Evening star., 1953-09-04
q Pei. Rise
In Delinquency
Reports Cited
More Multiple
Complaints Indicated
BY Juvenile Court

?,
BY Juvenile Court
Juvenile Court received 20 per
cent more complaints of delin-
quency during the fiscal year
ended June 80 than it did in the
previous year, the courts annual
report disclosed today.
The 5,032 complaints against
1920 children also reflected an
Is per cent increase in the num-
ber Of children, indicating that
more children were involved in
multiple complaints.
At the close of the year. the
report said. "the court was faced
with a considerable and growing
backload of cases due to the in
ability of the staff to keep pace
with the increasing number of
complaints and to process them
on a current basis"
Formal court hearing and dis
position was set for all but LAO
of the complaints, involving
1909 children, which were dis
posed Of through dismissal or
referral to social agencies.
Another phase of the juvenile
picture appeared in the annual
report of the Department of
Public Welfare. which told of
overcrowded conditions in the
child institutions and assistance
grants % per cent below living
costs.
Constantly OvercrOwded.
The Receiving Home, it said
consistently was overcrowded
with delinquent children await
ing court action. 1t described
"a serious and troublesome in
crease" in the number of
younger boys committed as de-
linquents requiring placement at
the Industrial Home School for
colored children.
Closing of the private Croome
School which cared for As teen
age colored girl wards of the
board made it necessary to COM
bine them with more seriously
delinquent girls, who were at the
National Training School, al
though funds were sufficient to
provide only for about half the
total. The other half were re-
leased prematurely to return
home.
Improvement lies ahead in the
child institution picture, how
ever, with new Industrial Home
School buildings under construc-
ton at Laurel and funds in the
present budget for others.
The department traced 33.5
per cent of the delinquents who
were its wards to 16, or one-sixth,
of the 96 census tracts. In these
tracts it dispensed more than
half it's aid to dependent chill
dren-51 per cent-to 3,204 child
recipients.
The General Areas.
The census tracts involved are
largely in the Southeast, South
west and Northwest near the
Capital.
There are concentrated Is per
cent of the Districts total popu-
lation, and 19 per cent of the
population under 18 years of age,
according to the findings. There
also was found 81 per cent oi
the deaths from tuberculosis.
Because of the inadequacy OF
aid to dependent children, its
recipients must find cheap rent
the report noted.
"ThiS means that most OF
them live in crowded quarters
in neighborhoods characterized
by dilapidated and unsanitary
housing, by high rates of disease
crime and delinquency, and
peopled by persons of low in
come and poor education" it
said.
The Juvenile Court report said
that, in addition to delinquency
cases, there were complaints
filed affecting 319 dependent
children. The total Of 5,35l
complaints represented an in
crease of 20.9 per cent over the
previous year.
Workers in the intake section
Of the court carried case loads
averaging go, which was more
than so per cent above the ma
tionally accepted standard. the
court said.
Probation Section Overloaded.
In the juvenile probation sec
ton the effectiveness of the
work was affected seriously by
high case loads, according to the
report. The average load was
near 80 cases, or about twice the
nationally accepted standard.
The adult intake section pro-
cessed 2,495 cases involving sup
port of wives or minor children
or both. This was an increase
of almost Is per cent over the
previous year.
The adult probation section
supervised ,2,760 persons under
court order for support of wive!
and children, an increase o.
nearly 13 per cent. Collections
by the court under support orders
amounted to 1898, 1863, exceeding
the previous years collections BY
$27,714. Besides that, money il
being paid under court order di'
rectly to mothers through allot'
mentS from men in service.
In this section, case loads near
ing 200 are about three times tht
acknowledgement standard.
Court hearings, the report said
were current and despite the in
creased work volume and pres
sure on the staff, the courts per
formance improved.