Evening star., 1961-08-09
JUVENILE
JUVENILE
Dodd Questions
Court Foes Faith
Continued From First Page

IldDll1JdIC CIAll1 CLl dllu Hd1 C1LOo
costs millions of dollars in Gov
ernment services that need to
be co-ordinated and aug
mented.
What concerns me is
whether we must always look
for more cases and more
judges" Senator Hartke said.
when a child reaches a judge,
he is pretty far down the line
and chances for his rehabilita-
ton are SLIM"
Training Centers Proposed
He drew from Mrs. Nina Trev-
vett, of the Commissioners
Youth Council, a suggestion that
problem families be shown how
to- live in therapeutic COM
munities.% . These would be lit
tie training centers where re-
habilitative functions of the
city could be focused econom-
icaily, Mrs. Trevvett said.
Senator Hartke said he ap-
preciated a fresh, positive ap-
proach to a lingering problem.
After questioning Mrs. Trev-
vett about the need for the
centers, he said he thought if
any were established, they
should be studied on a pilot
basis,
Beneficiaries would be the S
to 6 per cent of District fam
lilies contributing to 10 or 80
per cent of the District social
services work load, according
to Mrs. Travvett.
"There isn't clothing for these
families, she told the Senator.
There isn't furniture.
:. Meals are not shared by
families because one kitchen
sometimes is used by six or
seven families.
"A man is there, but he is a
different man sometimes daily
because the family cannot re-
ceive welfare benefits if an
able bodied, employable man is
in the family home"
The Whole of Their Lives
She assured Senator Hartke
that generations of children
and parents in the District lived
that way "all their lives"
do you find they do not
know how to use a knife and
fork2" Senator Hartke asked.
"Oh. surely, that is common ~
Mrs. Travvett said. -
Are they taking baths?"
II am thinking of one house
where one bath is used by
eight families and transients,
where there is not much OPP
portunity for what I would call
q BATH" Mrs. Travvett replied.
She said attendance at a
therapeutic center would be
voluntary. Plenty of people
would come, she predicted.
Corrections Director Donald
", Clemmer said the logical
place for therapy to, work or
Jailed persons-regardless oi
age-was in probationary Serv-
ices. The danger of contami-
mating potentially good boys by
hardened hoodlumS exists in
any correctional institution, he
said. Mr.. Clemmer would like
to see a probation office staff
of 200 rather than 20 here.
Commissioner Duncan was
flanked by eight District Off
cials, in preparation for ques-
tions about five ideas for legis-
lation and the broader inquiry
of Senator Hartke into causes
Of delinquency.
Referees Proposed
Before the subcommittee in
either bill or draft for are:
A Hartke bill to put two ref
erees to work assisting Juve-
nile Court Judge Orm Ketcham
Senator Dodd was opposed to
substituting referees for two
additional judges, but not
lagainSt the referee principle
The District Commissioners
said new judges were prefer
able to referees, which they op-
posed.
Another Hartke bill authoriz.
ing construction of a $1.2 mil.
lion rehabilitation division al
1.-THE Youth Corrections Center
Lorton, Va, for offenders II
years of age and older. Sen.
ator Dodd labeled this a com
mon sense proposal" if juve.
niles and adult offenders die
not mingle. The division wa.
the Commissioners idea.
A Senate bill sponsored BY
District Committee Chairman
Bible, Democrat of Nevada, fol
two more Juvenile Court judges
A proposal under study in thu
Senate and reported by the
House subcommittee headed BY
Representative Davis, Demo.
crat of Georgia, accomplishing
the shift of Juvenile into Mu-
nicipal Court and lowering the
age limit of youngsters sent tc
court from 18 to l6. The juve-
niles could be waived to adult
courts on misdemeanor as well
as felony charges, a change in
the law favored at Senate hear
ings by Assistant Corporation
Counsel Irving Bryan and Dep
uty Police Chief John Winters
head of the Youth Aid Division
More Judges Another Plan
Finally, the Commissioners
new idea separating adult and
juvenile cases with two more
judges, one in Municipal and
the other in Juvenile Court.
Commissioner Duncan told
Senator Bible that the COM
missioners we're trying to dig