Evening star., 1959-11-25
Juvenile Court
Bill Advanced
BYLegaIUnit
DC. Judiciol Group
OK Is Unanimous;
Hearing Set Dec. 10

A proposed bill to provide two
more Juvenile Court Judges
here has been give ma decided
boost by the Districts Judicial
Conference as a prelude to a
House subcommittee's hearings.
The boost came in the form
of a unanimous vote by the
conference-made up of local
judges and lawyers-to recon-
mend to the subcommittee that
the legislation, passed by the
Senate in the last session of
Congress, be approved.
The subcommittee intends to |
hold further hearings on the |
bill on December 10 and IL.
The legislation was up for |
House passage, but the SUBJ
committee decided at the last |
minute in September to hold
the additional hearings.
The judicial conference acted |
on report made by its Com
mittee on the Needs of Juvenile |
Court headed by Murray Pres
ton, a Washington attorney.
Advised of possible moves by
the House subcommittee to en-
large the hearings to include |
questions other than the need |
for the added judges. the
conference committee report
called for enactment of the
Senate bill without awaiting |
the consideration and passage |
of any other legislation with |
reference to (Juvenile Court |
which might be in order"
Discussion Revealed
Though the judicial confer
ence decided to ask the House |
subcommittee to pass the "judge |
power" bill now, the conference |
members also prepared to face
other questions the subcom-
mittee members may want to
look into.
On other points the subcom-
mittee inquiry will take up,
the judicial conference voted |
to recommend that:
/. Age limits defining Juve-
nile Court Jurisdiction should |
not be lowered. Under present |
law the court deals with Of
tenders under 18 years of age.) |
2. Juvenile Court jurisdiction
primarily concerned with adults
(as in nonSupport caSeS) should
not be eliminated.
8. Identity of all youths in
volved in the Juvenile Court |
should not be published. re-
gardless of the age or degree
of Sophistication of the Of
tenders.
4. No legislation should be
introduced in Congress that
would abridge a Juveniles or
adults right to a lawyer in
Juvenile Court proceedings.
5. Jury trials should be
eliminated in delinquency hear
ings in the court.
Continuance Favored
6. The courts social director
should be permitted, as an "ex-
pedient under the present one
judge system" of the court, to
continue to hold conferences
that result in poStponing judi
cial action or detention of
youths in the District Receiv-
ing home for more than five
days.
Z. The Federal Youth Cor
rections Act, used to sentence
youths convicted of crimes in
adult Federal courts, should
not be applied in Juvenile
Court. (The YEA provides in
determinate Jail sentences for
youths, putting them under
supervision of the Attorney
General for six years.)
However, appropriate steps
(should) be taken Immediately
to provide urgently needed
facilities for treatment of older
youthful offenders" whose cases
have not been waived to the
adult District Court here from
Juvenile Court.
The conference committee
had originally recommended
publishing-at the discretion of
the Juvenile Court judge-the
names of delinquency repeaters
over the age of 16 years.
But United States Attorney
Oliver Gasch objected to this,
offering the amendment that
was finally adopted to urge
keeping the names secret.
This practice, though beyond
the scope of the present Juve-
nile Court Act, should con-
tinue only until additional
Judges are nrovided.