page_title: Ben B. Lindsey
section_title: Juvenile court
hierarchical_section_title: Ben B. Lindsey / Juvenile court
caption_attribution_description: English: Benjamin Barr Lindsey (November 25, 1869 - March 26, 1943) and wife in 1915
context_page_description: Benjamin Barr Lindsey was an American judge and social reformer based in Denver during the Progressive Era.
context_section_description: Lindsey was a pioneer in the establishment of the juvenile court system.  Through his efforts, an act was passed creating a juvenile court in Denver which represented an important advance in relation of the law to children and would go on to serve as a model for future juvenile courts across America. Lindsey was made judge of the juvenile court in 1901 (which became a juvenile and family relations court in 1907). He held the position continuously, but he was not endorsed by either political party in 1908.
  Among other measures to which Judge Lindsey contributed his influence were a reform of the registration law, greatly reducing election frauds; a reform of the ballot; state provisions for the support of the dependents of people serving in prison; extension of the probation system for prisoners; organization of public baths and playgrounds in Denver; the institution of the fresh-air movement in Denver; and enactment of statewide Mother's Pension Law.
  He was a leader in the movement to abolish child labor. He carried on an active propaganda for the general adoption of the juvenile court plan, and for political and social reform, through lectures delivered in many American and foreign cities and through the publication of books and pamphlets, of which The Beast (with Harvey J. O'Higgins, 1910) was widely circulated. In 1906, Judge Lindsey was a candidate for Governor of Colorado, and in 1912 became a member of the Progressive National Committee.
caption: Lindsey and wife in 1915
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