It is a lot more than an appropriation, and we see purely from a sociological viewpoint, and there are tremendous social implications on all those things.

It is not just money involved, it is a coordinating effort, bringing the community closer together, just purely human relations.

Mr. PUCINSKY. As you and I know, and as the people have testified in these hearings, I have been very much impressed with how much we do know now about problems involved in this whole situation. But they all tell you the same thing-they just don't have the facilities, they don't have the funds, they don't have the trained personnel, wtih which to develop these programs. So it seems to me that this legislation, which would provide training and would provide the facilities, could make a first significant, meaningful start. While I am mindful of the problems the Supreme Court has created this afternoon in every community in America, I think that it is going to take decisions like the one handed down today to really jar this country into recognizing the enormity of the problem.

We had testimony here that eight out of every 10 youngsters in this country are going to have some confrontation with a court, including traffic offenses, by the time they reach their 18th birthday, eight out of 10.

Mr. HASKINS. That only points out that either we spend the money for preventive social service, or we spend it for institutional care, and I think it is as simple as that.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Then we talk about institutional care-we have the statement today by Mrs. Ochinger, the head of the Federal Children's Bureau, saying that Federal institutions are being shortchanged in their treatment and education because of a lack of experienced personnel.

There are 48,500 youngsters in the State training schools now in this country, and we are spending $144 million a year to maintain these schools. Mrs. Ochinger says these schools are not doing a good job, so that it is my hope this legislation is going to give them a start in improving their programs.

Mr. HASKINS. The brick-and-mortar process is not an answer to our problems of juvenile crime. There has to be some kind of an effort made prior to the introduction to an offense, and this is what we are working with.

Mr. PUCINSKI. I believe this bill, among other things, provides $30 million to $4.5 million for the first year-for research, so that we are not unmindful of the fact that we have to learn a lot more, as you said, about this whole problem.

Mr. HASKINS. I am very grateful to you for your testimony, and I do hope that you will forgive me for the fact that we have this call to the floor.

I do hope that you will let the Urban League know how really grateful we are for this excellent statement. I think it will go a long way toward helping us with the plans for this legislation, and I thank for your participation.

Mr. HASKINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. PUCINSKI. The meeting will stand adjourned.

you

(Whereupon, at 3:18 p.m., the committee adjourned subject to the rall of the Chair.)

THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT

OF 1967

MONDAY, MAY 22, 1967

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

GENERAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Roman C. Pucinski (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Pucinski, Brademas, Scheuer, Hawkins, and Scherle.

Also present: Margaret B. Sugg, director, Mattie L. Maynard, clerk, and Charles Eischen, staff assistant.

Mr. PUCINSKI. The subcommittee will come to order.

This morning, in continuing our hearings on President Johnson's proposal to enact the Juvenile Prevention Act of 1967, we are fortunate to have with us as witnesses a group of young men here in Washington, D.C., who, albeit, have a rather strange name, "Rebels With a Cause." These young men some time ago decided that the best way to deal with delinquency was to become involved in projects and programs that would give young people an alternative to delinquency, and they have been doing the herculean job under the most difficult of conditions, probably the most difficult in the country. We are going to ask representatives of Rebels With a Cause to come to the witness table. We are also very privileged to have with us today a lady who has been very active in helping these young men set up an organization that would accentuate the postive instead of complaining about the negative. She has been most active in inspiring these young men, both with her own personal encouragement and financial assistance, and she is none other than Miss Eartha Kitt, who from her active life as a stage, television, and screen star has taken time to assist many community groups with programs of this type.

She has written of her early life of poverty in South Carolina.

She first became interested in Rebels With a Cause in early 1966 when she came to Washington for a stage performance to benefit the Southeast Neighborhood House. She met members of the Rebels at that time and has since offered valuable advice and assistance to their efforts. She was made an honorary member of the group and an assistant in organizing activities in preventing delinquency.

Certainly, as one woman who has had experience in her own early lifetime with the problem of poverty and those things that contribute

so much toward the whole problem of delinquency, we are indeed privileged to have Miss Kitt here. We want to thank her for taking time out from her very busy schedule to join with us in discussing the legislation before us and giving us some insight into what young people, who are trying to do something about this program and this problem, are doing.

So I wonder if we may have the representatives of Rebels With a Cause come to the witness table.

I might add this is kind of a hectic day on the Hill today. We are going to start debate on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and many members of this subcommittee are very deeply involved in the successful passage of that legislation. So, as the morning proceeds, some of our members will have to be leaving and others will join us as we go along.

I would like to call upon the ranking member of this committee before we proceed with the witnesses. Mr. Brademas?

Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I look forward with enthusiasm to hearing Miss Kitt. As a longtime fan and not infrequent observer of her performances, I have been equally impressed by the leadership she has shown in giving encouragement to young people to undertake this kind of a program. We are delighted to see you here this morning, Miss Kitt.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Mr. Scheuer?

Mr. SCHEUER. I echo my colleagues' welcome to Miss Kitt for her combining of professional excellence with a deep concern for the problems of her fellow men. Delighted to have you with us.

Miss KITT. Thank you.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Now, gentlemen, I thought we would ask the young people to give us some of their views on this legislation. They have studied this; they have discussed it at the Settlement House. I wonder if the director of this Settlement House would be good enough to identify himself.

Mr. FERTIG. Ralph Fertig, Director of the Southeast Neighborhood House.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Mr. Fertig has contributed a great deal of leadership to this cause. Perhaps you would like to introduce the members of your staff, who are here with you this morning.

Mr. FERTIG. I think there are quite a few. We are fortunate in having George Hampton, who is the staff director and adviser to the Rebels With a Cause. This is a very novel program. They hire and fire their own staff and they select the man to be their leader, and I think that we are very pleased with their selection, certainly, but this was part of the experiment of youth management.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Excuse me, if you would be good enough--those people out in the corridor, I am sure you cannot hear what is going on. Why don't you come here and come down the side of the wall.

Mr. FERTIG. As part of the funds made available to them, they have hired a schoolteacher, Miss Kathy Goldman. She is teaching the Rebels With a Cause and some of the Neighborhood Youth Corps aides to prepare for high school equivalency exams. These are people who felt pushed out of an overcrowded school situation here in Washington. The rest I think I will leave up to the young people themselves to handle.

Mr. PUCINSKI. I wonder who will be the first witness.

Mr. HAMPTON. Walter Williams.

Mr. PUCINSKI. I might advise everybody I became interested in the Rebels With a Cause some time ago I believe it was about a year or year and a half ago when Miss Kitt called and said she needed help. I was at that time doing an investigation of the schools in the District. We became interested in this unique organization and we found that these young people are highly motivated in trying to turn the direction of the community that was on its way toward deep and serious trouble. I am delighted to welcome this group. I believe Mr. Johnson is going to lead off the group this morning.

Mr. HAMPTON. Mr. William Scott will start it off.

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM SCOTT, SENIOR NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH WORKER, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Mr. Scort. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Mr. Scott, you have been one of the key organizers of this movement, haven't you?

Mr. SCOTT. Yes, sir.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I'm happy to be here and especially delighted to see Chairman Pucinski, who has been trying to help us and is also, I believe, an honorary member of the Rebels With a Cause.

A year ago Chairman Pucinski became aware of what the Rebels were trying to do, but I'm sure he would like to hear about our achievements since we last met. I am sure that the rest of the committee would also like to know who we are.

The Rebels With a Cause was founded under the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961; this group started as volunteers in February of 1966. We were from Barry Farms in Anacostia, Washington, D.C., a National Capital Housing development project. It was at that time one of the oldest and worst housing developments in the city.

This group organized because they felt there were too few youth programs in the Anacostia area. The whole Anacostia area was a forgotten part of our city; all the recreation and job programs had passed us by. In the beginning of the program, our purpose was to organize youths in the community and help them with their problems in education, recreation, employment, and police-community relations. We also wanted to involve youth in designing their own programs and operating programs themselves.

A year later we have organized 20 youth groups, each of which has a membership of approximately 23. Therefore, we have 470 members of Rebels With a Cause. In addition, we have made approximately 2.000 contacts to involve the youth in deciding on community affairs and activities and to let them know how to become responsible citizens of their community.

The staff of the Rebels With a Cause consists of 23 youth from 16 to 22 years of age, 19 of whom have not completed their high school

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