Evening star., 1953-12-19
Juvenile Court
Change Studied
In SenafeProbe
More Powers Urged
For U. S. Attorney in
Delinquency Cases
By Miriom Ottenbero

Natb0uI StbCuOCt9
Changes in Juvenile Court
law and practices to give police
and prosecutors more weapons
in dealing with youthful Offend
ers were under study today by
the Senate Juvenile Delinquency
Subcommittee.
The Senators were in recess
until Monday, when Police Chief
Robert V. Murray is to resume
testimony. Staff aides said the
investigators had completed
their study of Juvenile Court op-
erations with yesterdays teSti-
mony from Juvenile Court Judge
Edith H. Cockrill and Henry j.
Palmieri, the courts director of
social work.
Chief Murray told the subcom-
mittee late yesterday that he
felt a great many of the serious
juvenile offenders have taken
advantage of the projections
now surrounding juveniles. He
said he believed the time had
come to deal severely with "the
hardened young criminals who
are juveniles only in chronology
cal age and who commit almost
every crime imaginable"
He also came out flatly for
the proposal to give the United
States Attorney the deciding
voice in the question of whether
juvenile over 16 should be
tried in the juvenile or adult
court. The Juvenile Court judge
now has the sole discretion in
deciding whether she should
waive jurisdiction over a case.
In other Federal districts, this
power rests with the United
States Attorney.
Attention on Waiver.
The question of waivers is one
of those the subcommittee
singled out for further consider
alton. Subcommittee Chairman
HendrickSon said he thought
something should be done about
waivers. He said he thought
some formula could be worked
out to bring the United States
Attorney into the picture.
The chairman also indicated
his belief that some information
now kept secret by the Juvenile
Court should be made public. He
said that Juveniles record with
the Police Department should at
least show disposition of the case
in court where he has been ac-
quilted.
Senator Hendrickson said he
believed Capt. John Ryan, head
of the police juvenile squad.
made a good point when he told
the subcommittee that it didn't
make sense to have a public rec
ord of the fact that youth was
booked" by police and keep the
disposition of his case in the
court a secret.
Capt Ryan was emphatic in
his views. II think the people
who framed the Juvenile Court
Act didn't know what they were
doing" he declared They put a
cloak of secrecy around Juvenile
Court but no one said anything
about the arrest record. A
child'S reputation is gone when
we book him on a public arrest
record. No more damage will be
done to add whether he was
committed. put on probation OF
acquitted
Cannot Extradite Youth.
Another point made by Capt.
Ryan obviously interested sub
committee members. He testified
that juveniles wanted for an of
fenSe here and arrested elsewhere
cannot be eXtradited. Senator
Kefauver. Democrat, of TenneS-
see said this should be clarified
by law.
Capt. Ryan explained that
under the fresh pursuit" law,
a youth could be chased into
Maryland, caught and taken to
a magistrate to be held for ex-
tradition. Then. he said, police
can't get the boy eXtradited be-
cause District Juvenile Court
says it cannot consider a case
unless the boy is in its jurisdic-
ton.
Capt. Ryan referred the SUBJ
committee to the FBI. which, he
said, could testify that a boy
wanted in Florida could be ex-
tradited from Maine but a boy
wanted in Washington couldn't
be eXtradited from Baltimore.
Capt. Ryan told the Subcom-
mittee repeatedly that either the
law should be changed to pre-
vent police from booking a youth
"a matter of public recorder
police should get all dispositions.
He said he wanted to find out
what happens to the boy as an
aid in law enforcement.
He explained that when detec-
tveS spot method of operation
theV want know if ,TOhnnV is ''in
or out" of an institution. II