the court for information on the
mothers background to assist in
treating her. Among other things
the doctor wanted to know if she
had been emotionally upset over
a long period or whether some
new experience made her condi-
ton acute.
Miss Todd wrote a memo to the
Judge on April Is explaining the
circumstances and asking, TN such
Ia situation do you see any way
THAT your ruling of March 19 can
meet the need described here?"
On April 80 the judge wrote
back: I'm the absence Of con-
sent of either party, we have nc
right to release any information.
Miss Todd explained that the
} mother was too mentally i'll tt
sign anything and the father was
staying as far away from her az
possible because she had already
cost him several jobs. But ever
= if the court had their writer
: consent to give information, Mis-!
Todd went on, it would have beer
only the Information on the of
fetal docket and not the informa.
ton in the social file which gave
: 1.-THE mothers history.
i What worried her most abou
! this case, she said, was the fat
! of the child with a mentally il
, mother.
Changes Made Gradually.
Il "The Juvenile Court Act say
8 1.-THE court is charged with respon
a Isibility for the treatment and pre-
: yention of delinquency" Miss Tod
! said, Here is young child VIII
= a lroo 6v hoe ono Styika oc OF hiy,