Evening star., 1954-11-09
Court 10 Decide
Legality Of JaiIing
Juvenile Offender

The legality OF committing to
District Jail youth. now 10.
! accused of violating his parole
from the National Training
School. was posed today in the
u. S. District Court for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The youth. Isaac L. White.
colored. originally had been
committed to the school in 1852
until he should reach 81. The
commitment was ordered by
Municipal Judge Nadine Gal
lagher, sitting in Juvenile Court,
who had found him involved"
in the unauthorized use of an
auto.
On October /, 1868, White was
released on parole. Last April
%. he was arrested as a witness
to the Staying of a 21-year-old
former Marine and charged with
having knowledge of the felony
but failing to report it.
Parole Violation.
Subsequently the charge was
dropped. But the United States
Parole Board issued warrant
charging parole violation and
White was kept in District Jail
where he had been sent following
the Staying. Whites attorney, B.
Michael Landesman. said that
White is scheduled to be trans
ferred to an adult reformatory
at Petersburg, Va.
Mr.. Landesman, in a habeas
corpus action, is seeking Whites
release from District Jail.
Chief Judge Bolitha j. Laws,
of the District Court, today in
structed Mr.. Landesman and As
sistant Corporation Counsel
Richard Barton to submit briefs
on the question of the parole
boards right to have the youth
placed in the adult institution
after his original commitment
had called for incarceration in
the National Training School.
The attorneys were given until
Monday to submit the papers.
Attacks Juvenile Law.
Mr.. Landesman also is at
tacking the Juvenile Court Act
on the grounds that it violates
the Constitution in that, he said,
it deprives the accused of right
to a public trial and to confront
witnesses against them.
Yesterday, Mr.. Landesman
told Judge Laws that White
was illegally convicted by Judge
Cockrill of unauthorized use of
an auto.
He said White was not granted
a public trial, was not confronted
with witnesses against him, was
not accorded the right of COM
pulsory process to obtain wit
nesses in his favor and was not
informed he had the right OF
assistance of counsel for his
defense.
Mr.. Landesman argued the
procedure permitted under Ju-
venile Court law, "relegates the
younger and immature defend
ants to second-class citizenship"
Testifies on Proceedings.
White testified he appeared
before Judge Cockrill in June,
1852. He said a clerk read him a
charge alleging joy-riding in a
car stolen. by two companions.
He said the clerk asked him if
the allegations were true.
White testified he answered,
That's right" However, he told
Judge Laws he thought he was
admitting that he rode in the
car and was unaware he was
pleading guilty to car theft.
Benjamin White. the youths
father, testified about his recol-
lection of the informal, closed,
non-Jury trial.
"All I know" he said, twas
that the lady judge told Isaac
that the last time he was there
she warned him she didn't want
to see him back in court.
She told him, since he couldn't
behave. she was going to have to
send him to the National Train
ing School,"
He said no lawyer was present
and he was not informed of his
sons rights.
When they called me to tell
me Isaac was locked up he was
already at the training school,"
the father said.
The Governments only witness
at yesterdays session, Isaac H.
Rowland, a Juvenile Court pro-