Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-28
Officials Meet
0nNon-Support
Reforms June )
I. Special Group Also
To Weigh Secrecy
Of Juvenile Court
By Chorles G. Brooks

A special committee of top
level officials has set a meeting
to consider methods of correcting
injustices caused by complete
Juvenile Court secrecy and the
tagging efforts of the United
States marshal in serving nom
support warrants.
The Policy Committee of the
1nter-departmental Committee
for the Enforcement of Nom
Support Laws, at a special meet
ing, will be told Of a complete
lack of liaison between the Jul
venile Court and the Board Of
Public Welfare.
Members of the policy group
include Police Chief Robert v.
Murray, United States Attorney
Leo A. Rover. Public Welfare
Board Director Gerard Shea.
Corporation Counsel Vernon West
and Hal Rogers, deputy admin
iStrative officer to the United
States attorney.
Three Major Problems.
Committee members have ex-
pressed serious concern over the
non-support problem in the Dis
trict. A report of the findings of
the interdepartmental groups
working committee will point out
three major problems that have
helped make the District a
haven for fathers who desert
their children. They are:
l. No agency of the District
has the specific responsibility of
locating absent parents.
2. 1.-THE United States mar
shall has failed to maintain the
current and effective service of
non-support warrants from the
Juvenile Court and has accumu-
lated approximately 1900 war
rants. Receiving 10 or IL war;
rants a week of this nature from
hte Juvenile Court, the United
States marshal has not succeed
ed in promptly serving them, or
reporting non-service to the
court issuing the warrants"
3. The Board of Public We'll
fare requires the deduction from
a public assistance grant the
amount of money of q court
order for support-whether or
not is has actually been received.
Deducted Regardless.
This means that when a father
is ordered by Juvenile Court
Judge Edith Cockrill to pay $50
per month toward the support of
his child, the Welfare Depart
ment must deduct $50 each
month from public assistance
payments to the mother.
When the father fails to COM
ply, the money is still deducted.
The report points out that
this regulation is maintained
because of the inability of the
Public Assistance Agency to re-
ceive current verification of COM
pliance of a defendant with a
Juvenile Court order"
The working committee plans
to make the following recon-
mendations to correct the SER
ious situation:
l. The establishment of a spe-
cialized squad of trained investi-
gators in the Public Assistance
Division to determine the eligi-
bility Of a parent seeking public
assistance and the whereabouts
Of the missing parent.
This squad also would 1nvesti-
gate the financial condition Of
missing parents and attempt to
get parents to make financial
contributions to the support of
their deserted children without
court action.
Would Spur Marshal.
2. The committee will recon-
mend to the policy group that
"the United States marshal at
tempt the regular and prompt
service of non-support warrants
so that appropriate action in
such cases can be effected by
the court"
3. The department chiefs will
consider proposal that the
Juvenile Court be requested to
lift its veil of secrecy enough to
give the Public Assistance Divi-
sion information concerning the
compliance with court orders for
support.
The Working Committee.
which has spent months investi-
eating non-support conditions
here, is composed of Donald
Gray, superintendent OF the
Public Assistance Division; As
sistant Corporation Counsel
Rita Morris, Police Juvenile
Squad 1t. John F. Ryan, Wom-
ems Bureau Capt. Mary c.
Gainey, Special Assistant Cor
poration Counsel William w.
Parvis and Mr.. Rogers.
Judge Cockrill has often been
under fire since she closed the
Juvenile Court files and pro-
ceedings to the public. The or
der includes even District agen-
cies set up to work closely with
the court in the juvenile field.