Juvenile Courts

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

law Courts esinals who ate tablished to deal separately and in a features of this nd 16. For the different way with criminals who are of new in deemed essenbetween the ages of 8 and 16. For the or methods the State should last fifty years it has been deemed esseras compared le toward young tial by penologists that the State should innovations which se should be . Neither assume a different attitude toward young offenders, and that its purpose should be played any part their reformation rather than their punishment. Massachusetts in 1869 established the office of "visiting agent," the incumbent of which should acquaint himself with the criminals of youthful age and to whom notice had to be sent before bis, in 1899 the child was sent to jail. The next movement to tend toward a Juvenile Juvenile Co Court was the separation of the older t criminals from the place place of confinement of minors. Illinois, in 1899, passed an act which many regard as having established the first Juvenile Court. Under those of this act the Circuit Court was empowey ered to deal in an especial and different the credi manner with younger delinquents, aleal Juvenils though the same processes of the crimich State inal law such as those of the Grand Jury, ing the co District Attorney, etc., had to be fol- Formation lowed. Perhaps the credit of establish- This Act w ing the first real Juvenile Court is due of Denve to Colorado, which State in 1899 passed an act permitting the county courts to robation act for the reformation of criminals. Upon this Act was founded the og of the Juvenile Court of Denver, which Judge e very lat Ben B. Lindsey has made so justly famment. Cor Paid probation officers to look ous. after offenders are a necessity to the successful working of the Juvenile Court but they came very late in the history of the movement. Comparatively few States have established separate Juvenile Courts, usually choosing some estabseparate Juve lished court and designating this funcing some estab tion to it. Colorado led the way here, when in 1907 it established a separate the way her Juvenile Court, with a procedure all its separa own, in every city with a population over all 100,000. An important phase in the movement to protect the young in our great cities the moveme has been the passage of laws by many of our great cit the States known as Contributory De aws by many linquent Laws, which provide that any ontributory parent, guardian, or other person who rovide that shall encourage or cause a child to comer person mit a crime shall be deemed guilty of a child to misdemeanor and punished accordingly. ned guilty In all acts dealing with the Juvenile ned accordi Court Colorado, under the influence of th the Juy Lindsey's great work, has been the the influenc leader. A vivid account of his experihas beer ences is given in his autobiography. of his