Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/668

 648 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

school was erected, a committee of the board of supervisors of Cook county, in 1871, advised the county commissioners to sell the land, paying the city $50,000 for the improvements, and this was agreed to ; but "the great fire" of that year destroyed most of the school buildings, and the school authorities immediately obtained permission from the legislature to transfer the few remain- ing pupils to the new State Reform School at Pontiac. This was done, and the Chicago Reform School, after having performed a substantial service to this city, ceased to exist.

II. THE STATE REFORM SCHOOL.

In 1867 the Illinois legislature passed an act for the reforma- tion of boys between the ages of eight and eighteen years ; and in 1869 the law was re-enacted, more time for the erection of the reform school being allowed. The object of the act was "the discipline, education, employment, and reformation of juvenile offenders and vagrants." Acting under this law, the governor appointed a board of trustees, who proceeded at once to purchase a tract of 276 acres of excellent land at Pontiac, in Livingston county, about ninety-two miles south of Chicago. Buildings were erected of sufficient capacity to accommodate 125 pupils; but the number increased so rapidly that more buildings were needed a year later. Mr. George W. Perkins, the first superintendent, was soon succeeded by Dr. John D. Scouller, who continued as superintendent until 1891. The "family plan" was adopted, and separate buildings, accommo- dating from forty to fifty boys each, were gradually erected.

A high fence was built around the school in order to restrain the most vicious boys, but the superintendent later advocated its removal and the granting of greater liberty to the boys, in spite of the fact that as many as twenty boys had escaped in one year.

A law of 1873 provided that boys between the ages of ten and sixteen, guilty of an offense which, if committed by an adult, would be punishable by imprisonment in a jail or penitentiary, should be sent to the reform school for a term not less than one year nor more than five years. This definite limitation by law