Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-28
Individual Role
Cited in Fight
0nDe|inquency
: Clinics Show Needs
In Juvenile Program,
UCS Group Reports

Every adult in his dealings with
children should think of him
self as a one-man committee to
fight juvenile delinquency, a con-
ference on the problem was adj
viesed today. ......
That was one of the conclu-
sions reached by the special COM
mittee on Juvenile Delinquency
formed by United Community
Services to get the facts on meth
DDS of coping with a growing
problem here.
Reporting today at the UCS
Health, Welfare and Recreation
Conference in the Shoreham Ho-
tel, the committee concluded:
mo agency or institution can
adequately substitute for the re-
sponsible, sympathetic individual.
Every individual adult should be
a one-man committee for pre-
vention of juvenile delinquency
in relation to his own behavior
toward all children he meets, in
any place, any day, in the SIM
pie and commonplace events of
ordinary living"
Hit Parental Inadequacy.
Out of three juvenile delin-
quency "clinics" held in differ
ent sections of the city during
April and from a series of con-
ferences with public officials and
other interested citizens, the
committee also concluded that:
Juvenile delinquency is often
better described as parental
inadequacy." Too often parents,
both rich and poor. are too busy
to interest themselves in their
children, fail to realize the sig
nlf1cance of truancy from school
and are indifferent about how
their children spend tncir leisure
time.
School teachers are IN good
position to detect reimbursement,
but are frequently too over
burdened to do anything about
individual cases. Too little at
tention can be given the pupil
with special problems and special
needs.
The churches should re-evalu-
ate their social services to put
more emphasis on juvenile prob
lens.
Although recreation facilities
are of high caliber. in some
neighborhoods they are located
too far away from young chill
dren and the scheduling of hours
could be improved.
The quality of police work with
Juveniles is high, but more
nearly adequate number of care
fully picked and trained police is
needed to assure closer observa-
ton of questionable "hangouts"
and better handling Of juvenile
law-breakerS.
Agencies Need Money.
Public welfare agencies are
doing a good job with their linn
tied budgets but more money
for improved facilities and ex-
tended services IS absolutely
necessary"
Where mental or physical
health is a factor leading to
juvenile delinquency, more facil-
tiles should be made available
either at public or private ex-
pense to cope with the health
aspects of the problem.
To secure vigorous, continu-
Gus and well-informed" action to
reduce juvenile delinquency, the
committee specifically recon-
mended creation of three-man
group to start work Immediately
along these lines:
To improve cooperation
among public and private agen-
cies and set up a clearing house
for exchange of information.
To explore fully the recent
proposal of Police Chief Robert
v. Murray to approach the jul
venile delinquency problem by
bringing in the parents.
To urge the Board of Educa-
tion to adopt more effective
methods of disciplining children
with the goal of reducing tru-
ancy.
p. Special School Efforts.
To urge the Board of Educa-
ton to make a special effort to
prevent serious delinquency
among the children who cannot
keep up with their classes.
To urge the Recreation De-
partment to adopt more gen.
erous and realistic scheduling
of dates and hours when their
facilities are open.
To support the Board of Pub
lie Welfare in its efforts to get
more staff and facilities. par
ticularly in foster care and
counseling services.
To urge the Health Depart
ment to set up a diagnostic and
treatment center for maladjust-
ed children to prevent their be-
coming delinquent.
To work with the Advisory
Committee of the Juvenile Court
on methods of dealing with par
ents who neglect the support or
training of their children-the
goal being to determine how best
to compel them to discharge
their responsibilities as parents
Church Aid Sought.
To urge church groups and
parishes to extend their facilities
for youth activities and attempt
to provide a more effective ap-
proach to parishionerS whose
children seem to be in danger OF
becoming delinquent.
To figure out new ways to COM
bat the problem of delinquency
Murray Preston, who headed
the committee making the re-
port, declared at the panel dis