It is hoped that there will be further opportunity to be of service to the U.S. Senate as well as to learn about the progress of the pending legislation. Your home is in Eugene and it is earnestly hoped that we will have the honor of your visit to the juvenile court center on your next return. We are proud of what the citizens have made possible in juvenile court services and are submitting the attached copies of our administrative reports. It is our earnest prayer that the Congress will approve legislation to cope with the juvenile delinquency problem and you and the U.S. Senate are applauded for its efforts in this endeavor. Cordially, JACK GLASs, Director. STATEMENT OF JACK GLASS, DIRECTOR OF THE LANE COUNTY, OREG., JUVENILE DEPARTMENT AND SKIPWORTH HOME Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Jack Glass. I am the director of the Lane County, Oreg., Juvenile Department and Skipworth Juvenile Home. Your committee chairman, Senator Clark, invited me to give testimony concerning Senate bills 694, 765, 766, 1090, and 1341, at the suggestion of Senator Morse, of Oregon, and a committee member. The opportunity to express my views on the proposed juvenile delinquency legislation as one who is on the actual firing line administering direct services to children in trouble or in need of protective services is deeply appreciated. THE LANE COUNTY JUVENILE DEPARTMENT The Lane County Juvenile Department as our agency is known is the administrative arm of the circuit court in and for the county of Lane, Oreg. Its headquarters is located at the juvenile court center, 400 Patterson Road. Eugene is the home of the University of Oregon. Lane County is the second largest in Oregon with a population of approximately 150,000 people. This county is one of the most dynamic in the Northwest. Our department provides juvenile probation, clinical, and detention services to dependent, neglected, and delinquent children requiring the services of an authoritative agency. Full details of our program and immediate objectives are contained in the two attached administrative reports for 1956-58. The commentator is completing his 25th year in welfare work, two-thirds of which has been devoted to various aspects of juvenile corrections, and include training in social work at the University of California at Berkeley. His professional affiliations include Professional Advisory Council, NPPA; Oregon Governor's Committee on Children and Youth; vice president, Oregon Conference of Social Work, and other affiliations. Publications include authorship of the "Manual on Policies and Procedures, San Francisco Juvenile Court." The Lane County Juvenile Department in the past 31⁄2 years has undergone a complete reorganization. It recently occupied an outstandingly designed and very functional juvenile court center housing the juvenile court, probation, clinical, and detention services. Its program is based on a blueprint resulting from a survey of juvenile court services in Lane County conducted by the National Probation & Parole Association and published in 1955. The accomplishments of this department reflect good community and official suport as represented by a juvenile advisory council, the county commissioners, and the judges of the circuit court. Good communications have developed between the department and both public and private agencies. Exceptionally good liaison has been developed with the police, welfare, health departments, and schools. Achievements to date also reflect the dedicated services of an unusually fine staff of workers functioning on a multidisciplinary basis and with real team spirit. We are not immodest when we state that the department ranks among the top juvenile court departments in the United States. We measure well up in terms of the basic standards prescribed by the National Probation & Parole Association. The Division of Juvenile Delinquency Services of the U.S. Children's Bureau is familiar with our program as two consultants have recently visited our department and a third is expected the end of June. SUMMARY EVALUATIVE STATEMENT OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION The objective of the proposed legislation to provide Federal leadership coordination and financial assistance in the diminution control and treatment of the problem of national juvenile delinquency are heartily endorsed. Provision for support to State and local endeavors, both public and private, e.g.: 1. Support to existing programs. 2. Research into causation evaluation of currently effective methods for diagnosis and treatment as well as new methods. 3. Establishment of special projects. 4. Training of personnel are all practical and vitally needed objectives. The commentator did not receive the invitation to make this statement until May 29 while attending the national conference on social work in San Francisco and has not had opportunity to make an exhaustive study of the proposed legislation. No endeavor is attempted to evaluate all of the legislation or all of the particular aspects represented. Notwithstanding this, the following is quite apparent: 1. Juvenile delinquency is no longer an emergency, it is a national catastrophe, and Federal leadership for mobilizing all forces and resources toward solution of the problem is long past due. 2. A crash program for the solution of the problem is now in order. We have many precedents already for crash programs as witnessed by the tackling of such problems as atomic energy and immunization of poliomyelitis. While research is important timewise and for practical results, direct aid to existing programs is mandatory. 3. Every moment of delay means children who are irretrievably lost to rehabilitation and the legislation should operate to get help into the hands of the workers on the firing line as soon as possible. Our greatest criticism of the proposed legislation is that it does not seem to provide sufficient funds for a real crash program. While there is probably less than $100 million to be appropriated in the proposed legislation over a period of years for a juvenile delinquency problem solving, we appropriate in a single year more than $38 billion for national defense. Actually the growing lawlessness our adult and juvenile populace is a dangerous undermining of our internal security and hence our national security. Notwithstanding the foregoing statement, I applaud the U.S. Senate of the 86th Congress for taking a giant step forward toward the solution of the juvenile delinquency program. LIMITED STATE AND LOCAL RESOURCES CURTAIL EFFECTIVE JUVENILE COURT AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICES The commentator advocates the utilization of State and local resources for the solution of the juvenile delinquency problem to the nth degree. However, it is quite apparent that State and local resources are not only insufficient but represent such variations in magnitude that the achievement of any nationwide standard of the needed services is beyond achievement. Experience in juvenile court and related work reveals that whether it be on a local or State level that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. For example, although much has been achieved in the reorganization of juvenile court services in Lane County, Oreg., it is rapidly being confronted with a problem because of increased demands for service, some of which should be provided by other agencies in the community. These agencies either are not geared to meet the services or are nonexistent. The Juvenile Department of Lane County is completely financed by local funds. The county budget committee which has given fine support to the reorganized services and building program indicated its inability this year to grant needed additional field probation and auxiliary staff. With a growing community, other needs, and definite local limits in revenue sources, there was indication that this was as far as the county could go at this time. In face of a 16 percent rise in the department's intake for 1958 and mounting probation services caseload, the department will be faced with reducing its standard of services. To complicate matters, it does not appear that the other three key agencies in the community, namely, the welfare department, police, and schools will augment their services. There is no indication that psychiatric services will be extended by the county health department and there seems to be no immediate prospect for a private family welfare agency, the greatest current deficiency in the community organization for welfare services. The philosophy underlying the program of the Lane County Juvenile Department has as its primary thesis the fact that no one agency in the community goes it alone and that an ounce of delinquency prevention is worth a pound of delinquency cure. THE DELINQUENCY PROBLEM TRANSCENDS THE LOCAL AREA In The fact that the ramifications of juvenile delinquency extend beyond the local area is one of the most compelling reasons for vigorous Federal leadership and support toward the solution of the problem. For example, a significant percentage of the youths detained in Skipworth Juvenile Home, the Lane County detention home, come from other States and counties within the State. Many of these are runaways whose runaway might have been prevented had there been services for them and their families in their own hometowns. case after case, youths are returned to other communities with the prospect of getting help which is nil. The runaway problem is a sizable and costly one to administration. With the mobility of population another problem is presented when unstable families undergoing diagnosis and/or treatment move to another county or other States with no prospect for followup services wherever they may go. The most dramatic evidence of the lack of juvenile services in America as well as the uneveness of their distribution is reflected in the comments of Dr. Alfred Kahn in the article, "The Untried Weapons Against Delinquency," published in Federal Probation, September 1958. The fact that half of the counties of the United States have no probation services at all, that less than 10 percent of the courts needing detention services have them, that there are few full-time juvenile courts and shortages of both juvenile police and juvenile court workers is startling evidence of the need for a massive mobilization of resources to attack the juvenile delinquency problem for the first time on a systematic, comprehensive, scientific basis. This will never be achieved if the States and local areas are left to their own devices. TRAINING OF PERSONNEL The level of training of juvenile probation officers throughout the United States is a scandal. This also applies to workers in other aspects of juvenile corrections and allied welfare services. One would never think of placing a loved one in need of medical attention in the hands of an unskilled practitioner without some type of medical training. This is a common occurrence when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of complex problems underlying juvenile delinquency. Everyone of the 10 juvenile counselors, i.e., juvenile probation officers in the Lane County Juvenile Department are required as a minimum standard to have a bachelor's degree plus 2 factors beyond which can be either in graduate study or experience or a combination of both. Experience to date shows that a worker who has completed training in social work leading to an M.S.W. degree and who is also adapted to working in an authoritative agency produces the most effective work. These workers are in extremely short supply and difficult to recruit. As a substitute, workers of a lesser standard of training are recruited. Even these workers take a long time to recruit on a nationwide basis. The Lane County Juvenile Department conducts an on-the-job training program. This is of particular importance to new workers who either have no social work training and who have had no related experience. It is to be noted that such on-the-job training is not a substitute for training in a recognized college or university. In a recent 3-day field visit by Mrs. Alice M. Low, training consultant, Juvenile Delinquency Service Division, U.S. Children's Bureau, the consultant indicated that it's difficult to conduct an on-the-job training program effectively without the assistance of a training specialist and that even an agency of the size of the Lane County Juvenile Department could support a full-time training person. It is to be noted that in round numbers the total staff of the juvenile department and its components numbers 40 persons. The addition of a training worker whose services are estimated at $7,500 per year would pay for itself a hundredfold. Probation departments throughout the country experience heavy turnover of probation workers. Lane County, Oreg., is no exception. While surveys reveal that poor working conditions, i.e., salary and fringe benefits are a prominent factor it is believed that with reasonable working conditions and with an effective training program that much could be done to stabilize staff. Where workers are properly oriented, where the assignment of workloads is properly paced and where there is a good quality of case supervision and direction to the work, this contributes to staff stability. It is important that in their induction into the work that workers "not be beat" because of the wear and tear arising out of the lack of training. Approximately $10,000 would make it possible to send two workers to school of social work for training. They not only could be retained for the agency but upon their return they would contribute heavily to the stimulus of other workers and raise the level of work standards. A particularly important aspect of training is opportunity for workers to attend professional conferences, attend summer sessions and special courses at universities and coleges. Twentyfive hundred dollars a year spent by an agency of this size toward this end would repay the community in rehabilitated delinquent youths manifold. The commentator and one case supervisor have just attended the national conference of social work in San Francisco. It is not easy to obtain funds for a purpose such as this and it is commendable that it was made possible by Lane County authorities. Attendance at a conference of this high caliber is similar to a physician taking a refresher course. What is more important, it helps a worker to not only develop and maintain perspective but there is a replenishing of the well of zeal for the work. Some idea of some of the relatively simple measures which would help the autonomous county juvenile court agencies throughout Oregon is evidenced by the help that would be provided by the assignment of a single juvenile court services consultant and a juvenile police consultant to an appropriate State agency. At present, such services are nonexistent. The cost would be modest. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS While research is important, if effective known methods could be comprehensively, systematically, and scientifically applied, the results would be greatly rewarded. Moreover, some of the already known techniques and programs are of a preventative nature. In Lane County, Oreg., there is good liaison between public welfare and juvenile probation. This is particularly outstanding in the sponsorship of standby shelter care by welfare in lieu of use of the detention home for children who do not require secure custody. A written interagency agreement has been established by the two agencies and the climate and practices of interagency communications are good. Many of the children requiring court services are known to the welfare. Many service cases could be diverted by the juvenile department to the welfare department if the latter agency was equipped to process them. Further development of this aspect of the community organization of child welfare services would result in considerable savings to the community from a preventive standpoint. Illustrative of how far the agencies are willing to go in their endeavors is the fact that at the point of intake, cases requiring petition filing and intervention by the juvenile court and concerning protective services are worked up by the social workers of the welfare department and presented by them to the court. Much expensive labor as well as wear and tear on the client is saved. Notwithstanding the progress that these two agencies have made in the shifting of protective services work to welfare, further developments are impeded by the following deficiencies: 1. Lack of sufficient child welfare services workers. 2. Lack of trained child welfare services workers. 3. Need for an additional case supervisor. 4. Need for augmented foster home finding for behavior problem and/or delinquent adolescents. 5. Need for a higher rate of compensation for needed foster homes. The establishment of private family agency would contribute heavily to delinquency prevention. The employment of skilled social workers and additional juvenile police are greatly needed and priority items in delinquency prevention. RESEARCH Early delinquency prevention and prediction: Lane County, Oreg., with its effective citizen and official support with its good climate for interagency communications and the existence of the University of Oregon makes it an excellent community for research and demonstration in the prevention, control and treatment of juvenile delinquency. In addition its size and the relative homogeneity of its makeup establishes it as an ideal area for research and demonstration. The juvenile court department and the University of Oregon have been exploring the possibility for the establishment of an early casefinding and treatment program. This has been the inspiration of the circuit court judge of Lane County who hears most of the juvenile cases. He believes that only through immunization can the problem of juvenile delinquency be solved. Funds made readily available through the proposed legislation could bring this project into being in a relatively short time. Its resuits would reflect to the benefit not only to Lane County but contribute to the Nation as a whole. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Hon. JOSEPH CLARK, Chairman, Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR CLARK: I regret I was unable to arrange my schedule to come to Washington during the recent hearings on juvenile delinquency legislation. I deeply appreciate your kind invitation to appear. Although I cannot present testimony personally this year, I desire to have entered on the record my support of the general purposes of Federal legislation to combat juvenile delinquency as stated in this letter. In my opinion and that of colleagues whom I have consulted, the representatives appointed to the National Council of Churches by its 33 member denominations agree in the main with the broad objectives of the current legislative proposals. My appearance before the House Subcommittee on Special Education on April 16, 1957, was reported by the President of the National Council of Churches to the general board of the council, which is the council's highest governing body between triennial meetings of the general assembly. Nevertheless, I do not presume in this letter to make an official statement for the council or its member denominations. With the personal conviction that representatives appointed by denominations to the council are in substantial agreement with the objectives of the proposed legislation, I would like to go on record as favoring Federal grants to be used for demonstration projects and studies, encouragement of better planning and coordination of programs, and training of personnel to work with juvenile offenders. The authorization for appropriations and the duration of the program should be sufficient to constitute without doubt a fair test of efficacy. The creation of a Federal advisory council with representatives from national organizations and professional and religious groups which are giving leadership in dealing with this national problem is an important provsion for the achievement of the objectives cited above. I regret my inability to appear before your subcommittee, but desire to have this testimony entered in the record of the hearings, and to assure the committee of the keen interest of the churches in helping juvenile offenders. |