Evening star., 1954-10-26
Virginia Group
Urges Juvenile
Detention Home
Prompt Construction
Of Short-Term
Facility Asked

ToClttty ASKED
Prompt construction Of a
short-term detention home for
juveniles in nearby Virginia was
recommended by a special COM
mittee on delinquency last night.
The proposed short-term de-
tention home would accommo-
date youngsters from Alexandra,
Arlington. Fairfax, Falls Church
and Loudoun County while they
are awaiting juvenile court ac-
tion, or waiting to be transmitted
to State training schools.
Members of the committee
emphasized that this still would
not solve the problem Of pro-
viding adequate training facil-
ities for juvenile once they are
committed to State custody.
Mrs. Kathryn Stone, member
of the House Of Delegates from
Arlington County and chairman
of a State commission on juve-
nile problems. told of at least
four State reports during the
past 10 years criticizing deten-
ton Of juveniles in jails. She
read from a 1945 State report
which cited the urgency Of get
ting children out of jail -"
Girls Case Recalled.
Attention was focused on the
problem last week when news
paper publicity disclosed that a
16-year-old Loudoun County girl
remained in the Groveton police
lookup SO days waiting to be
taken to Bon Air, the State
training school for girls. State
Welfare Department officials
explained that the girl had to
wait so long because there was
no room at Bon Air.
Mrs. Stone said she failed to
understand why Bon Air had
not been expanded sooner, since
the welfare department returned
over 100000 in unexpended
funds at the end of the last
fiscal biennium.
The committee that recon-
mended construction of a re-
gional detention home was ap-
pointed by the governing bodies
Of Alexandria, Arlington, Fair
fax, Falls Church and Loudoun
County about year ago after a
professional survey recon-
mended that nearby Virginia
sorely needed some type of de-
tention facility. This committee
has been working in co-opera-
ton with the Northern Virginia
Regional Planning and Eco
nomic Development Commits
sion.
Short Term Only.
The proposed detention home
would be a one-story building,
preferably located on a site of
f1ve acres or more in Fairfax
County. The committee speci-
fled that it be used for short
term detention only. There had
been some discussion of combin-
Ing a partial treatment service
for delinquent juveniles, but the
committee feels an adequate de-
tention home is the areas most
crucial need at the present time.
Committee members said a
semi-treatment facility might
encourage the State to grow even
more lax In picking up juvenile
delinquents who should be placed
In regular training schools.
Joseph H. Freehill. chairman
Of a subcommittee that prepared
details Of the detention home
I proposal, said the building should
. be large enough to accommodate
Is to 80 children at one time,
and estimated it would cost be-
tween $125,000 and 5000, ,000-
I Including the price of a site.
The cost of the site and build
Ing would have to be borne by
the local committees, but the
State would pay for all equip
ment and pay two-thirds of
operating costs after the building
Is finished.
The committee instructed MIR,
.Freehin to prepare recommended
tions for financing and operating
the home. Meanwhile, the reso-
luton urging prompt construc-
ton OF a detention home is being
forwarded to the regional plan
ming commission for considera-
ton. C. c. Robinson. executive
director of the commission, said
that group already has been
studying five possible detention
home sites while it awaited a
recommendation from the special
committee.
Reports Of numerous long term
detention Of juveniles were heard
at the meeting. In Fairfax
County-where the Groveton
police substation is the only
available facility for detention of
juveniles-it was reported that
Ill juveniles were detained
total Of 314 days between May,
1858, and August, 1854. The
terms Of detention ranged from
one day up to "a days for one
boy. Several other youngsters
were kept in jail for more than
20 days.
Arlington Experience Cited.
A report received from Arling-
ton County. which has special
suite for juveniles in the regular
county Jail, showed that 149
youngsters had been kept there
a total Of 589 days between
March 81 and September 81.
The Arlington report was broken
down to show that eight boys
and girls were kept there two to
four weeks after they had been
committed to custody Of the
State welfare department and
were waiting to be picked up
by State authorities.
Judge Irene Pancoast Of Alex
andria Juvenile Court said she