Evening star., 1959-12-24
Ketcham Hits
Furor Over i.
Commitment
Replies to Motion
From Gruy to
Reconsider Action

Juvenile Court Judge Orm
w. Ketcham suggested today
that the District Corporation
Counsel doth protest too
much" in seeking reconSidera-
ton of a court order commit
ing a 17-year-old boy to a |
local institution.
The judge quoted Shake
speare in answer to a motion
filed last Friday by Corpora
ton Counsel Chester Gray in
the case.
Last october Judge Ketcham
ordered that the boy should
be committed to the Cedar
KnollS institution operated by
the Districts Department of
Public Welfare. The Judge
also required that the depart
ment would have to have
court approval of any move
to release the boy from the
institution.
Asked to Reconsider
Mr.. Gray asked the judge
to reconsider this action,
claiming that the court did not
have the power to commit a !
child to a specific institution
controlled by the department,
and adding the judge could
not legally require court ap-
proval for a child's release.
The judge turned down Mr..
Gray's request for reconsid-
Grafton, strongly asserting his
authority to limit and control
the Department of Public We'll
fare in the exercise of its Su-
perviSory responsibilities over
children committed to the de-
partment by the court"
Thus the judge brought to a
head a dispute of long standing
between himself and the We'll
fare Department on the issue
of supervision of children COM
mitted to the department by
the court.
However, Mr.. Gray and the
department apparently file d
their second motion for recon-
sideration last Friday.
In the new request Mr.. Gray
claimed that the judges ruling
of last October was based on an
incomplete record of the boys
social history. He also claimed
that the courts director of So
cial work had not fully carried
out his duties in proceedings
leading to a hearing of the
case before the judge. And
Mr.. Gray said he felt the best
interests of the boy involved
required commitment to the
National Training School for
Boys, rather than to Cedar
Knolls.
Replying to these claims
today, Judge Ketcham said
this was a question of law, not
facts available to the court,
and involves the legal au-
thority of the court in super
vising children committed to
the Department of Public We'll
fare. And he said that Mr..
Gray had failed to bring up
any new facts to suggest that
the current placement (of the
boy) is not satisfactory"
Rehabilitation Fails
But in yet another case Judge
Ketcham apparently has failed
in taking a different ap-
proach" to rehabilitation a l6-
year-old boy by sending him
home.
The youth, who has a police
record of II complaints dat
ing back to 1855, was brought
before the judge less than two
weeks ago on a charge of un-
lawful entry. But testimony
failed to show the lads pres
ence on a landing of a down.
town store stairway was actu-
ally illegal.
Assistant Corporation Coun-
sci Michael Ritz was therefore
forced to drop the charge. The
judge then decided to commit
the boy to custody of his
guardian after noting that in
stitutional rehabilitation eff
forts had failed in this case.
The judge recalled the youth
originally had been committed
to the custody of the Welfare
Department in 1856 on a COM
plant of theft from the mails
However, the judge also said
that during the 10 months be-
fore the youth was released by
the department he made little
progress in adjusting himself to
community life.
I The release was decided on
December II. On December II,
according to police, the youth
assaulted a 14-year-old girl in
his west Washington
home.
Judge Ketcham originally
had set up a hearing-sched-
uled for next January 13-as
: a follow-through on the boys
adjustment and to check up on
I whether he was given a job.
e Now a hearing will be held
I today by the Juvenile Courts
director of social work on the
5 new complaint against the
youth, who was arrested on
c December 18 and charged with
. carnal knowledge of a child
under Is years of age.
NAIsII