Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-11
Delinquency Probers
Report Beffermenf
In Situation Here


proved, Senate subcommittee
reported today, although the city
still keeps some juveniles in
worse quarters than the Zoo gives
its animals.
That means the Receiving
Home for Children. branded q
national disgrace by the subcom-
mittee earlier and still operating
with an average of 81 children
damned into space for 43.
''It Is an impossibility to ex-
pect the staff of the home to
work out for their charges any
kind of program" the Senate
Juvenile Delinquency Subcom-
mittee declared, in summing up
its findings on the District.
$3.50, 600 for Expansion
There is $550,000 in the Com
misisoners' hands to expand the
Receiving Home to hold 10
children. The construction has
been held up to decide whether
it would be better to abandon
the present building on Mount
Olivet road NE. and construct q
new one at Blue Plains.
The subcommittee cited testi-
mony by Welfare Director Gerard
Shea. showing the city may be
aware Of potential trouble COM
ing from a child but is unable
to cope with it using its present
overburdened staff of social
workers.
Tefming this an outstanding
lack In the preventive field, the
report said: 1.-THE subcommittee
learns that repeated requests for
funds to employ additional case
workers have been refused, and
we recommend that more sympa-
thetic consideration be given to
such requests in the future"
Play Areas Wasted
District children play in
poorly lighted streets and dark
alleys while nearby are school
athletic fields complete with ex-
pensive lighting equipment
fields walled off to children by
high cyclone-type fences-and
used only on Friday night for
varsity games" the report stated.
The budget of the Recreation
Board was cut to the extent
that 1t was necessary to close
80 Fairgrounds on Saturdays
during the summer, close 80
youth centers one or more nights
per week and reduce the staff
IS per cent on all other nights
during the fall and winter" the
report said.
Here again Is q situation
which the subcommittee feels
should receive more sympathetic
consideration from the Congress
and the budget officer of the
District Of Columbia"
Decrease in Cases
Its previous report on Wash
ington showed that juvenile de-
linquency was rising and had
been for 10 years.
1.-THE subcommittee now re-
ports with satisfaction that pre-
liminary figures for 1854 indi-
cate that 3,205 children were
complained about during the
year, decrease of 1877 from
1853. While we are in no
position even to guess at the
reason for this decrease, it is
to be hoped that it indicates
the start of a long-continuing
downward trend"
On the credit side, the group
noted the destruction of certain
slums, such as Dixons court
S.W.. which was the subject
OF extensive hearings before it.
The neighborhood approach of
the Commissioners Youth Coun-
Gil in fighting juvenile delin-
Quency offers great promise. I"
the subcommittee told the SEN
ate.
More Juvenile Court infor-
nation is available to the police
department., and conversations
between the court and the Wei
fare Department toward the
same end are in progress. it
noted. Relations among other
Government agencies concerned
with the problem are improv-
ing, 1t said.
Drop In Serious Crimes
The subcommittee also praised
the decrease of 22.8 per cent in
serious crime here in 1854 and
the establishment in the police
department of a Youth Division.
combining the Juvenile SQUAD.
the Women's Bureau and other
related functions.
The subcommittee concluded:
During the year which has
elapsed between the conclusion
OF the subcommittee hearings
IN the District Of Columbia and
the publication of this report
little has happened to give rise
to more than moderate gratifi-
cation.
I'VE urge the District Com
missioners to be aggressive In
presenting and articulate in de-
lending their requests for ade-
Quate appropriations for basic
welfare services, and the Con-
gress to give these requests more
sympathetic consideration than
in the past.
If this is done, the Congress
VIII no longer be vulnerable to
the charge. made at one of the
subcommittee hearings. that to
the extent that Congress does
not appropriate adequate funds
Tor the basic welfare services
Congress indirectly shares in the
responsibility for the high rate
OF juvenile delinquency in the
District Of Columbia"
Shore Town'sCoU