Evening star., 1955-02-20
|DefentionH Home
Nearer Reality
In Virginia
Foirfox, Arlington,
FoIIs Church Agree;
Alexandra to Act
By Mary Lou Werner

| After years OF talking. study
ing and planning. it looks like
nearby Virginia at last is on the
verge of building a regional de-
tention home for juveniles.
Fairfax and Arlington Coun-
ties and Falls Church have
agreed to put up their share to-
ward the $4,000 home. The
Alexandria City Council is
scheduled to act Wednesday.
With an assurance of funds,
the appropriate committees and
commissions that have worked
so long on the detention home
problem can proceed to buy a
site and have architectural plans
prepared.
There never has been much
argument about the need for a
detention home. None of the
participating communities has
such facility except Arlington.
which uses a suite of remodeled
rooms in the jailer's quarters
next to the jail.
Stop Gap Measure.
Arlington Juvenile Judge
Hugh Reid said he told the
County Board last spring when
the jailer's house was remodeled
into a juvenile shelter that he
considered it a "stop-gap" meas
ure. 1t is only big enough for
10 youngsters.
Three matrons staff the Ar
lington shelter. There is no room
for outdoor activity. 1t was used
by 232 juveniles for a total of
1,156 days between March 81
and January 81.
The problem is even more
acute for Fairfax County, which
is without any kind of detention
facilities. Fairfax used to place
juveniles in the Groveton police
lookup, but decided that was a
bad idea when it was discovered
that some youngsters stayed
there a month or more waiting
for transfer to State training in
stitutions.
It was the Groveton lookup
that produced the much pub
licized case of a 16-year-old
Loudoun County girl who re-
manned there 35 days waiting
for the State Welfare Depart
ment to call for her.
/ Fairfax Held Ill.
Between May. 1853 and Sep
tember, 1854, Fairfax detained
Ill juveniles a total of 314 days.
Since use of Groveton was dis
continued. the county has been
using the Arlington shelter.
Fairfax CommonWealth's At
torney Robert j Fitzgerald. who
until recently served as juvenile
Judge, is 100 per cent behind
the detention home plan as now
1 proposed.
Like Fairfax, Alexandria is
without any detention facilities.
There are several security rooms
in the juvenile court building
that can be used in an overnight
emergency. That requires a pro-
baton officer to spend the night
at the court.
| According to figures just COM
| piled by Alexandria Juvenile
Judge Irene Pancoast, so chill
dren had to be detained a total
of IA days between January l.,
and December 2. 1854. This figure
includes 38 detained by the
make shift arrangement in the
juvenile court building. four kept
! in the Alexandria Jail. five de-
tanned in small, dingy room at
Alexandria police headquarters
and three kept at the Arlington
shelter.
! Falls Church Problem.
Falls Church, being much
smaller, does not have as big
problem. But when a juvenile
does get in trouble with the law
there, it is always a question
where to put him.
A large amount Of the credit
bringing Arlington, Alexandria,
Fairfax and Falls Church to-
gether on the problem must go
to Mrs. Charles Pickett of Fair
fax.
Mrs. Pickett tries to give the
credit to everyone but herself.
1t is true that the Arlington
League of Women Voters and
court officials in Arlington had
talked of juvenile detention ia
cilities before Mrs. Pickett knew
anything about the problem.
Some of the talk fell upon Mrs.
Pickett's ears in the spring of
1852 when she attended meet
ing of church women.
Mrs. Pickett had Just been ap-
pointed to the Northern Virginia
Regional Planning and Economic
Development Commission and
thought the problem should be
considered by the group.
F.! In 1852 the commission ap-
pointed Mrs. Pickett, Mrs.
Kathryn Stone of Arlington
Herman Fink of Arlington and
Phil Hall of Alexandria to a
special juvenile detention home
committee.
Recommended Survey.
That committee recommended
the detention home survey.
which was undertaken by Fred
erick G. Ward of the National
Probation and Parole Associa-
ton. with the various governing
bodies sharing in the 81 200 cost.
| The Ward report. competed
in September, 1858, strongly