A special compilation, made at the request of the Commission, shows that of 623 children released under a suspended sentence during the year 1904, after one or more periods of parole, 75, or 12 per cent., have since such release been arrested for the same or other offenses and committed to institutions.

In the Children's Court of the borough of Brooklyn special attention has been paid to probation work. This court was established by special act of Legislature in 1903, largely through the efforts of Hon. Robert J. Wilkin.

The law provided for the creation of a Children's Court as a branch of the Court of Special Sessions, Second Division, and the appointment of an additional justice. Judge Wilkin, who had been for many years the Superintendent and Attorney of the Brooklyn Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, was then appointed. The Justices of Special Sessions by lot sit in rotation for periods of two months each in the Children's Court, but by special arrangement of his associates Judge Wilkin has presided for nine months each year. Judge Wilkin testified before the Commission at length. Some of the important features of his testimony may be summarized as follows:

When the Brooklyn Children's Court was established, the special statute provided that the justice sitting in the Children's Court might appoint three probation officers. He considered

that provision to mean that the different religions should be recognized, and called a meeting of the charitable and philan thropic societies of Brooklyn to meet at his office. It was decided that three committees should be appointed, one representing the Catholics, one the Jewish, and one the Protestant interests. These committees were to recommend the names of

three persons as probation officers. The committee representing the Catholic societies selected an agent of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, receiving compensation from that society; the Jewish societies suggested the superintendent of the Hebrew Educational Society, and the Protestant societies suggested the head worker for the Italian Settlement. The last mentioned found, however, that he was unable to give the work as much time as it required, and subsequently one of the missionaries of the City Mission and Tract Society was selected. The superintendent of the Hebrew Educational Society resigned from that position, and his successor was unable to give much time to this work, and states that the Hebrews are not particularly desirous of hav ing a Hebrew, as such, appointed as a probation officer. Leading members of the Jewish faith have said that as good results would come from a probationary officer of any faith, the chief point being that the officer should be kind hearted and intelligent. The superintendent of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has been called upon to act as probation officer in some cases, especially the Jewish cases, and for some Protestant cases. Mrs. Tunis G. Bergen, a member of this Commission, has acted as a volunteer probation cfficer for some girls, and Miss Leitch, who represents the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Court of Special Sessions, has taken charge of some Catholic girls.

Justice Wilkin meets meets the probation officers in conference once a month and they talk over the cases. During 1904, 326 Catholic children were placed on probation, 108 Protestants and 44 Hebrews. Judge Wilkin thought he could count upon the services of the representatives of these societies as being sufficient for the needs of the probation work in Brooklyn. The child is placed on probation without time being stated, but required to report to the court in about thirty days. This period may be extended indefinitely, but usually ends in about three months. Occasionally it might be advantageous to extend probationary oversight for a longer period.

In the subsequent examination of the probation officers, it appeared that the Catholic probation officer enlisted the cooperation of many members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in parishes in which the society is organized; that he also aims to visit the children in their homes, as well as to require them to report to him, but that the number is too great to permit him to visit them as frequently and become as well acquainted with them as he would like to do. A considerable number of Protestant and Jewish children were committed to the oversight of the Brooklyn Society. for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

When children are placed under the probationary care of the society, they report to the office of the society. This is required for the purpose of establishing a personal relation between the child and the probationary officer and to build up an acquaintance which might tend to influence its future conduct. Visits are also made to the child's home, seeking the reasons for his delinquency and to establish a friendly interest with the parent and child in the effort to encourage better conduct upon the part of

both. The child's home may be visited by several different officers with a short time intervening between each visit, in order that the report of one officer may correct any temperamental errors in the report of another.

Very recently the society has placed a woman probation officer at the service of the court, her salary being guaranteed to the Society by the Women's Clubs and other women's organizations of Brooklyn.

The entire number of children brought before the court in 1905, was 3,307, of whom 2,981. were boys and 326 girls. Of this number 1,856 boys and 217 girls were convicted.

victed were dealt with as follows:

Committed to institutions

Those con

742

The 626 placed on probation are accounted for at the end of the year as follows:

Rearrested and committed to institutions.

116

Sentence suspended indefinitely after a satisfactory period

of probation

391

Remained on probation at the end of the year.

119

Total...

626

In Buffalo the Juvenile Court was organized in 1901, as a division of the City Court. This was the first separate children's

court in this State, and the first important development of probation work for children in this State was in connection with this court. The justice, Hon. Thomas Murphy, who has presided continuously in the Children's Court since its establishment, has taken a great interest in the development of probation work, and is entitled to high praise for having led the way in the movement for juvenile probation in this State.

A large number of volunteer probation officers have been appointed, but up to the present time none receive salaries. Some of these volunteer probation officers are the salaried agents of charitable societies; others are professional or business men; two are attendance officers of the Educational Department, and there are a number of ladies. Recently a police officer has been detailed to serve bench warrants for the arrest of juvenile offenders released on probation who are reported by the proba tion officers as violating the terms of their probation. The probation officers, as a rule, require the children to report to them once a week at first, and subsequently diminish the frequency of the reports. The children are put on probation for a term of three months, renewable in the discretion of the court, and if they do not violate the terms of the probation they do not appear again in court. The probation officer files a report at some subsequent time, stating the conduct of the child, and a report is then entered at the court that the child is definitely discharged from further supervision. On this point Judge Murphy testified as follows:

"Q. For what length of time do you ordinarily place a child on probation in the first instance? A. Three months is the time, but after that the privilege is in the probation officers to renew it as long as they see fit.