Evening star., 1953-10-01
Juvenile Crime
To Be Studied I
z
By 'IaskForee.
Group Will Map
Plans; New Council
Hos Session Tonight

A task force of the Districts
new Council on Law Enforce
ment tonight will be assigned the
job of studying juvenile crime
and correction.
Commissioner Samuel Spencer,
who heads the council, expects
the study group to come up with
recommendations with a month.
The council will deal with ju-
venile offenders from the point
of view of their apprehension by
police, procedures while they are
awaiting court action, the dis
position of their cases in Juvenile
Court and supervision on proba-
ton or after their release from
institutions
Data for Police to Be Topic.
One question to be discussed
at tonight'S session will be a
formal police request for the
Juvenile Court to inform police
on the disposition of cases ini-
tiated by police. Juvenile Court
Judge Edith H. Cockrill, mem
ber of the council, has said she
has the authority under the
amended Juvenile Court law to
make this information available
and would be glad to discuss
it,"
Another question the study
group is bound to consider in
wolves waivers. During the past
fiscal year, Juvenile Court waived
jurisdiction over juveniles in
only four cases. Some members
of the council are known to be-
lieve that habitual offenders who
are juvenile in chronological age
only should have their cases tried
in the adult courts.
Commissioner Spencer told a
session of the United Community
Services Corrections Section yes
terday that the law enforcement
council will be asked to study
adult felonieS and miSdemeanorS,
too, but the emphasis at this
time will be on juvenile delin-
quency.
Report Cites Lack of Funds.
The Corrections Section, which
is carrying on the UCS study Of
juvenile delinquency heard an
interim report presented by G.
Rowland Shaw, a member of the
sections Executive Committee.
Mr.. Shaw emphasized lack OF
funds in the whole effort to pre-
vent juvenile delinquency. He
cited these examples:
/. The public schools report
an average of three emotionally
disturbed and maladjusted chill
dren in every elementary grade
classroom. The Committee on
Public Schools and Social Agen-
cies of UCS considers specific
cases of behavior problems OBJ
served by the teachers and de-
cides on treatment.
obviously frustrating" said
Mr.. Shaw, "is the realization
that a child needs immediate
treatment in a mental hygiene
clinic and cannot get it because
of a siX-month backlog of clinic
cases In the meantime, what
is happening to the child?"
2. The protectives services and
counSeling units of the Welfare
Department work with younger
children where the problem Is
parental neglect and indiffer-
ence, rather than the child's de-
linquency. During a year, this
staff of IA workers is called on
to provide service to families Of
over 1000 children.
Need More Personnel.
"They are the keystone of the
community's organized agency
services for prevention of delin-
quency," said Mr.. Shaw. But
the keystone is shaky because of
insufficient personnel"
Money, Mr.. Shaw concluded,
is not the answer to all the city's
problems.
1T won't buy better parents or
less selfishness or a higher moral
CODE" he said, "but it's some
thing tangible that must be pro-
cided while we work on the long,
range aspects of helping youths
to prepare themselves for the
responsibilities of parenthood
and adult citizenship"
Grenade in Used Car