Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/302

290 I am grateful that the committee will accept this report.

The. That will be exhibit No. 32.

(The report referred to was marked "Exhibit No, 32," and reads as follows:)

Tt is a tradition of lawyers, as of all ritualists, to show a high disdain for the ordinary workaday details of life, Like the two maiden aunts in Marcel Proust, who carried on an Glaborate conversation in which they sought to thank Swann for a gift, witheut moenliening the gift, whieh by their social code wonld haye involved too vulgar a contact with ordinary life, lawyers, and judges stick to thetr cade and mention social reality only by imnuemlo and indirection. And so, this report, too, is a departure from svilogisms, ritnals, and abstrac- tions in that it breaks with such teadilion in ifs treatment of one of the many facets of an ordinary and workaday detail of lifejnvenile delinquency.

No more alarniug eyimptour of present-day lawlessness can be cited than the shocking spectacle of juvenile trausgression naw running rampant throughout ow' Nation. Tn the age group of 10 to 17, figures campiled by the United States Chitdven’s Burean released at the annual forum of the National Conference of Social Work last month in Ailantic City, revealed a startling intrvease of 45 percent in delinquency cases for the 5-year period, 1948-08, as compared with a rise of only 7 percent increase in papnlation during the same period in fhis age group. Tt may be said that this revolting palvern of secial Uecay has reuched the serious propurtions of a netional epidemic. Through indifference or pre- occupation with yexatian and sttess in a world in turmoil, we bave shul our eyes to the present level of moral deterioration of our adolescent seciety. “We Aevote much attention, energy, and resaurcesand rightly soto the fight against communisin, both at home and abroud. We are waging the fight to keep this Nation free. To what ayail is that fight if the moral fiber of more and more of our children is being widermined? We devote nutohi millions to the pretection of our cational resonrces through reforestation, prevention of soil croesion, and the like. But we are neglecting our biggest national resoarceour children and youth.” (Interim Delinquency Reports Conclusion of United States Senate sub- canuuittee, headed by Senetur Robert C. Hendrickson of New Jersey.)

Our statutes provide, under 2A:4-14 that “the juvenile and domestie rela- tions court, shall have exectusive jurisdiction to bear and determine all cases of juvenile delingueney.* And juvenile delinqueney is defined by the com- Mission by a child, under 18 years of age, of an act which when committed hy a person of the age of 18 years or over, would constitute the gravest of offenses, The only exceptions are found in Revised Statutes, 2A 2-15, which provide that In cases involving juyentle delinquency, cammitted by persons of the age of 16 or 17 vears, where it appears that tle act of delinqueney was committed hy an hahitnal offender, or where the offense is of a heinous natnre, then the juvenile court may refer such case 1o Wie county prosecutor, Ip addition, “any juvenile of the »ge of 16 or 17 years, may demand a presentment and trial by Jury, and, in such case, when this fact is made known to the court (jnyenile court), such case, together with all the deenments pertaining thereto, shall he referred to Lhe county proseculor. Cases, so referred to the county prosecutor, shall thereafter be dealt wilh in exacily the same manner as a eriminul case.” The likelihood of a youth of 16 or 17, voluntarily placing himself within the jurisdiction of our criminal courts, is quite remote. These references to the prosecutor are further enunciated in Revised Rites of Practiee, 6-9-7.

Kyery adult concerned with the welfare of our youth, cannot fail to recognize the ¢raye impict of the United States Senate subcommittce hearings on ju- yemule (lelinguency, the New York State Joint Legislative Commitlee To Study the Publication of Comics and the recent creation of a similar joint legislative ¢ommittee In eur own State. Several montlis ago, the New Jersey State Bar Association, with a membership of some 3,000 lawyers, juincd in the effort by its delegation of 21 county har association suheammittees on juvenile ¢detin- quency, These agencies have been diligently engaged in seeking out the causes,