Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-23
Council REEVES
plan Affecting
Juvenile Court
Ketchum, Gusch
Disfuvor Proposal
To Alter Jurisdiction
BY JAMES G. DEANE
star stan Writer

~ proposal 10 SLrlp Juvenile
Court Of Jurisdiction over Dis
trict IS and l7-year-olds
charged with serious crimes
has been revived by the Citizens
Advisory Council.
Edward Burling, jr., chair
man Of the council. disclosed
yesterday that letters sent to
Juvenile Court Judge Orm w.
Ketcham and United States
Attorney Oliver Gasch had in
vited them to comment.
Substantial Opposition
The council heard public
testimony a year ago on the
suggested change. but deferred
action because Of a then pend
ing change In the Juvenile
Court judgeship. Judge Ket-
cham succeeded former Judge
Edith H. Cockrill last May.
The proposed Jurisdiction
switch drew substantial OPPOSE
ton at last years hearing. and
both Judge Ketcham and Mr..
Gasch said yesterday they dis
favored the idea.
Under the proposal. which
was taken under study by the
advisory council at the sug-
gestion Of the Northeast Bust
nessmen's Association. juveniles
over Is would be tried on felony
charges in the United States
District Court instead Of Jul
venile Court. District Courts
jurisdiction now begins at 10.
except when Juvenile Court
exercises a right to waive juris-
diction.
Police Chief Robert v. Muir
ray testified last year that
juveniles who commit vicious
adult crimes" should not be
handled by Juvenile Court.
Judge Ketcham said he al
ready valves jurisdiction when
this seems appropriate. The rate
of waivers, he added. has in
creased greatly since he took
once.
Valves IS Cases
He has waived Jurisdiction in
some IS cases, compared with
IL or IS waivers by Judge
Cockrill in her last year, he
said.
But he stressed that he feels
16 and 17-year-olds need the
flexible type Of handling which
Juvenile Court, in contrast with
the adult court. is able to give.
Mr.. Gasch was even more
positive in rejecting q jurisdic-
tional transfer.
He said he favors bolstering
Juvenile Court itself. He
suggested providing additional
Judges. setting up a new division
within the court expressly for
youthful felons. and empower
ing the court to commit Offend
ers to Federal youth correc-
tional institutions other than
the National Training School
here. District Court has such
authority.
Juvenile Court ultimately,
under such a plan, should have
five judges if it is to keep
abreast Of the. annual juvenile
felony caseload. which now
numbers $500 to 1000 annual
ly, he said.
Addition Not Sufficient
Creation Of a second Juve-
nile Court judgeship already is
being sought, but both Judge
Ketcham and Mr.. Gasch said
this addition would not be suf-
f1cient under Mr.. Gasch's pro-
posals.
Mr.. Gasch and former United
States Attorney Leo A. Rover
several years ago drafted legis-
lation which would have trans
ferred waiver authority from
the Juvenile Court judge to the
United States attorney.
Police ofiicials last year
strongly urged that Mr.. Gasch
and his aides be given at least
a larger say in determining
waivers. with the apparent ex-
pectation that this would lead
to more Of them.
Mr.. Gasch yesterday. how
ever, said he now feels that
strengthening Juvenile Court
is "a more reasonable" APP
proach than having a wider use
of waivers.
More Effective Job
every time a juvenile Is
sent over here for trial it i'm
mediately invokes the sympathy
of juries and everybody else,"
he asserted. II think Juvenile
Court couc do the more effec-
tive job, if it were expanded
both in personnel and author
ity."