Evening star., 1953-11-10
Dispute Settled
Over Registry
Of De|inquents
Juvenile Court
Will Get More
Duto From Police

today said the dispute over eS-
tablishment of a registry of ju-
venile delinquents in the Well
fare Department had been
settled by having Juvenile Court
keep more statistics.
Under the agreement the Po-
lice Departments juvenile squad
will supply the court with infor-
nation on all children coming
to the squads attention-those
who are warned and released as
well as those against whom com
plants are filed with the court.
Commissioner Spencer said the
court will make its statistics
available to interested agencies.
Welfare Director Gerard M.
Shea, who had pushed the idea
of registry but was Stymied
when Juvenile Court Judge Edith
H. Cockrill refused to supply
the court information to make
it work, said he had agreed to
Commissioner Spencer'S propo-
sal
To List Children Warned.
Judge Cockrill said the agree
ment would supply the court with
the only source of information it
does not now haVe-the children
warned by police and released.
She said she would make the
statistics as complete as limited
personnel allows. The statistics
will include an unduplicated
count of children, areas of de-
linquency by census tracts, age
groups and nature of offenseS,
she said.
Asked if the statistics will in
clude the disposition of cases by
the court, she said that could
not be done yet. She said she
was working with Children'S Bu-
reau statisticians on a system
that would make reporting of
dispositions possible.
She said the statistics would
not compose a registry" She
said that was an unfortunate
term because it implied a central
place where names would be
available, and that was never
contemplated.
Shea Sees 1t Worth Trying.
Mr.. Shea said he agreed to
Commissioner Spencer's proposal
as "a beginning that's worth a
try"
Theoretically" Mr.. Shea said,
the court will get all the names
OF delinquents in one place and
will be able to determine if one
child is committing a number of
offenSes or a number of children
are committing few offenses.
Mr.. Shea had wanted the reg
iStry to find out how many differ
ent children are involved in
delinquency-how large the prob
lem actually is. This was to be
followed by various studies to
get at the causes of delinquency
as the first step toward pre-
vention.
Doesn't Know Type of Data.
Mr.. Shea said he did not know
what statistical information will
be forthcoming from the court
and how far it can be ahalyzed.
Capt. John Ryan, head of
the Police Departments juve-
nile squad, said Commissioner
Spencer had told him to tell
the court about all children who
come to the juvenile squad.
He said he will not change
his procedure of warning some
children and sending others to
court, but the new method will
give the court a complete record
of children known to the police.
He estimated that approximately
fifth of the 5000 children
coming to the attention of the
juvenile squad each year are
warned and released. Informa-
ton on these children-but not
formal complaints against them
will be referred to the court.
Seek Pilot Project.
Meanwhile, an area of the city
with a high rate of delinquency
but "a hope for the future" is
being sought by the Commis-
Sioners' Youth Council for its
pilot project in combating juve-
nile crime.
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle,
council chairman, gave that de-
Scription. She said the council
wants an area where some work
in prevention is now under way
and where techniques of preven-
ton can be applied which would
prove useful in other parts of
town.
United Community Services,
which will lend a professional
staff for the pilot project. is now
drawing up statistical informa-
ton on the characteristics of all
the 26 neighborhood areas into
which the council has divided
the city.
Central Northwest Cited.
UCS statisticians said if the
council wants to choose for its
pilot project the area with the
highest rate of delinquency per
child, and with assorted other
problems like poor housing and
tuberculosis, it will go to central
Northwest. If the council wants
the area which had the highest
number of delinquent children in
1852, it will choose far North
east-east of the Anacostia
River and north of East Capitol
street.
A likely area for the pilot
project, if a more-average area is
considered. it was pointed out.
is the old Northeast section,
bounded on the west by North
Capitol street and the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad tracks, on the