APPENDIX C.

DIRECTORY OF PROBATION ORGANIZATIONS IN NEW YORK STATE.

Buffalo.

Juvenile Improvement Association.- President, Hon. Simon A. Nash; Secretary, Mrs. Anna E. Gaffney, 762 Seventh St., Buffalo.

Established in 1906. Formerly conducted a detention home for children awaiting trial. Has secured improvements in the treatment of juvenile

offenders.

Syracuse.

Syracuse Probation Association.- Honorary President, Hon. Benjamin J. Shove; President, Rev. M. S. Howland; Secretary, Lloyd L. Cheney, Police Court, Syracuse.

Established in 1908. Secures volunteers for juvenile probation work, provides medical inspection for juveniles brought before the court, secures employment for juvenile probationers; and also assists in supervising children paroled from institutions for juvenile delinquents.

New York City.

Board of Probation Officers, New York city, First Division, Magistrates' Courts.- Chairman, Sergeant Wm. H. Van Keuren, 507 West 135th street, New York city.

Meets weekly for the purpose of receiving reports from probationers.

Brooklyn Juvenile Probation Association.-President, Hon. Robert J. Wilkin; Secretary, Mrs. Tunis G. Bergen; Assistant Secretary, Miss Gertrude Grasse, 102 Court street, Brooklyn.

Established in 1906. Provides volunteer friends for children released from probation and for children paroled from institutions.

Catholic Probation League (Incorporated).-President, Hon. Michael J. Scanlon; Secretary, Patrick Bird, 375 Lafayette street, New York city.

Established in 1907. Furnishes Catholic probation officers for defendants in the New York Court of General Sessions and the New York City, First Division, Court of Special Sessions.

Jewish Protectory and Aid Association (Incorporated).—President, Mortimer L. Schiff; Secretary, Edgar J. Kohler, 42 Broadway, New York city.

Established in 1908 by consolidating the Jewish Protectory Aid Society and the Society for the Aid of Jewish Prisoners. Furnishes probation officers for Jewish defendants in New York City and certain other counties, and also aids discharged prisoners.

Male Probation Officers' Association of New York city, Second Division, Magistrates' Courts.- President, Rev. H. Veld; Secretary, George M. Shane, 36 Madison avenue, Tompkinsville, S. I.

Established in 1908. Meets monthly for the discussion of probation work.

New York Prison Association

(Incorporated).- President,

Eugene Smith; Corresponding Secretary,

135 E. 15th street, New York city.

Established in 1844. Furnishes a probation officer for the New York Court of General Sessions. Has promoted the adoption of the probation system.

New York Probation Association (Incorporated).— President, Hon. Charles S. Whitman; Secretary, Miss Stella A. Miner, 165 West 10th street, New York city.

Established in 1908. Conducts a shelter for women held for trial in the New York City, First Division Night Court, or released by that court on probation.

Women Probation Officers' Association of New York city, Second Division, Magistrates' Courts.- President, Miss Anne V. Roome, 105 Montague street, Brooklyn; Secretary, Miss Myrtes M. Fish, 62 Putnam avenue, Brooklyn.

Established in 1906. Meets monthly for the discussion of probation work.

Yonkers.

General Probation Committee.-President, Hon. Joseph H. Beall; Secretary, Miss Mary Marshall Butler, Woman's Institute, Yonkers.

Established in 1907. Is composed of representatives of certain city department and private organizations. Secures volunteers for juvenile probation work and promotes the efficiency of the service.

APPENDIX D.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION TO THE AUTHORITIES OF BUFFALO, ERIE COUNTY, ELMIRA AND ROCHESTER.

1. Recommendations to the Children's Court Judge of Buffalo.

STATE OF NEW YORK:

STATE PROBATION COMMISSION,

ALBANY, February 19, 1908.

Hon. SIMON A. NASH, Judge of the Children's Court, Buffalo, N. Y.:

DEAR SIR.- Pursuant to your invitation the State Probation Commission met in Buffalo January 10 and 11, 1908, and conferred with a number of officials and other citizens familiar with the work of the children's court; and the secretary of this Commission made further investigations in Buffalo from February 14th to 17th, inclusive. After considering the information thus gathered the State Probation Commission respectfully submits the following recommendations for the development and improve ment of the probation work in the children's court of the city of Buffalo, and also regarding the most advisable way of caring for children whom it may be necessary to hold in custody either before arraignment or pending further investigation.

The Commission recommends that you petition the comptroller of the city of Buffalo to include in the budget for the ensuing year the two following appropriations:

1. An appropriation of $1,500 for the employment of a chief probation officer in the children's court;

2. An appropriation of whatever amount may be necessary for renting and maintaining a building in which the children's court may be held; in which the probation officers may have offices and in which children may be detained whom it may be necessary to hold in custody either before their arraignment or pending further investigation of their cases.

I.

The temporary State Probation Commission of 1905-6 appointed by Governor Higgins for the purpose of investigating the operations and results of the probation system in New York State made careful inquiries regarding the probation work in the children's court of the city of Buffalo. The report of this temporary commission commended the Buffalo children's court for having been one of the first cities in the country to adopt probation for children, and for having enlisted the services of so many capable probation officers. At the same time the report of the temporary commission criticized the probation work in the Buffalo children's court in that the volunteer probation officers had no uniform standards of work and were not properly supervised. The testimony collected by the present commission on January 10 and 11, 1908, at which time twelve persons were examined regarding the probation work in the children's court, showed that the chief defect in the probation work in Buffalo is still the lack of adequate supervision and direction of volunteers on the part of some one person whose sole duty is to be responsible for the proper execution of the work of volunteers and to exercise a general oversight of this department of the court's work. This Commission, therefore, recommends that a man be appointed as salaried chief probation officer in the children's court.

Inquiry has been made from various persons in Buffalo regarding the salary which it is necessary to pay in order to secure a man of the right qualifications for this office. On the basis of the facts thus gathered the Commission believes that it will be necessary to make the salary at least $1,500 per annum. The chief probation officer should be a civilian. The chief probation officer cannot be expected to exercise direct supervision of any considerable number of probationers since his time will be required for the development and control of the volunteer service and for the various work in connection with the keeping of case records. In this connection the Commission would recommend that the chief probation officer have regular daily office hours in an office to be known as the probation officer's room in the building where the court meets.

While, without adequate oversight and direction, the work of volunteers is liable to become ineffective, their work can be made extremely useful if properly supervised, and in the absence of a large force of paid officers it becomes important that a sufficient number of volunteers be secured to enable the court to provide careful personal oversight for all children placed on probation. The volunteers should be formally appointed and required to report to, and work under the direction of, the chief probation offi

cer.

The law requires two duties from probation officers: That of investigation preliminary to trial, and that of supervision after conviction. In a city of the size of Buffalo where so many juvenile cases are heard and where it is necessary for investigations to be made over such wide area, the work of preliminary investigation necessarily takes a large amount of time. This work must be done by persons thoroughly qualified to learn the truth, and upon whom the court may depend absolutely for complete and correct reports of the findings. Volunteers cannot be entrusted with this responsibility, nor are they available to give so much time and so summarily as is necessary. The present arrangement of having Sergeant John P. Maloney do the work of investigation is working well and it is recommended that he continue to carry on this work.

II.

The present holding of the children's court in the county building known as the morgue is unfortunate. A morgue is subject to sights and associations which make it an improper place for a children's court. The holding of the court in that place is an inconvenience to the county officers, and the arrangement of the quarters unsuited for children's court purposes. The rooms are too small and result in too much crowding and indiscriminate commingling of adults with children and of boys with girls. It is the duty of the city to provide a more spacious and better adapted courtroom. Adjacent to the courtroom should be offices for the judge, the chief probation officer and the investigator, and a waiting-room for boys and one for girls. The children's court should be located near the center of the city and preferably in a building by itself.