Juveniles' history traced
(Editor's note: The stories of Ted and Jim are true incidents concerning two Lawrence youths. The names have been changed to protect the youths and their families.)
By KEN PETERSON
Kansan Staff Writer
Ted crept up to the house. Satisfied that no one was home, he and his buddies broke the lock and entered. Once inside, they began to pick up anything of value which could be easily transported to their cars.
Jim's job was different. He studied cars. Any car that looked inviting, Jim would inspect. His special love was stereo tapes, because they really brought the money. With professional skill, Jim could remove a tape in a matter of minutes.
Ted was 16, and Jim was 15. Figuring they were safe, the boys became habitual in their thefts. Eventually their luck ran out and they were caught.
Both were tried in the juvenile court and sent to the Boy's Industrial School at Huchinson.
Often parents' fault
The tragedy of juvenile delinquency can often be traced to the parents.
Ted's mother was divorced and later remarried. Ted's stepfather said the boy's troubles started in the sixth grade and gradually increased.
"Ted began school when he was $4\frac{1}{2}$, his stepfather said. "He was, therefore, less mature than others in his class. This made him insecure, and I guess he took these feelings out in the crimes he committed."
Ted's stepfather would not blame the gang of which Ted was a member. "He did not have to run around with them," he commented.
Apparently more relaxed, Ted's stepfather continued by relating the boy's time in the industrial school and its effects.
"He came out a little changed and immediately joined the service. He is only 17, and I think he will be all right. It's not too late for hope."
Jim, on the other hand, is still in the industrial school. His parents said, "We don't know exactly what happened to Jim, but the only ones we can blame are ourselves. Perhaps
Mar.19 1969 KANSAN 13
we gave him too many material things and not enough love."
Each case unique
Every case of juvenile delinquency is unique. Each must be judged on its own merits, said Charles C. Rankin, Douglas County juvenile judge.
"We must study the child's background and home conditions before we can make any judgments."
There are several degrees of juvenile offenses:
- delinquency, a crime committed by a juvenile (under 18 years of age), which would be considered a felony if the youth were an adult.
- miscreant, a misdemeanor committed by a juvenile.
- waywardness, a juvenile associating with "a vicious or immoral person or persons," or a juvenile from a home which could lead him to commit a crime.
"We have school dropouts who are also a problem." Rankin said.
Truancy and theft
"Generally, kids are pretty decent. Lots of times, kids just need guidance."
The Lawrence High School (LHS) principal and various junior high principals agreed with Rankin.
"Comparing Lawrence to other schools in cities, juvenile citizenship in the Lawrence area is good," said Bill Smedley, LHS principal. "There is a sincere effort in the community for the teen-agers."
Smedley said the biggest problem at LHS was the theft of personal property, which has always been a problem. Most of the trouble comes from small gangs, he said.
"Parents are convenient to blame, but this is not always the case," Smedley said. "But the number one ingredients are love and affection in the development of a child."
If LHS does have a problem with a student, the first step in taken through the school. If this fails, the parents are called for consultation.
"Lawrence youth have a greater number of parents working, and this absence of parents from the homes could lead a kid the wrong way." Smedley said.
Junior high principals agreed that their worst problem was truancy, with the parents not caring where their children were or what they were doing.
Kenneth E. Fisher, Central Junior High principal, said a small percentage of his students, less than 1 per cent, resented authority.
To combat this problem, each homeroom is competing for a Citizenship Trophy with the best self-conducted room winning the prize.
"This has been very effective." Fisher said,
"although we do have a couple of kids in trouble with the law." Fisher would not elaborate.
220 cases
Carol Mesigh, Douglas county probation officer, talked straight-forwardly about juvenile delinquency.
"We have reported 220 cases of delinquency to the state in 1968, and this doesn't include complaints or run-aways," she said.
- Statistics are not important in the study of delinquency, Miss Mesigh said. "What is important are the individual cases."
The greatest delinquency crime is car theft or "joyriding," Miss Mesigh said. Also included in the most frequent juvenile crimes are assault and grand larceny. Car theft is listed under breaking and entering.
"The usual ages for delinquency are 13 to 17," she said. "Petty larceny usually is common among the younger ones."
The delinquent usually comes from the lower social classes, where the parents don't care, Miss Mesigh said.
"The parents punish the child because he got caught, and not because he committed the crime."
Girls' delinquency usually occurs in waywardness or sexual deviation, Miss Mesigh said.
The juvenile courts are in a bind because the industrial school will only take offenders up to 16%.
"What do you do with the 17-year-old?" Miss Mesgh asked. "He is too old for industrial schools and yet should he be sent to prison at his age?"
Miss Mesigh commented she thought the curfew in Lawrence was far too lenient. It is now 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12:01 a.m. on weekends.
Individual justice
Lawrence also has trouble with upper class delinquents. "As you probably know, daddy can usually buy his kid out of trouble in these situations." She added that this is not the case in Lawrence.