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Boys and CrimeFor the first time in many years Chicago occupies one of the more favorable spots in the nation's crime map. and from all indications credit for the improvement belongs almost entirely to the work of leaders in the Chicago Boys’ Clubs, Inc. These organizations have a membership of more than 11.000. and cover every part ofthe sprawling city.It may or mav not have been coin-v vcidence that the report of the work was handed to the press simultaneouslywith the close of the American Prison Association's annual meeting at LongBeach, but the two should be considered together for the full significance of each.While the prison executives were meeting at Long Beach, J. Edgar Hoover. FBI Director, released a report in Washington showing a 20 per cent increase in crime in the first six months of 1947 over the same period of last year. His figures showed that the first three months of this year showed an encouraging decrease in juvenile offenses, but began an upw-ard spiral in April which by June, had not only wiped out the decrease but had indicated a trend toward still higher levels.The significant part of this report is that the increase in crime and misdemeanor complaints began along about vacation time, and this is where the Chicago Plan. Kids, Incorporated, andother similar supervised play programsenter the picture. This is when youth is likely to go “out of bounds” in search of amusement, entertainment, or means of occupying their time and thoughts.Out at Long Beach, criminologists “viewed with alarm” the already enormous cost of law’ enforcement and thefact that present methods are in noway serving as deterrents to lawlessconduct. Austin H. MacCormick. New York penologist, who recently criticized the Texas prison farm system, sounded the keynote at the Long Beach meeting by saying:“The taxpayer has himself to thank for the fact that his law-enforcement dollars pay such low dividends. Thousands of police officers throughout the country must be diverted from the taskVof controlling crime to controlling traffic, keeping good people from running through traffic lights, exceeding the speed limit, and doing other things they should not need a policeman to keep them from doing.”It is not in nature for children and adolescents to have high regard for the rules of conduct when thev see. dailv and hourly, adults flouting laws made for the protection of life and property. It is outside of reason for the young to impose discipline upon themselves when they are without example or guidance in proper relationships.
Newspaper Details
Amarillo Sunday News Globe
Amarillo, Texas, US
Sun, Sep 21, 1947
Page 104
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Jun 2019
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