[Juvenile Delinquency (Miami, Fla.)]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
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HARVARD COLLEGE
LIBRARY
GIFT OF THE
GOVERNMENT
OF THE UNITED STATES
/■ /
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
(MIAMI, FLA.)
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
UNITED STATES SENATE
EIGHTY-THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
PURSUANT TO
S. Res. 89
INVESTIGATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN THE
UNITED STATES
DECEMBER 16, 1954
Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1955
HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRAlTt
DfP0',IT£O BY rH£
UNITED STAIES GOVERNMENT
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
WILLIAM LANGBR, North Dakota, Chairman
ALEXANDER WILEY, Wisconsin HARLBY M. KILGORE, West Virginia
WILLIAM E. JENNER, Indiana JAMES O. EASTLAND, Mississippi
ARTHUR V. WATKINS, Utah ESTES KEFAUVER, Tennessee
ROBERT C. HENDRICKSON, New Jersey OLIN D. JOHNSTON, Soutti Carolina
EVERETT Mckinley DIRKSEN, Illinois THOMAS C. HBNNINGS, JR. Missouri
HERMAN WELKER, Idaho JOHN L. McCLBLLAN, Arkansas
JOHN MARSHALL BUTLER, Maryland
Subcommittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States
ROBERT C. HENDRICKSON, New Jersey, Chairman
WILLIAM LANGBR, North Dakota ESTES KEFAUVER, Tennessee
THOMAS C. HBNNINGS, JR., Missouri
Herbert Wilton Beaser, Chief Counsel
NOTE. — The late Hon. Pat McCarran, while a member of this committee, died on Sep-
tember 28, 1954.
n
CONTENTS
statement of— Page
Aronovitz, iMaj'or Abe, mayor of the City of INIiami, Fla 102
Testimony of —
Beckham, Judge Walter H., Jr., juvenile and domestic relations court,
Dade County, Fla 61
Brantley, Arthur T., deputy collector of customs, United States
customs department, Miami, Fla 30
Farrell, Detective Sgt. Jack B., Miami Beach Police Department,
Miami Beach, Fla 25
Faske, Mrs. Adele Siegel, assistant State's attorney, Miami, Fla 49
Harnev, Miss Claudia, executive secretary. Catholic Charities Bureau,
Miaiui, Fla 107
Headley, Chief Walter E., Jr., Miami Police Department; and Sgt.
Earl Edward Owens, juvenile bureau, Miami Police Department,
Miami, Fla 2
Gearin, I\Irs. Dorothj', and Mrs. Louise Pope, Jackson Memorial
Hospital, Miami, Fla 111
Richards, Blaine R., Jr., Miami, Fla 34
Shiver, Ben R., area director, State beverage department, Miami,
Fla.; and Tom Barger, assistant district supervisor 17
Stewart, Miss Grace H., Jacksonville, Fla., director of public assist-
ance. State department of public welfare; and Miss Frances Davis,
Neptune Beach, Fla., director of child welfare. State department
of public welfare 115
Sullivan, Daniel P., operating director, Crime Commission of Greater
Miami 55
Thompson, Cyrus W., deputy sheriff, Dade County, Fla 12
Whiteside, Mrs. Thurman, chairman. Mayor's Committee of 50 on
Juvenile Delinquency, Coral Gables, Fla 76
EXHIBITS
Number and summary of exhibit
1. Information on number of complaints and reprimands dealing with
liquor violations in the Miami, Fla., area ' 18
2. Letter of Detective Sgt. Earl Owens, addressed to Mr. James Bobo,
assistant counsel. United States Senate Subcommittee To Investi-
gate Juvenile Delinquency, on the subject of tattooing of juveniles. _ ^ 49
3. Statistics of cases handled under the Uniform Support of Dependents
Law 2 50
4. Specific things the Federal Government might do to help prevent
juvenile delinquency ' 75
5. Map of Miami and adjacent areas by census tracts ' 80
6. Portions of report of the Mavor's committee on Juvenile Delinquency,
Dade County, F'la., dated December 1954 > 84
7. Graph showing the rise in independent adoptions as compared with
licensed agency adoptions in the State of Florida * 116
8. A study of laws relating to placement of children for adoption and the
experiences of States in control of independent adoption placements,
published by the Florida State Welfare Board • 119
9 (a). Graph showing independent adoptions by counties for period
1952-53 ■ « 121
9 (b). Information on adoption of children in Florida for period 1943-54.. ' 121
9 (c). Figures on runaway children for period January 1, 1952, to Novem-
Vjer 30, 1954 « 122
9 (dj. Figures on runaway children for December 1954 * 123
» On file with the subcommittee.
' Printed in the record.
ZH
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
(MIAMI, FLA.)
thursday, december 16, 1954
United States Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary to
Investigate Juvenile Delinquency,
Miami, Fla.
The subcommittee met at 9 a. m., pursuant to call, in the United
States courthouse, 300 Northeast First Avenue, Miami, Fla., Senator
Eobert C. Hendrickson (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present : Senator Hendrickson.
Also present : James H. Bobo, assistant counsel ; Harold F. Strong,
social services consultant; Peter N. Chumbris, assistant comisel and
investigator; Edward J. Mowery, public relations consultant, and
Floyd A. Jensen, investigator.
The Chairman. This meeting of the special subcommittee of the
Senate of the United States will now be in order.
Miami has a very disturbing juvenile delinquency problem. And
I'm glad that the crowded hearing schedule of the subcommittee per-
mitted us to visit your beautiful city and air some of the problems
facing your youth through the medium of expert testimony.
As you know, my colleagues and I on this subcommittee, which was
created as an investigative and factfinding body by the United States
Senate, have held hearings in a dozen large cities in order to penetrate
the extent of this problem and character of juvenile delinquency
throughout the country.
We have found, as you can guess, no panacea for this tragic condi-
tion. And I don't believe there is one single panacea. All we can do,
through the medium of exhaustive investigation and the pooling of
information on the delinquency pattern, is to highlight the plight of
our youth and devise intelligent ways to prevent its spread ancl rehabil-
itate its victims wherever that is possible.
Miami's tremendous growth in the past few years, plus the fact that
this city is virtually a national mecca for vacationers, has undoubtedly
taxed available resources to adequately handle the rising delinquency
cycle. This situation, while less drastic in other cities we have visited,
must be met by forthright city and county officials with an intelligent,
long-range agenda to fight delinquency.
We, on tlie subcommittee, have a firm belief that the basic respon-
sibility for caring for our youth in this country lies at the local or
community level. I am sure all of my colleagues agree with me thor-
oughly in respect to that statement. However, because of the large
number of transients who visit your city, embryo delinquents whose
pattern of misbehaving starts here can spread the virus to other States.
2 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
That is, of course, of national concern, and that is the reason the Sen-
ate of the United States is interested in this problem.
I want to express the subcommittee's sincere appreciation for the
splendid cooperation we have had here from various city, county,
State, and Federal officials, and from the heads of agencies trying to
battle delinquency. I want to particularly thank the press for their
courtesies and their help and the way they have tried to promote our
interests.
I might add that it will take a herculean effort on the part of all of
us in the future to stem the delinquency tide and save thousands of
youngsters from embarrassment, debasement, and ultimate ruin.
I regret sincerely that my colleagues could not be here in your fair
city this morning. For some good reasons they have all been en-
gaged in other pursuits, and so the chairman had to take this hearing
on himself. I know I am going to enjoy the hearing and be inspired
by the witnesses.
And now, will the counsel call the first witness.
Mr. BoBO. May I make the announcement first, Senator, that the
Federal judge has requested that there be no smoking in the court-
room.
The CHAiRMAisr. I intended to make that announcement, but I
didn't see anyone smoking. Now I do.
All right, Mr. Bobo. You may call the first witness.
Mr. BoBO. Chief Walter Headley.
The Chairman. Chief, it is good to have you here this morning
with us.
Do you swear that the testimony you are going to give to this sub-
committee of a committee of the United States Senate will be the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Chief Headley. I do.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, will you state your full name, official title, and
local address, for the benefit of the record, please ?
TESTIMONY OP CHIEF WALTER E. HEADLEY, JR., MIAMI POLICE
DEPARTMENT, AND SGT. EARL EDWARD OWENS, JUVENILE
BUREAU, MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT, MIAMI, FLA.
Chief Headley. Walter E. Headley, Jr., chief of police, city of
Miami, Fla. ; home address, 1171 Southwest 20th Avenue, in Miami.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, will you give us some of your own ideas as to
what are the main contributing factors to juvenile delinquency here,
or the areas wherein you see juvenile delinquency increasing?
Chief Headley. Well, ours is the same here as in many other places.
We have an operating juvenile aid bureau that works very closely
with the juvenile court in order to combat the problem.
It is my opinion, however, that the problem has not actually increased
in the proportion reflected by our records, because a generation ago,
the incidence of juvenile delinquency^ was not known to the police
as it is today. In fact, they were not called that. They were taken
care of in the woodshed.
But now it seems that we kiiow more of them. I don't mean to
minimize the problem, but that is my opinion, that it has not increased
in the proportion reflected by all records.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 3
Mr. BoBO. Chief, would you like to have the acting chief of your
juvenile bureau up there with you at the same time? We would be
happy to have him.
Chief Headley. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Sergeant Owens ?
The Chairman. Sergeant, it has been the practice for us to swear
all witnesses. You do not mind being sworn, do you ?
Sergeant Owens. No, sir.
The Chairman. Do you swear that the testimony you are about
to give before this subcommittee of a committee of the United States
Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God ?
Sergeant Owens. I do.
The Chairman. Counsel ?
Mr. BoBO. Would you also state your full name, official title, and
local address, please ?
Sergeant 0\\t:ns. Earl Edward Owens, detective sergeant, Miami
Police Department, 1816 Northwest 32d Avenue.
Mr. BoBo. Chief, would you give us the organization of your juve-
nile bureau as it is now constituted in the Miami Police Department ?
Chief Headlet. It is made up of 15 personnel : a commanding officer,
2 policewomen, 2 colored plainclothes officers, 1 stenographer, and the
rest detectives.
The Chairman. Did I understand you to say that the total was 15,
Chief?
Chief Headley. That is right, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Is it their function only to investigate complaints against
juveniles, juveniles themselves, or do they actually do patrol work and
investigations on their own ?
Chief Headley. They have one other function, that of missing per-
sons. That seems to work well in that bureau. And, of course, they
investigate dependency cases as well as delinquency cases and any-
thing having to do with the juvenile, anything contributing.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have the figures, Chief, on the number of juveniles
handled by your department for the past year ?
Chief Headley. Sergeant Owens has that.
Mr. BoBO. Sergeant, would you give us those figures ?
Sergeant Owens. Well, from July 1953 to July of 1954, we had a
total, I would say, of 1,582. Now, that includes crime against prop-
erty, crime against persons, miscellaneous offenses, as well as run-
aways.
Now, our records from 1949 show that we have had an increase,
you might say, with a high year or peak year, July 1952 to July of
1953. But the 1953-54 has decreased slightly.
I would say from the tremendous increase in school attendance,
the records don't show that pur delinquency rate has gone up in pro-
portion.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, what would you say was the main offense com-
mitted by juveniles in the Miami City area ?
Chief Headley. The main offense, of course, is traffic offenses. And
I have a suggestion there.
Mr. BoBO. AH right, sir.
4 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Chief Headley. A child of 14 can get a license to drive a car in
Florida, provided he is accompanied by a licensed driver. At 16 he
gets a complete nnrestricted license. Bnt he doesn't have to answer
to traffic laws until he is 17. He doesn't have the responsibility. Not
that I am against a boy of 16 or a girl of 16 driving a car, but I think
if they had to pay the piper the same as their older brothers and sis-
ters, it might be better.
Mr. BoBO. Eight now the only alternative you have is to turn them
over to the juvenile court ; is that right ?
Chief Headley. We issue a juvenile citation, and they appear at
the Juvenile Aid Bureau Saturday morning.
Isn't that right. Sergeant ?
Sergeant Owexs. Within 48 hours after it is issued.
Chief Headley. Within 48 hours.
The Chairman. I think this is the first time we have had this prob-
lem.
Mr. BoBO. Yes, sir, I think it is. It is the first time it has come up.
And under the Florida State law, there is no fine for a juvenile for
speeding ; is that correct ?
Chief Headley. Well, a juvenile cannot be charged with an offense,
and if he paid a fine it Avould have to be as a result of being charged
with an ofi'ense.
]SIr. BoBO. Do you have the number of cases involving traffic viola-
tions in Miami, for any 1 year. Sergeant?
Sergeant Owens. I only have the traffic offenses for the month of
November of this year. Now, for traffic violations — we had 37 for the
month of November, and traffic accidents, 13. That is just for the
month of November.
I might bring out, as to this traffic — the citation says to be in the
juvenile bureau within 48 hours with 1 or the other of the parents or a
guardian. When they come to our bureau, we have a very good work-
ing agreement with the juvenile court on minor offenses. We do send
the first offenders to our traffic school, and that traffic school is for
3 nights of the week, where they have lectures as well as movies on
traffic safety.
On the second offense, we don't take that liberty. We send all
second offenders to the juvenile court for disposition. And from my
own personal experience, most of the boys and girls coming back from
the school say they have learned quite a bit from it, and we don't have
too many of the repeaters.
Mr. BoBO. In case you pick up a youngster, Chief, in the act of
breaking and entering, what disposition is made of that youngster
at that time?
Cliief Headley. The juvenile aid bureau is called, and the case
turned over to them.
Mr. BoBO. The juvenile aid bureau of the police department?
Chief Headley. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. And then, Sergeant, after the juvenile aid bureau of
the police department enters in, what disposition is made of it at that
time?
Sergeant Owens. Well, we go thoroughly into the case, and if Ave
think that it warrants it — I might say here that we have quite a bit
of leeway, in our own opinion, as to whether it warrants it or not. In
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 5
the more serious cases, we take them to the juvenile court and turn
1 hem over to them. If it is what we consider a minor case, we contact
the parents, have them in, and the subject is questioned in tlie presence
of the parents. And the parents are, as I say, always acquainted with
the pro^-ess of the investigation.
Mr. BoBo. Do you have any idea. Sergeant, as to the number that
you might handle, informally, like that, per year, and the number
that are referred to the juvenile court?
Sergeant Ow^ens. No, I don't. Because each case that we handle,
whatever the disposition, the juvenile court gets a copy of our report
and our action. So our records reflect actual cases handled.
Mr, BoBO. That is all cases ?
Sergeant Owens. All cases.
Mr. BoBO. And while the juvenile is in your custody, where is he
held?
Sergeant Owexs. In our bureau. In other words, no detention of
any kind. It is an open office. They sit there in our office, and we
interrogate them. And if it is necessary, like I say, to actually put
them in detention, we transport them to the Youth Hall at 800 North-
west 28th Street.
Mr. BoBO. They are detained at the Youth Hall ?
Sergeant Owexs. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. Suppose, Sergeant, that you picked up a group of colored
youngsters, Negro boys, in the act of vanclalism, or something. A^Tiat
would be your disposition of them as to a place of detention?
Sergeant Owexs. I might say here that I have two colored officers
who work for my bureau. They work from 4 until midnight in the
colored districts. And it has been my policy, in cases involving these
colored youngsters, to let them take over and do the investigating.
Where possible, if it is not too much of a delay, I hold the case for
tliem to handle.
Now. the juvenile court has an officer there by the name of Robert
Gabriel, who works with our bureau on these cases, and if it is neces-
sary for placing him in detention, he is turned over to Eobert Gabriel
to take him to Kendall.
Mr. BoBO. Now, Kendall is where ?
Sergeant Owexs. That is in South Dade.
Mr. BoBO. South Dade County ?
Sergeant Owexs. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have any great difficulty in finding a place to
detain a Negro youngster in case he is picked "up and you feel that it
is necessary to detain him ?
Sergeant Owexs. Well, not too great. I would say.
Now, I understand that in the court thev had facilities a few years
back where we could place these colored "children out at the Youth
Hall. However, they don't have that facility at present.
I have only been in the juvenile bureau for a little over a year and
a half, and I don't know just what the procedure was before Icame in.
Mr. BoBo. The reason I was getting at that question. Sergeant, was
the fact that I was wondering if it took one of your officers out of duty,
V\^'^^^ .If: was necessary to detain him, and you wouldn't use the city
]ail facdities, for one of your officers to take the bov out to South
Dade, to Kendall, and he would be out of dutv.
6 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Sergeant Owens. No, we don't take them out ourselves. We turn
them over to the juvenile court officer.
Mr. BoBO. And they handle it from there on out ?
Sergeant Owens. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, have you noticed any particular areas wherein
adults ma}^ be contributing to juvenile delinquency in the city?
Chief Headlet. Well, there have been areas adjacent to some of
the high schools and junior highs, but the juvenile bureau keeps right
on them and keeps the places straight, and all that. We have high
incidence of juvenile delinquency in the central colored area, and there
again we don't have too much to compare it with.
In 1944, we started our first colored police, and 2 years after that
our records reflected that crimes of violence had reduced by 50 percent
in the area affected. But we had more juvenile delinquency, just be-
cause we knew about more of it, and I think it would be proper to
assume that the juvenile delinquency probably was decreased in the
same proportion.
IVIr. BoBO. Well, is it possible, Chief, on the same assumption that it
might be increasing, because we don't know so much about it ?
Chief Headley. We know more of the incidence now.
Mr. Bobo. I have wondered, because I think I have done some
things in my life as a juvenile that possibly may have been delinquent
acts, that nobody knew anything about but me.
Chief Headley. I have, too.
Mr. Bobo. Chief, has the problem of juveniles drinking and being
present in bars in Miami been a problem with the police department ?
Chief Headley. The problem has not been so much juveniles as
minoi's; the difference between a juvenile and a minor. We had that
trouble mostly with the Armed Forces, servicemen under 21 buying
intoxicants.
The CHAmMAN. Between 18 and 21, I suppose, Chief?
Chief Headley. Yes, sir. And we started a couple of years ago
arresting the minors along with the persons selling it. That seems
to have had its effect.
All right. As to narcotics, I am happy to say that we don't have
much of a problem in that. I can't understand why, but we are just
fortunate.
Mr. BoBO. Plave you had any particular problem with the so-called
"goof balls" or barbiturate drugs that are easily obtainable in most
States with a doctor's prescription, or even without a doctor's pre-
scription ?
Chief Headley. There, again, not so much with the juveniles as
with the older people.
Mr. BoBO. But they have been available to the older people ?
Chief Headley. Yes, sir.
Mr. Bobo. I ask that because our Federal Government has very
little law on that, and a very minute enforcement agency as far as the
control of those things is concerned.
Chief, one of the subjects of this investigation has been this prob-
lem of homosexuality. Do you have any idea as to how that might
affect minors and teen-agers in the Miami area ?
Chief Headley. Yes, sir. It could have a lot of effect on teen-
agers, if they were induced into such things.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 7
Mr. BoBO. Have you had any rumors or have you had any actual
cases of juveniles, minors, preying on these homosexuals and attempt-
ing to roll them or rob them ?
Chief Headlet. Yes, minors. I don't think we have had a case of
juveniles.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have, there, the number of molesting cases, Ser-
geant, that might be brought in the city of Miami for a year?
Sergeant 0^vE]s^s. Well, for the year 1952, for instance, we had 105
cases handled by our bureau. That list in our records reflects any
crime against a juvenile, such as an elderly person who might fondle
a small child, and things like that. So it covers the whole range.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, to your knowledge, has there been any narcotic
problem in Miami within the last 5 years involving either marihuana
or heroin, involving either a juvenile or a minor ?
Chief Headley. Yes, we have a squad that works with the Federal
agency and the State agency on all narcotics, and they have developed
some pretty big cases recently.
Mr. BoBO. Do you know, or has it been brought to your attention,
whether this heroin is of the so-called Mexican origin, European origin,
or the Red or Communist China origin ?
Chief Headley. I think it was the Mexican, so far as I know. I am
not sure about it.
Mr. BoBO. Have you seen any of it ?
Chief Headley. No. I know of the cases, but Mr. Rudd, the Federal
man, has the evidence.
j\Ir. BoBO. We have had considerable testimony before the subcom-
mittee that increasingly throughout the Nation we are getting this
90 percent pure Communist heroin, and I was wondering if it had
spread this far east or this far south.
Chief Headley. That hasn't come to our knowledge.
Mr. BoBO. Is marihuana, either among adults or among minors,
much of a problem? Have you had many cases involving the use of
marihuana ?
Chief Headley. Yes, we have had quite a few cases of marihuana
but not juveniles.
Mr. BoBO. Most of it involves
Chief Headley. Either minors or adults.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have a very large Mexico-American population
in Miami ?
Chief Headley. No, sir, it is very small.
Mr. BoBo. Chief, on the problem of homosexuality, again, there has
been a concerted drive recently by the Miami Police Department to
clean out certain areas where they have formerly congregated.
Chief Headley. Yes, sir. That is right.
Mr. BoBo. In your opinion, do you think that will decrease the prob-
lem as far as homosexuality is concerned ?
Chief Headley. It just spreads them out somewhere else. They are
still here.
Mr. BoBO. They are still within the city limits of Miami ?
Chief Headley. Yes, sir.
Mr BoBo. Sergeant, would you have any records there that you
would care to brmg to the attention of the subcommittee as far as
juveniles are concerned that I might not have covered so far this
morning ?
8 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Sergeant Owexs. The only one thing that I would like to bring out
is that in the school enrollment of January 1949 we had 57,317 children
enrolled in the Dade County schools. In November of 1954, we have
99,891. You see what an increase in school enrollment we have had.
And like I said before, our records show that the delinquency rate has
not kept pace with the population.
Mr. BoBO. On the problem of runaways, Sergeant, you probably
are very familiar with runaway children coming into the Miami area
from within the State or from out of State.
How many runaways has your department handled within the
past year ?
Sergeant Owens. We had 906 in the last year. I mean, that is
July 1953 to July of 1954.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have that broken down, as to Avhether they were
interstate or intrastate runaways ?
Sergeant Owens. Only for the montli of November.
Now, during the past November, we had 35 from out of town and
24 local. Now, that was runaway and lost children. So you can see
that the runaway problem is much greater
Mr. BoBO. You mean out of Florida ?
Sergeant Owens. Out of Miami.
Mr. BoBO. Out of this 906, approximately what percent of those
would you say came from States outside the State of Florida ?
The Chairman. Came across State lines, in other words.
Sergeant Owens. Well, I would say at least 75 percent, just roughly.
Mr. BoBO. Seventy-five percent ?
Sergeant Owens. At least.
Mr. BoBO. Sergeant, what is your disposition of the runaway ? Will
he come to your attention through some delinquent act?
Sergeant Owens. Not necessarily. A lot of them come to our office
and give themselves up, so to speak, because they are destitute and they
have no funds. And when they come in and tell us that they have run
away from home and tell us the fact that they have no money, we try
to find out from them where their parents are, if they have parents,
and what the situation is. Then we endeavor to locate the ])arents,
either through telephone calls, or wire, to notify them that their chilcl
is hei'e and what tlie circumstances are. And we notify them tliat
we will turn the child over to the juvenile court, where he will be held
until they make proper disposition as to getting him transportation
back home.
Mr. BoBO. Now, suppose this child is a 16-year-old, Sergeant. What
disposition is made of him ?
Sergeant Owens. Well, a 16-year-old boy, if he comes to our atten-
tion, and we can find out that he is here with his ])arents' permission,
and he is not committing any act of delinquency, or if he is working
and l)ehaving himself — we don't ]/ick him up. However, with girls of
16, we turn them over to the court, because it could develop into a
morals problem there. We turn all of the girls over.
Mr. BoBO. A 16-year-old boy, in case you should find that he was
a runaway — your disposition of him is just to let him go, if he has
a job and working?
Sergeant Owens. That is with his parents' permission.
Mr. BoBO. Suppose you contact his parents and they say he is a
runaway ?
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY \)
Sergeant Owens. We turn him over to the juvenile court.
Mr. BoBO. You turn him over to the juvenile court at that time?
Sergeant Owens. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. But if his parents seem to be the kind of parents who
don't C4ire whether their son is 16 years old and 900 miles from home,
about the only thing you can do is let him go to work ^
Sergeant Owens. That is correct. I have had cases where when
we call the parent, he would refuse to accept the telephone call and
notify us through the operator that he had no children. That is, he
read them out of tlie family, so to speak, because they had run away.
Mr. BoBO. What is tlie usual type of employment that these 16-
year-olds can get ?
Sergeant Owens. Well, dishwashing, I guess, is about the first
thing that most of them end up in.
Mr. BoBO. Has any investigation been made into who they might
be living with ?
Sergeant Owens. When they come to our attention, we try to find
out what they have been into while they have been in Miami, and
we have found that some of these homosexuals that you speak of try
to prey on this type. But whenever it brings that out, we make
charges against the adult involved and turn the juvenile over to the
court.
Mr. BoBO. I was interested in that, because we found in our hear-
ing in Washington a certain section wherein that was very prevalent,
runaway boys 15 and 16 years old living with homosexuals because
no one knew where he was.
Is there any social agency, Sergeant, that the police department
could make a referral of a 16-year-old boy to, so that they might
boost him along ?
Sergeant Owens. Well, from my experience, the Salvation Army
is one agency in Miami that has cooperated with us 100 percent, not
only with juveniles but with adult missing persons and people that
come into our office there.
_ I have never been turned down anytime sending one to the Salva-
tion Army.
Mr. BoBO. Would it be your opinion — and I ask this only as an
opinion — that there should be some provision made for the handling
of 16-year-olds that are runaways from home? I mean, could some
agency take them, or does the juvenile court make some disposition
of them ?
Sergeant Owens. Well, frankly, I think that the present handling
of it is very good.
Mr. BoBO. Do you ever have a 16-year-old that has come to your at-
tention that is out working on his own, that later on might come to
your attention as having done some juvenile delinquent act or com-
mitted some crime ?
Sergeant Owens.^ I can't recall any. I mean, it is entirely possible,
but, like I say, I can't recall one at the moment.
Mr. BoBO. You wouldn't have a record of a 16-year-old whose par-
ents refused him, and later on something had developed, there being
no supervision ?
Sergeant Owens. No ; most of them come to my attention from the
fact that the family more or less threw them out, and they did come
10 JTr^EXILE DELIXQUEXCY
to our agency for a little help. Then thev tisiially come back and see
us and let us know how they are getting along, and it is very few that
would actually end up in trouble. They kind of adopt us as a second
home, I tliink, because they come to see us quite often.
Mr, BoBO. That speaks well for the men of your bureau. It cer-
tainly does.
In the area of pornographic literature. Sergeant, not the comic-
book type, but the perverted type of sexual pictures and books and
little comic two-by-fours, has any of that come to your attention among
the juveniles of the Miami area in the schools {
Sergeant Owt:xs. Xot around the schools. Like I say, it might be
there, but it hasn't been a problem. TTe haven't received any com-
plamts on it. TTe have only had one case I can remember personally
where a boy was skipping school and was in the Bay Front Park, and
he had one of these little booklets, sort of a Jig^ and Maggie affair.
And at first he wouldn't tell us where he got it. or anything about it.
"We finally sent him on to juvenile court. But he did admit where
he purchased it.
The CTTATRTsrAx. The comisel has some of these books in the court-
room.
TTere you going to produce them ?
;Mr. BoBO. Yes. sir. And in the realm of pornographic fihns, the
S-milHmeter and 16-millimeter fihns, have any reports come to you of
stag parties among the juveniles ?
Sergeant Owexs. Xot among the juveniles. I have heard among
the adults that there are stag parties, but never with the juveniles.
Mr. BoBO. And would that include the minors under 21? Have
you ever had any instances of that that you know of ?
Sergeant Owexs. Like I say, we wouldn't have handled it from my
bureau, but it could possibly have happened without my hearing of it.
Mr. BoBO. Chief, do you know how many arrests have been made in
Miami for the sale or possession of pornographic literature during
the past fiscal year or calendar year?
Chief Headlet. We had one case of a sunbathing magazine that
was taken as far as the Supreme Court and upheld. It was unre-
touched. So we have gotten convictions on all of those where they
are unretouched. And we policed the stands, the outlets, pretty well.
In addition to that, we have a board of review. It is not a censor
board, but it is a board of review that reviews questionable material :
and where it is not an out-and-out violation in itself, they recommend
the banning of that particular publication if it comes within the
ordinance. And that is working very well.
Mr. BoBO. Well. now. the particular books and magazines and films
I have seen. I don't think the board of review would ever see.
Sergeant Owexs. Xo.
Mr. BoBO. They are usually sold under the counter.
Sergeant Owexs. That is right.
There was one operator here convicted of renting films, the films that
you are talking about. He was convicted, as I said.
The Chairmax. Chief, is this board of review part of your local
police agency, or is it separate and independent ?
Sergeant "Owtixs. The board of review is five people appointed by
the city commission. I happen to be a member of the board. It meets
JTVEXILE DELTN'OUENCY 11
once a month and makes recommendations to the city manager. And
then he decides what to do. We have also had the ordinance amended
to inchide horror comic books as far as juveniles are concerned.
The Chaiemax. You are to be commended for that. They are
pretty horrible things.
Sergeant Owexs. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have the number of juveniles, Sergeant, that
might have been arrested for drimkenness during the 3'ear 1953 ?
Sergeant Ovtexs. Let me see. I don't think we have that in that
particular breakdown.
That particular problem — in the last year I only know of two cases
where the juvenile was definitely drunk at the time he was arrested
or picked up. And that does pose a problem. Because if he is that
drunk the problem is posed as to just what we are going to do with
him.
Xow. the juvenile court has the authority to request that the sheriff
place this juvenile in detention separate from adults. But, as I say,
the thing is to protect that juvenile so that he won't injure himself,
by falling out of a bunk or something else.
The best thing to do is to take him to the hospital and let them
check him over and determined then what to do with him.
We have been successful in prosecuting the people who have sold
beer or wine to these juveniles.
Mr. BoBO. I hate to bring this comparison up as to beaches in the
States of Florida and California, but out in California, they had long
lines of beaches and was the practice of students in the high schools,
the junior and senior class groups, in the high schools, to have beach
parties, where they would go out with a number of cases of beer or
whisky, and the beaches and the ocean were mighty pretty — and I
wonder if you have the same situation here.
Sergeant Oavexs. Xot in the vicinity of Miami itself. In the parks,
perhaps, but not in Miami.
Mr. BoBO. I don't think there is enough beach to have a party on
any more. It is built solid.
The Chaiemax. Chief. I think you have mentioned this in part,
but I would like you to be more specific. Can you think of any legis-
lative reconmiendations which you care to make that this subcom-
mittee can carry back to the next "Congress ?
Chief Headlet. Xo, sir. I think it is pretty well covered, legis-
lativewise.' I thinlv the problem can be attackedVith the laws that we
now have, with more people to do it.
The Chaiemax. The Chair agrees with you.
I have no more questions.
Mr. BoBO. I think that is all.
Thank you very much. Chief.
The Chajemax. On behalf of the subcommittee. I want to thank
you very much for your appearance here this morning and vour testi-
mony. You have made a real contribution.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Cyrus W. Thompson, of the sheriff's office.
The CnAiEMAx. Do you swear that the testimonv vou are about to
give before this subconmiittee of a committee of the United States
Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so
help you God?
Sheriff Tho31psox. I do.
12 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Thompson, would you state your name, address, and
position, for the henefit of the record, please ?
TESTIMONY OF CYRUS W. THOMPSON, DEPUTY SHERIFF, DADE
COUNTY, FLA.
Sheriif Thompson. Cyrus Thompson, I am a deputy sheriff in Dade
County, Fla. I am presently the plans and training officer for the
sheriff's department.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Thompson, would you oive us a rundown of the
setup of the sheriff's department juvenile bur'^au and the manner in
which you handle juvenile cases in Dade County ?
Sheriff' Thompson. Well, at the present time we have no juvenile
bureau. AVe had one for a time, and on July 1 of 1953, we were ad-
vised by the Dade County Budget Commission to eliminate both our
juvenile aid director and juvenile aid deputy, the only two men we
had at the time. ~\Ve attempted to set up a juvenile-aid bureau, in
which any persons who would come to our attention, any juveniles who
come to our attention, could be handled by our dei)artment.
At the present time, if we have any juveniles that come in contact
with us, Ave turn them over to the juvenile court, and they handle it.
We do not have any facilities at the present tiuie.
]Mr. BoBO. What is the jurisdiction of the slieriff's department?
Sheriff' Tho^ipsox, We have primary jurisdiction over the laws of
the State of Florida in Dade County. We relinquish all of the juris-
diction of crimes in the municipalities except, I believe, in vice, and
we are responsible for that throughout Dade County.
]\Ir. BoBO. Even in the area of Miami Beach, you are responsible for
the vice conditions?
Sheriff' Thompson. That is right. We are held responsible for it;
yes.
Mr. BoBO. Thank you for correcting me.
In the unincor])orated areas of Dade County, where there is no police
department, do you have any figures as to the population of these un-
incorporated areas?
Sheriff' Thompson. Yes, I do. This data was obtained from the Uni-
versity of Miami. In 1950 the population was 111,875, approximately.
It is estimated as of April 1954 to be 182,902. Those are estimations
by the University of Miami.
Mr. BoBO. That is 182.000 j)eo])]e that the sheriff's department ig
responsible for all law enforcement ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
jNIr. BoBo. How many men do you have to enforce all tlie laws, in-
cluding juvenile crimes?
Sheriff Thompson, Well, we can say that we have 235 employees in
the sheriff^'s department, but we have to start eliminating quite a few
of those right away, because we have 35 that handle nothing but civil
rnatters. And by that I mean civil papers and proceedings in the civil
line.
We consider ourselves to have 14 investigators handling robbery,
vice, and we have about 6, 1 believe, handling homicides and the capital
crimes. Those are the total investigators we have. We have approxi-
mately 80 uniformed men, the road patrol, which handle mainly traffic.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 13
but they also handle other crimes. They are the first on the scene in
other types of crimes.
Mr. BoBO. In the matter of patrol, in these areas, unincorporated
areas, what type of patrol is maintained by the sheriff's department?
Sheriff Thompson. At the present time, we have 4 cars to cover all
of Dade County in the unincorporated areas ; we divide that up by 1
car from Flagler Street to T9th Street, 1 other car from 79th Street to
the Broward County line. We have 1 car from Flagler Street to
Perrine, and 1 other car from Perrine to the Monroe County line. It
is quite an area for 2 men and 1 car to handle. We also have, I believe,
about 16 or 17 motorcycle officers at the present time that handle
nothing but traffic, and they are concentrated in specific areas where
we have trouble with traffic.
Mr. BoBO. In other words, if there are bars operating in an unin-
corporated area that would be catering to juveniles to a great extent,
there is no patrol maintained by the sheriff's department that goes
around and checks those bars ?
Sheriff Thompson. No, sir. There are times when some of our
fellows working vice will go out, and they will stop by some of these
areas where we get complaints and try to check them out, but it is no-
where near sufficient.
Mr. BoBO. And if there were juvenile acts of vandalism or the con-
gregation of a great number of juveniles, which would have a tendency
to create a gang atmosphere, there is no patrol in these unincorporated
areas to supervise their activities or to check on them, is there ?
Sheriff Thompson. No, sir. Our cars are too busy with accidents
and other calls that we feel are more important at the time, to be able
to investigate those things; at least, not continuing investigation.
Mr. BoBO. In other words, under the present setup of the sheriff's
office, with the limitations of budget that you have expressed, it is im-
possible to do any preventive work in the field of delinquency ?
Sheriff' Thompson. Practically none. We have an increase now.
I believe around the first of the year we will have more cars on the
road. I believe we will be able to double our cars on the road and
put 8 on instead of 4.
We are having considerable difficulty obtaining qualified men for
the money that we are able to offer. And so that is why we haven't
filled it so far.
But we have been allocated more men, and we will go to 98 at full
strength in the road patrol.
We will have two more investigators. One investigator will be a
juvenile officer. We plan on hiring a juvenile officer, and his duties
will be to investigate crimes where a juvenile is known to be or sus-
pected of being a subject of the investigation.
Mr. BoBO. In the sheriffs department, the sheriffs department being
responsible for the sui)pression of vice and the investigation of vice
conditions, has it ever come to your attention that any girls under the
age of 21 are being solicited into prostitution and being used as pros-
titutes and call girls in the Miami area ?
Shei'iff Thompson. To my knowledge, we haven't had any of those,
no. There have been some cases in which young girls have been in-
volved in escapades, I guess you would call them, wnth other young
men, but it is not on a call-girl basis.
5G980 — 55 2
14 JUVEXILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. BoBO. There is no organized vice ring ?
Sheriff Titompson. No, sir.
Mr. BoBO. In the field of pornography, Deputy Thompson, the sale
of these perverted books, of which we have some copies here, have you
had any recent activity in that?
Sheriff Thompson. The most recent was the arrest that was made —
I have the file here on it — of a store known as Trix, Inc., at 120 North-
east Second Avenue. That arrest w^as made in May of this year.
Mr. BoBO. Did you discover any pornographic literature being sold
there ?
Sheriff Thompson. We did.
The complaint originally came in from a man who had been in the
store, and he saw some young boys, he said, looking at these albums.
They were four large albums, and they contained pictures that would
be considered immoral. They were not just the plain nude women,
but I would say
Mr. BoBO. Excuse me just a minute.
Would you bring me that package, please ?
I believe we have here some of those items you were describing.
Go right ahead now. I am sorry.
Sheriff Thompson. Well, w^e went to the store itself, and I went into
the store and stood around for a few minutes, and I did see a man
going through this particular album. I could see the pictures. They
w^ere iiatural and unatural sex acts and things like that. We had a
complaint prior to that concerning these films, these party films, as
they are called, and I attempted to make a buy at the time. I was
almost succesf ul but not quite.
We did make an arrest at the time, and found these 4 albums; we
found 58 rolls of film. And there were some other items that were
found at that time.
Mr. BoBO. Let's clarify that "party film." The party film is the
filthiest pornography that a human being could look at; isn't that
correct ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct. We made the arrest of the man
at that time. He was convicted, given 1 year, and the sentence was
suspended. He did not go to jail. He is presently still in the same
store, but I doubt if he is handling it. It is possible that he may be
handling it again.
Mr. Bono. AYe have here a number of copies of books. Has there
been a subsequent arrest of this same individual ?
Sheriff Thompson. Yes.
At a later date, we had a tip on the Quarterdeck, out here. It is a
large club on pilings out at the end of Biscayne Key. And we had a
tip on there being a party there that night, an affair in which the
ticket was $10. I believe, which included the boat trip out there.
There were 10 deputies, I believe. Sheriff Kelly and 10 deputies, who
went out to the club. We were able to get on the club itself and
mixed in wnth the crowd for a few minutes before they knew we were
there. I, myself, spotted the same man again, and I got around be-
hind him, and he had a table loaded with these books. I believe
you have some of them there, various rubber goods, and things that
he had for sale at the time.
We again placed him under arrest. That case has not come to trial
yet.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 15
The Chairman. Are these the books that were taken in this case
[indicating] ?
Sheriff Thompson. Those are some of them, yes, sir. I don't know
the exact number, but there were up in the thousands of those small
books and other items.
I may possibly have a list of the items here.
No ; I don't have that list here. But there were a considerable num-
ber of those items.
The Chairman. These are the ones that were taken ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct. Those are some of them, yes,
sir.
Mr. BoBO. In that crowd of people at the Quarterdeck Club, were
there any young appearing men out there, or boys ?
Sheriff Thompson. Yes, sir, but there was quite a group of persons
there, and we were in no position to check all the people out at the
time. We had quite a time trying to keep the people that we did
arrest from mixing in with the crowd and getting away.
Mr. Bobo. Of course, I guess with all their fathers out there, the
juveniles would be able to get a good look at them.
Sheriff Thompson. It is entirely possible.
Mr. BoBO. As to your arrest of this man, did you receive any infor-
mation as to where his supply of this perverted mess is ?
Sheriff Thompson. No. we didn't find out where he got the litera-
ture and thing from. We questioned him on it, but he would make
no statements about it. He had a record of doing this in the past. I
think he was arrested, prior to being arrested here, in Atlanta, Ga., on
the same charge.
Mr. BoBO. The last arrest, in which you picked up these books — the
case is still pending and hasn't been tried ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. And in the store, you say that the informant that came
to you with the information on Trix, Inc., in which Mr. Blaine Rich-
ards was working at the time — he was the owner or manager, or part
of the corporation — there were young boys in looking through the
catalog, which catalog you picked up ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. And in this catalog were pictures of nude men and women
in various perverted sex acts, either nude men and women together or
of the same sex together ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. Evidently on the pictures of these books there were num-
bers referring to a picture in the book, sort of a catalog ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct. He had small tabs next to each
picture. And the time I was there, I did see a man writing numbers
from the book on a small sheet of paper.
I believe it was to order the pictures and then pick them up later.
Mr. BoBO. What type of a store was this ?
Sheriff Thompson. It is a small store selling novelties and tricks,
and such things as that.
Mr. BoBO. Items that would necessarily appeal to a young person as
well as an adult?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
16 JirV'ENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. Bono. The regular fun-sliop affair, ^yhere a kid would go in to
get a trick or a piece of magic, particularly attractive in your opinion
to youth ?
Sheriff Thompson, That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. And these catalogs were right out behind the desk, where
anyone that wasn't under suspicion by the owner could go in and look
at them and buy any pictures that he wanted ?
Sheriff' Thompson. That is correct.
Br. BoBO. Were the prices listed on these pictures ?
Sheriff' Thompson. There were prices listed in the book ; yes.
Mr. BoBO. I believe you attempted to make a purchase of a deck of
playing cards in there ?
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct. I asked the man for a deck of
novelty cards. He first showed me the cards very similar to those that
you will see in stores of merely nude Avomen. I said I wanted some-
thing a little better than that, and he said he had something for me,
and he brought out this deck of cards. The price was $5, I believe,
for the deck of cards.
Mr. BoBO. And it was a similar deck of cards or almost identical to
this deck of cards that we have here '^
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. Showing some of the most utterly perverted acts and
scenes that we have ever seen.
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have a great number of sex cases involving ju-
veniles in the Miami area, in Dade County?
Sheriff Thompson. Well, we have quite a few. There is one that
comes to mind in which an airline steward, who was claimed to have
been a homosexual, was killed in the course of a robbery in which 2
fellows, one 18 and one 19, were participating.
]Mr. BoBO. I believe there was a case Attorney General Rubin han-
dled where those young boys made the statement that it was quite a
practice among the Marines at Opa-locka, I presume, to come in and
to pick up a pervert in known bars and hangouts for them and to go
out and roll them. And we have had two deaths as a result of that.
Sheriff Thompson. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. Two young Marines, one of them 17, and I believe the
other IS, at the time.
Sheriff Thompson. I believe so. I wasn't in Miami at the time, but
I know of the case ; yes.
Mr. BoBO. Where a pervert was murdered for what money he had,
and lie didn't have any, and he was dumped into the ocean out here.
You were here at the time these boys that just recently were convicted
worked on this steward ?
Sheriff Thompson. Yes, sir, I worked on that case.
Mr. BoBO. And these boys made a practice of doing that in Dade
County ?
Sheriff Thompson. Yes, they stated that it was quite a common
practice for some of the students in the schools around here to be
picked up by these homosexuals, particularly on Biscayne Boulevard,
and they would take them out and attempt to roll them, as they say,.
or rob them.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 17
On other occasions, this one particular boy admitted that he had
been out on quite a number of occasions with these men, in which he
was paid by the homosexual himself. The boy, I believe, was 18.
Mr. BoBO. I believe that is all I have.
The Chairman. I have no further questions, and I want to thank
you very much for appearing; here this morning.
Sheriff Thompson. Thank you, sir.
The Chairman. You have helped our cause a lot.
Mr. BoBO. Sgt. Jack B. Farrell, of the Miami Beach Police
Department.
(No response.)
Is Mr. Shiver present ?
The Chairman. Mr, Shiver, do you swear that the testimony you
lire about to give before this subcomittee of a committee of the
United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you God ?
Mr. Shiver. I do.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Shiver, would you state your name and address and
official title for the benefit of the record, please, sir ?
TESTIMONY OF BEN R. SHIVER, AREA DIRECTOR, STATE BEVERAGE
DEPARTMENT, MIAMI, ELA. ; AND TOM BARGER, ASSISTANT
DISTRICT SUPERVISOR
Mr. Shiver. Yes, sir. It is Ben R. Shiver, 91 NE. 19th Street, my
residence ; supervisor of State beverages, district 8.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Shiver, I believe you have two of your aids with you.
"Would you like them to be up here with you at the same time?
Mr. Shiver. Yes, I would, if you please.
The Chairman. Will you be sworn, please ? Do you swear that the
testimony you are about to give before this subcommittee of a com-
mittee of the United States Senate, will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God ?
j\Ir. Barger. I do, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Shiver, do you have the statistics of the beverage con-
trol department, showing the number of complaints and reprimands
involving serving intoxicants to minors '(
Mr. Shiver. My assistant, Tom Barger, will give you that.
Mr, Barger. I am Tom Barger, B-a-r-g-e-r, assistant district
supervisor.
Would you like for me to read them individually, or just give you
the total number ?
The Chairman. The collective total will be satisfactory.
Mr. BoBO. This will be for the year 1954, or 1953, whichever year
you have.
The Chairman. You have copies of that, do you ?
Mr. Barger. I have a copy here if you would like to have it, sir.
The Chairman. The Chair will order that it be inserted in the
record at this point in your testimony as an exhibit.
(The material referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 1," and reads
as follows:)
18
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Exhibit No. 1
Prohation^
Charge
Sentence
Vagabonds, Inc., 732 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Cecil's Bar of Music, Key West
Two Friends Bar, 512 Front St., Kev West
La Conga Celebrity Club, 124 Duval St., Key West.
Sand Bar, 224 Duval St., Key West
Preview Lounge, 700 Duval St., Key West
Dufiv's Delmonico Tavern, Inc., Key West
Currb's, 801 Duval St., Key West
Gus' Horse Shoe Bar, 9504 Northwest 7th Ave.,
Miami.
Catalina, Inc., 105 Northeast 2d Ave., Miami
Chuck's, 101 Northeast 2d Ave., Miami
Harry's Bamboo Bar, 1730 West Flagler St., Miami..
Garden Inn, Hollywood
Melody Lounge, Hollywood
Preview Lounge, Key West
Reynolds Hotel, Northeast 79th St., Miami.
Victor's, 375 South Di.xie Highway, Miami..
Serving minors-
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
Employing a
minor.
Serving minors
do
do
Serving minors
and disorderly
conduct.
10 days, suspension.
30 days, syspension.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
15 days, suspension.
7 days, suspension.
60 days, suspension.
30 days, suspension.
30 days and suspended for 10
days.
Suspended
Charge
Sentence
Moulin Rouge, 235 Northeast 1st St., Miami.
Five O'clock Club, 2000 Collins Ave., Miami Beach.
Curley's Bar, 5910 Northwest 7th Ave., Miami
Clover Club, 118 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Club Lido, 2898 Northwest 7th Ave., Miami..
Poinciana Beer Garden, 213 Grand Ave., Coral
Gables.
Southland Market, 1900 East 4th Ave., Hialeah
Serving minors
and more seri-
ous charges.
Serving minors
do.
do
Servmg and pro-
curing.
Serving minors
do
60 days; suspended
10 days; suspended.
7 days; suspension.
10 days; suspended.
90 days; suspended.
30 days; suspended.
Do.
Dismissals at hearings
Charge
Sentence
Circle Restaurant & Bar, Curtis Parkway, Miami
Springs, Fla.
Big Savoy, 801 Northwest 6th St., Fort Lauderdale,
Fla.
The Sandspur, 13590 Northwest 7th Ave., Miami
Mickev's Bar, 223 Malaga Ave., Miami
Coral Club, 1685 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, Fla
New Singapore Lounge, 223 23d St., Miami Beach,
Fla.
Leon & Eddie Shows, 829 Biscayne Blvd., Miami,
Fla.
Colonel Jims Barbecu, 3988 Southwest 8th St.,
Miami, Fla.
Quality Bar, 709 North Miami Ave., Miami, Fla
Barbeque Heaven, 6700 Southwest 8th St., Miami,
Fla.
Vic's, 520 West Flagler St., Miami, Fla
Rocking (M. B.) Lounge, 2009 Collins Ave., Miami
Beach.
M & M Package Store, 794 Southeast 8th St.,
Hialeah, Fla.
B Bar B, 2620 Palm Ave., Hialeah, Fla
Serving minors.. .
Serving and em-
ploying minors.
Serving minors...
do
do
do....
.do.
.do.
do
do
.do_
.do_
-do.
.do.
Dismissed.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
» If violation occurs within a year, sentence must be served.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Beverage liearings held Dec. 8 to Dec. 10, 1954, inclusive
19
Charge
Sentence
Breger's Market, 1430 Washington Ave., Miami
Beach.
5th Avenue Bar, 2291 Northwest 5th., Miami
Sales to minors —
do
10 days, suspension to take
effect 15 days after date of
order to suspend is signed by
director.
10 days same as above.
_ do
Dismissed (a minor).
Jersev Charlie's Restaurant & Drive In, 10898 North-
do
120 days— 60 days' each on 2
east 6th Ave.
. do- —
separate counts selling minors.
5 days suspension, 20 days
Hoover's Market, 1502 Northwest 60th St^.
do
suspended to 1 year pro-
bation for year 1955, 5 days
suspension to be served
beginning 15 days after date
of order is signed by director.
Dismissed.
Rendezvous Bar & Package Store, 6505 Bird Rd
do.
Nolo contendere.
17th Street Grocery, 17 West 17th St., Hialeah
do
Dismissed.
Mr, Barger. Would you like the disposition of these cases?
Mr. BoBO. Yes, sir. First I would like to know the number of com-
plaints that the alcohol control board has received involving minors.
Mr. Barger. Well, the complaints that we receive are numerous,
anywhere from 1 to 10 a day. And on investigating these complaints,
some of them are proved untrue. It comes from an unhappy competi-
tor, or from some reason unknown to us they don't check out. How-
ever, a lot of them are authentic and w^e do find that there are minors
involved in these complaints.
The youngest ones that we have so far are 14 years old, which just
came up recently and were turned over to us by the Hialeah Police
Department and the juvenile authorities.
Mr. Bobo. Did this involve bar serving?
Mr. Barger. No, sir. Where they get down that young, the legiti-
mate bar operator very seldom violates the law as far as juveniles are
concerned. That is not true with minors. From 18 to 20, that is
where the bars violate most of the laws there.
However, the juveniles from 14 to 16 and IT usually get their alcohol
from these chain stores, food markets, and what not, where there is
no close check and no supervision of them. They walk in, pick up the
bottle of wine or can of beer, and of course they check out through this
mass production line, and no one checks them, and that is where they
usually obtain their alcohol from.
The Chairman. How about deliveries, in the case where parents are
away ? Do you have trouble there ?
Mr. Barger. That is also true where these packages stores make
delivery, which most of them do. They advertise delivery, and, of
course, when the deliveryman takes those to a private home, no one
knows who is there to receive it, and if the parents are not there,
naturally the children have access to it.
The Cpiairman. Your law does not require delivery to an adult,
does it?
Mr. Barger. No, sir.
Mr. Bobo. Where does the responsibility for determining whether
you are selling to a minor fall ? Is it upon the minor not to buy, or
upon the owner not to sell?
20 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. Barger. "Well, the law reads that the licensee shall make a rea-
sonable effort before servino-, selling, or permitting to be served. In
other words, his agent or employee is just as guilty as the licensee, and
vice versa.
However, the law also reads that a minor fraudulently obtaining
an alcoholic drink is subject to arrest, which we have done in those
cases, where we have walked in and they have misrepresented their
age. The law also protects the licensee in that respect. iVnd we have
arrested these minors and brought them into court, and in every case,
we have got a conviction on them.
jNIr. BoBO. Now, your statistics there — are all of them for the year
1950?
Mr. Barger. No, sir. These are for 1954 up to November, sir; 1954,
from January 1954, to November 80, 1954, this year.
The Chairman. From your figures, there, you have had revocations
and suspensions for sales to minors, have you not ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir. The suspensions run from 10 days to 180
days. That is the most suspension that we have here, other than sev-
eral revocations.
Mr. BoBO. How many suspensions have you had this year?
Mr. Barger. On minors alone, there are 26 suspensions here.
The Chairman. That is for 1 year ?
Mr. Barger. That is up to November 30.
Mr. BoBO. We found in Philadelphia, for example, that they had
not had a revocation in 10 years for a sale to minors. That is an
amazing figure.
Mr. Barger. "We find here, of course, that the director, in Tallahas-
see, is not lenient where minors are concerned. He is more lenient in
other cases, where they sell afterhours, but not where minors are
concerned.
Mr. BoBO. This covers the entire district 8 area; does it not?
Mr. Barger. That is right ; Dade, Monroe, and Broward Counties.
Mr. BoBO. On your suspensions, you had 26. Plow many repri-
mands were issued to owners for selling to minors ?
Mr. Barger. Pliere are 14 reprimands. I would like to cor-
rect that on suspensions. That is 26 and 8; 34 suspensions, instead of
26. I neglected to back-page.
Mr. BoBO. Plow many revocations have you had? You gave me 14
reprimands. What, that is 14 revocations?
IVIr. Barger. That was 14 reprimands, sir.
]\rr. BoBO. Do you have the revocations there ?
Mr. Barger. I don't seem to have them. I think there are two revo-
cations, but I don't have them here.
Mr. BoBO. In the event of a suspension, is the man definitely out
of business for the 10 to 180 days ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir.
Afr. BoBO. He can't pay a fine ?
Mr. Bar<;er. No, sir. The State beverage de{)artment does not
accept a fine where there is a violation, where he is convicted of a
violation.
Mr. BoBO. How many enforcement officers do you have covering
district 8?
Mr. Barger. Well, unfortunately, we have 4, covering 3 counties,
which is 6,500 licenses.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 21
Mr. BoBO. And your responsibility is to police these bars ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. May I ask you this question : In this city and in your
district, amono: the retail liquor dealers, the bar owners, the Tavern
Owners Association, or whatever it might be called here, do you receive
a great deal of cooperation from that association in policing and keep-
ing the bars and taverns clean ?
Mr. Barger. In general, in the majority of cases, we do. However,
there are several establishments in the area that more or less fail to
cooperate, and that is where we usually find violations. And in a
couple of instances we have eventually revoked their licenses.
But generally, the retail association does cooperate with us. That
is true in most cases.
Mr. BoBO. That is in all the bars and taverns, and so forth? They
belong to that association?
Mr. Barger. That is correct, sir. They are legitimate operators,
legitimate businessmen, and they have the intent to cooperate, and I
think are doing a fair job. However, some of them, as I say, do violate
consistently, and eventually we will get them. That is our intention,
anyway, to get them.
Mr. BoBO. To make a case against one of these places, do you have
to find the minor, or the juvenile, in the act of drinking ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir. First of all, we work in plainclothes, of
course, we are not uniformed. And that way, we can observe for any
length of time we care to, and if we locate a minor or minors in a bar,
we wait until they purchase a drink and consume part of it. Then,
of course, we have an ironclad case. It is pi'etty hard to convict on
what you think, or your opinion on it, so we have to w^ait until we
catch them in the act.
Mr. BoBO. In your opinion, is there a great deal of drinking among
minors and juveniles ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir ; there certainly is.
Mr. BoBo. Would you have any recommendations on how it might
be curbed ?
Mr. Barger. The biggest trouble that I have — I will have to explain
something before I get to it. The problem is this : They can pick up
a fake card or change theii- driver's license. When you go and get a
driver's license, you can tell them any age you want to, and they will
put it on there. And, of course, they show this to the bartender, and
that meets the law^ — "any reasonable effort." And, of course, they can
obtain drinks on that.
Perhaps there could be some legislation. I don't know^ exactly how.
I am not an attorney. But if there could be some way that they could
have an ID card, something like a draft card, that could not be changed,
that is the only way I know of that it could be done. But otherwise,
they can just walk in with a driver's license. And this card I am talk-
ing of should have their picture on it so that they can be identified.
The Chairman. I am interested in that. It has been suggested in
several of our hearings over the country that children ought to carry
ID cards for many reasons. Do you believe in that ?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir. That is the only way we can stop this. Be-
cause when the bartender looks at a driver's license that says "22 years
old," that meets the law.
22 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
We have a little different approach to it. We determine their actual
age. Of course, we can arrest this minor. Usually he is a student,
and we are reluctant to arrest him for having a glass of beer, and put
it on his record. However, that is what should be done; and we have
done it.
But it seems to me if they had some sort of an ID system set up
countywide or nationwide, as far as I am concerned, with an authentic
ID card with their picture on it, something that couldn't be exchanged
very easily, I think that would go a long way.
The Chairman, Counsel ?
Mr. BoBO. Do you have a figure as to the total number of bars and
taverns in district 8?
Mr. Bargeh. 6,500, sir.
Mr. Bono. G,500?
Mr. Bawjeh. 0,500, sir,
Mr. BoBO. With 4 enforcement officers to cover the entire 6,500?
Mr, Barger, Yes, sir. And I would like to qualif}' that.
We have about 17 or 18 employees in that district, but you have
several typists and you have several supervisors that handle nothing
but transfers of licenses, investigating transferees, and wlien it boils
down to the actual men to get out and enforce the law, we have 4,
Mr. Bobo. It keeps you rather busy.
Mr, Barger, Yes, sir.
The Chairman, To what extent does the State give you assistance?
Mr. Barger. We are a State agency.
Tlie Chairman, Entirely?
Mr. Barger. Entirely a State agency ; yes, sir.
The Chairman. Thev do not give you an}'' police to help with this
law?
Mr. Barger. Well, sir, I would like to make this comment, that most
of the municipalities, and particularly Miami, and the sheriff's de-
partment, we have never called on them for assistance that we didn't
get it. They are very cooperative. I would like to make that emphatic.
Mr. Bono. Do you have any figures on the amount of revenue that
might be produced to the State?
Mr. Barger. Yes, sir. We are the second largest tax revenue agent,
collection. That is, we collect the second largest. You see, we also
handle the collection on cigarette tax, too. We are the second largest.
The Chahoian. But you are not a part of your tax department, are
you, like they are in California?
Mr. Barger. Well, we collect the tax as an agency. In other words,
we handle the audits and the collecting and all that. But we are not
part of the tax department. We are more or less an agent to collect it.
Mr, BoBO, I ask you this as a personal opinion. Do you think that
there is anything that the Federal Government could do that would
eliminate some of the sale of liquor to juveniles and to minors? There
is such a close distinction there. I have been in cities where I have
seen great numbers of 13- and 14- and lo-year-old gii-ls hanging around
bars and drinking. I have seen it with my own eyes. And I don't
know about here. Some cities I have been in, I haven't. I have seen
a few minors in there.
Do you think that possibly as they put on the bottle "Not to be re-
filled or resold," bearing in mind that you are violating a Federal law
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 23
if yoii do that, that maybe if some stringent Federal legislation were
brought about to include on the bottle "Not to be sold to minors, under
penalty of Federal law," there would be any more fear of violating the
law, or would it help you to enforce the law ?
Mr. Barger. It certainly would put more fear into the violators.
There is no question about that.
Outside of several minor things, though, I think, we have ample
laws, with the exception of one or two, if we had the personnel, and so
forth, to enforce them.
I think if we had that, we could do it locally, on a local basis, if we
could put on tlie necessary men for it. However, I think that is a
good idea that you have there. I think it would put more fear into
them. But they are still going to go around and do it.
Our big problem, as I said, is the chain stores and the food markets,
actually not a bar, and mostly you will find high school students work-
ing after hours as package carriers, and so forth, and it is so easy for
them to take a bottle of wine or beer, which they can sell.
As I say, the legitimate bar operator very seldom sells to a juvenile.
Minors, but not juveniles.
Mr. BoBO. I have heard it expressed, either before the subcommittee
or by one of the members of the subcommittee, that unless the liquor
industry does something to clean up this situation, they might some-
times find themselves without a liquor industry.
Mr. Barger. I agree wholeheartedly with that. I think it is exactly
what it is going to come to if it is not cleared up in a reasonably short
time. I mean, that is my opinion, and I think that is what is coming,
exactly.
Mr. Sliiver, would you have anything that you would like to add?
Mr, Shiver. I would like to add this, about the manpower that we
have : As Mr. Barger told you, we have 18 employees, and when you
break that down there are only 4 in the field to enforce the laws of 3
counties. Or I will say five. We have one man that covers Broward
County alone. He has that county to himself up there ; Mr. Hardy. I
would say to enforce the laws down here and police the situation prop-
erly, it would take, at the least, 20 men in tlie field all the time.
On these identification cards, we have found out here, my men have,
when they were working in the field, that the marines out here have
got hold of a lot of identification cards, blank, and filled them out to
suit themselves. In other words, they had two identifications, one to
use down at the bar and the other to use out at the base. So we got the
authorities out there informed of that, and they corrected that.
I agree with INIr. Barger on the idea of a universal identification card
of some description. It is easy for them to get hold of a driver's license,
as he said, and that is the only way we have of checking their age, by
some identification that they have on them.
Now, there is one case that came up. which was a borderline case,
the other day, in the hearings. The director called me, and he asked
me — there was a boy in the chair testifying, and he said, "How old
would you take this gentleman to be ?"
I said, he would be 20 or possibly 21.
Well, he was one of those who went through the food fair lines and
•was checked out with a package.
On those cases, lie said, "If you were in a line, would you question
this boy as to being under 21 years ?"
24 JirV^ENILE DELDSTQUENCY
I said, "I doubt it very seriously."
So that is what you have got.
]Mr. BoBO. It is a very close question when it involves a 20- or 21-
year-old. AVhen you get down into the younger age brackets, though,
it is different.
Mr. Shiver. Then it is easy.
Mr. BoBO. Tlien you can tell. And I think a lot of times the bar-
tenders are so anxious to grab a dollar that a fake driver's license or
fake ID card can get by them pretty rapidly.
Mr. Shiver. There is just one other thing that I can see. Take
Dade County, for instance, alone. They have 26 different municipal-
ities, 26 different opening and closing hours. That makes it very,
very hard on the beverage department. For instance, you have got
a municipality here that has one closing hour, and just across the street
you have another. They get the same license, but one closes at one
hour and one at another.
Mr. BoBO. It is optional as to when they close it ?
Mr. Shi\-zr. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. And it is your responsibility as to their closing hours
as well (
Mr. Shiver. That is right, sir. And I think local option, if it came
down to the county, would he sufficient. And I would say the State
should have it, opening one hour, and closing one hour. It would
make it less work for the beverage department, and they could do it
with less men.
Mr. BoBO. It would seem that if you had the responsibility for en-
forcing those hours, the State should liave .some responsibility as to
the time and place.
Mr. Shiver. Yes. sir.
Mr. Barger. Well, sir, I am going to make one comment on that.
I am going to say. "We will take Deland, up here.*' It is a college
town. They should have one closing hour in that county. But how
about over at Daytona Beach? That is strictly a vacation resort. It
should not be the same. And the same way here.
I think each county should make it universal for the county, but
3Li.x. You know of none at this moment : do you ?
Sergeant Faeeell. Xo, sir : I don't.
Sir. BoBO. Has the problem of juveniles frequenting bars and or-
dering drinks and associating themselves around the place been a prob-
lem to the juvenOe bureau ?
Sergeant Faeeell. Yes. TVe have several places on ^Miami Beach
that feature this bebop music, and it is quite a drawing card to the
JUVENILE DELIXQUEXCY 27
younger set, "We have checked the places quite frequently in a 24-
hour period, and it got to a point where the owners of these particular
clubs hired a woman and a man to stand at their doors and do noth-
ing else but check identifications. And it has stopped quite a bit of it
recently.
Mr. BoBO. Usually, you find where the bars feature hot music and
hot bands it is a great drawing card ?
Sergeant Faref.t.t.. Yes : it is. for the younger set. They like that
bebop music. They enjoy it. and it is quite a drawing card for them.
The Chairman. Do you know of any movie houses that operate
here in a manner that would be harmful to the children i
Sergeant Farrell. Xo, sir. TVe had a case recently of a picture that
was considered indecent, so to speak, and an injunction was obtained
against them, and the picture was taken off the screen.
^Ir. BoBO. Could I ask you to speak up a little bit ( I am having
a little bit of difficulty in hearing you this morning.
Sergeajit Farrell. Yes, sir.
!Mr. BoBO. As a juvenile bureau officer, and having dealt with a num-
ber of youn^ters in trouble, do you think that if the community pro-
vided, in an area of its own, in the ^liami Beach auditorium or some
place like that, these bands, with names, and so forth, featuring hot
music, not spending all their recreation money on parks and ping-
pong balls, and shuffleboards. but providing something to reach that
17, IS, and 19 year old group, it might materially cut down the drink-
ing and the association in these particular plac^ ?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes. sir. I do believe it would. I know the rec-
reational department of the city of ^liami Beach does sponsor a dance
every week for the teen-age group, and it has been quite successful.
We have had as high as four and five hundred kids diere. anywhere
from liigh-school age up to 21 years of age. and it has worked out very
satisfactorily. But in the winter months, when we have these clubs
operating full blast, and there is bebop music it is a drawing card not
only for ^liami Beach but for the other cities throughout the county.
And they come from all over.
^Ir. BoBO. Does your rate of delinquency increase with the influx
of visitors during the season ?
Sergeant Farrell. Xo. sir. it doesn't. It increases to the extent of
runaway kids who come into the city. They become stranded, and
sometimes we find that they are involved in a breaking and entering
case, just out of pure him^ger. But the actual rate of increase is very,
very small.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have the figures on the ntmiber of runaways that
you have handled through the Miami Beach Police Department dur-
ing the past year ?
Sergeant Farrell. Since the 1st of May, it has been approxi-
mately 30,
Sergeant Farrell. Thirty : yes. sir.
Mr. BoBO. TTere those children that had crossed States lines, com-
ing down, or were they from Florida ?
Sergeant Farreix. Tliey were just hitchhikers from their respective
cities. They ranged anywhere from S or 9 years old up to 16 years
of acre.
Mr. BoBo. What disposition do you make of those nmawavs?
28 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Sergeant Farrell. Any juvenile under the age of 15 — we call their
parents and tell them we have them in custody, and we turn them right
over to the juvenile court. And girls of any age, any juvenile age,
we turn over to the courts, too.
Mr, BoBO. Suppose that a boy 16 is picked up as a runaway, still
being within the juvenile-age limit of the State of Florida. What
disposition would you make of him ?
Sergeant Farrell. Usually we take the boy into the juvenile aid
bureau and call his parents and find out if he is down there with their
permission. If he is, and the boy has a job, w^e turn him loose. If
we don't have him for any oifense, or anything, we turn the boy loose.
However, if he doesn't have a job, we do try to find him something to
do within tlie city.
!Mr. Bono. But there were no funds available of any sort to send
this boy back to his home of origin. Of course, I suppose it would be
rather foolish to send him back if the parents didn't want him.
Sergeant Farrell. That is true. Sometimes the Travelers Aid
Society will offer their help, or the Community Chest.
Mr. BoBO. Under 15, the ])olice department has no responsibility for
sending them back, but you turn them over to the juvenile court?
Sergeant Farrell. That is right.
Mr. BoBo. In the event their parents say they want them back home
when you make the call, what provision is made for sending them back
home i
Sergeant Farrell. If the parents want them back home, we usually
ask tliem if they can afford to send us the money to put the boy on a
plane to send him back to his home. And if that could be the case,
instead of taking the kid to juvenile court — I am talking about a 16-
year-old — we will hold him around the juvenile bureau there for sev-
eral hours until such time as we receive the money.
Then we make provisions to get him back to his home.
Mr. BoBO. In the event that his parents wanted him back home, and
they were unable to pay his way back home, in case it is a 16-year-old
boy, do you have to depend upon the Travelers Aid Society or some
other outside agency ?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes, sir.
The CiLviRMAN. Would you recommend Federal funds for that pur-
pose, where they cross State lines?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes, sir, I think it would help tremendously in
sending some of these kids back to their homes.
Mr. BoBO. Have they ever stated to you the reason for coming to
Florida when they run away? Florida and California bear the brunt
of this runaway problem. They all seem to head for California or
Florida.
Sergeant Farrell. We have talked to them and find that most of
them are not so much interested in the State of Florida as in the fact
that their homelife is so inadequate that they are just not getting any
attention at all. Either they have a mother or a stepfather, or vice
versa, and one or the other abuses them, and they just leave home
The Chairman. You do not think this climate down here has any-
thing to do with it, then ?
Serireant Farrell. In this time of year, I think it has a lot to do
with it. But usually I think it is just a result of broken homes. I
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 29
know I have talked to these boys on numerous occasions, and they
tell me that they have traveled all over the country. Some of them
have hitchhiked in practically every State we have.
Mr. BoBO. Sergeant, in the field of pornographic literature, has
any evidence come to your attention that pornographic literature
might be being distributed or being bought or found among the juven-
ile population of Miami Beach and the minors of Miami Beach?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes, sir. Several months ago, we had a 14:-year-
old boy in the juvenile aid bureau who had in his possession a deck
of cards, just as you have there. However, we were not able to find
out from this youngster where he got these cards. But later on, we
learned through another source that his sister, who had been in the
penitentiary, had possession of those cards. And just approximately
6 weeks ago, we received an anonymous complaint that a film service on
Miami Beach was renting these films to a high-school set. However,
we could never get sufficient information to make a search of this place,
or even make an arrest, inasmuch as the complaint was anonymous,
and we had no foundation to go on.
Now, recently, we got information that a boy was selling porno-
graphic literature in a parochial school. That has been checked out and
found to be untrue. However, we did find he had pictures in his
possession. As of jet. we haven't been able to find out where he got
them. And we know of a novelty shop that sells these novelties
throughout the county, on Miami Beach, that may be dealing in porno-
graphic literature. However, we haven't received sufficient evidence
to get a warrant to search the man's premises as yet.
Mr. BoBO. But there have been instances, as you have mentioned
here, of this filth being in the hands of juveniles and minors particu-
larly?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes, sir.
The CHAiRMAiSr. You have seen this literature we have here on the
desk ; have you not ?
Sergeant Farrell. Yes, sir, I have seen some of it.
We had a case of a 12-year-old boy back in June. This 30-year-old
man met him on the beach, and made a date with him, and the boy's
mother reported it to us. The first date the man made with the kid,'he
never showed up. The second date, we were waiting for him when he
approached the boy. We took the man into custody, and he had this
pornographic literature on him at that time, and we arrested him for
possession of it, and he was convicted for it.
Mr. BoBO. Did you find out that that man was going to use the
pornographic literature to excite the 12-year-old boy ?
Sergeant Farrell. He wouldn't admit to anything of that nature,
no, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Other than the one case, on the rental of films, is that
the only case you know of as far as films are involved ?
Sergeant Farrell. That is the only case that has come to our atten-
tion. And we haven't had any cases of narcotics at all involving the
high-school set. We did receive 1 anonymous tip as to marihuana, 1
tip that marihuana was being sold in the parks. However, we are
still checking that.
The Ciiairmax. Your growing port facilities are not giving vou
any trouble here?
.50980 — 55 3
30 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Sergeant Farrell. No, sir.
The Chairmax. In the way of importation of drugs?
Sergeant Farrkll. "Well, sir, it is just my belief — I have nothing to
substantiate it, but it is my belief — that marihuana is brought into
Dade County from the Latin American countries.
The Chairman. We found in Los xVngeles, for example, a lot of the
drugs were coming in through the port facilities there, because of the
tremendous and sudden growth of the port of Los Angeles. 1 thought
you might have some of the same difficulty,
Sei-geant Farrell. Nothing of my own knowledge. It is just my
belief that it is coming in from the Latin American countries.
]\Ir. BoBO. There is plenty of opportunity for it to come in, with all
the planes and boats and fishing vessels and private craft plying the
waters around the Miami area.
Sergeant Farrell. That is right, sir,
Mr. BoBO. Sergeant, I believe that is all we have.
The Chairman. Sergeant, the Chair has no questions, but I do
w^ant, on behalf of the subcommittee, to thank you for your appear-
ance here this morning and tell you that you have made a real con-
tribution to the record.
Sergeant Farrell, Thank you, sir.
The Chairman. Will counsel call the next witness?
Mr, BoBO, Mr. Arthur Brantley.
The Chairman, Mr, Brantley, you do not mind being sworn, do
yo"^ ....
Do you swear that the testimony you give before this subcommittee
of a committee of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr, Brantley. I do.
The Chairman. Now, will you state your full name, organization,
and address, for the record?
TESTIMONY OF ARTHUR T. BRANTLEY, DEPUTY COLLECTOR OF
CUSTOMS, UNITED STATES CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT, MIAMI, FLA.
Mr. Brantley, Arthui- T, Brantley, deputy collector of customs,
Miami.
Mr. Bono. Mr, Brantley, it is your responsibility as deputy collector
of customs, along with the collector of customs, to search for viola-
tions of and to enforce the customs laws of the LTnited States; is that
correct ? Here in Mi am i ?
Mr, Brantley. That is correct.
]SIr. BoBO. Do you have with you or do you know offhand the figures
as to the number of ships that might dock in Miami in a year's period?
Mr, Brantley. Yes, I have some figures. Approximately 175 ves-
sels per month arrive from foreign countries. Approximately 50
planes per day arrive from foreign countries. Approximately 40,000
passengers arrive by vessels, and some 310,000 passengers arrive by
plane from foreign countries.
Mr. PjObo. Is that monthly ?
Mr.liRANTLEY. No, per year, Tlie figures in regard to the number
of arrivals of vessels were per month, 175 per month; 50 planes per
day. And the figure is 40,000 passengers by vessel and 310,000 pas-
sengers by plane.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 31
Mr. BoBO. Do 3'ou have the number of fishing boats that use the port
of Miami or the Dade County facilities ?
Mr. Brantley. We have some fishing boats, yes. Do you mean do
we have a breakdown ? No, I don't have that breakdown.
Mr. BoBO. Would you have any idea as to the number of fishing
boats that might be plying the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean?
Mr. Brantley. That use Miami as a base '(
Mr. BoBo. That use the area in which you are collector or deputy
collector of customs.
Mr. Brantley. No. I could probably get those figures, but I don't
know.
Mr. BoBO. Would it be in the thousands, or hundreds, or could you
give it to us just approximately ?
Mr. Brantley. Well, I would say between one and two hundred.
Mr. BoBO. And, of course, there are numerous pleasure craft, large
yaclits, and so forth, and oceangoing vessels ?
Mr. Brantley. Yes.
Mr. Bono. It is the responsibility of the Customs Department that
all of these vessels do not bring in contraband items; or that they pay
duty on all items brought in from foreign countries ; is that correct ?
Mr. Brj^ntley. That is our responsibility, yes.
Mr. Bobo. That is on fishing boats and privately operated boats, too ?
Mr. Brantley. Yes.
Mr. Bobo. In the Enforcement Division, do you know how many
officers they might have, in the Enforcement Division of the Customs
Agency Service, in Miami ?
Mr. Brantley. The Customs Agency Service is a separate unit,
Mr. BoBo. Yours is the Collection and Inspection Service ?
Mr. Brantley. That is right.
Mr. Bobo. In the Inspection Service, how many collectors would yoxi
have available in the Miami area ?
Mr. Brantley. We have 62 inspectors and 5 outside supervisory
officers and 8 port-patrol officers.
Mr. BoBO. Now, on the ships coming in, 175 a month, from foreign
ports, how many of these ships would you say receive a thorough
checking by the Customs Inspection Service? The ships themselves
and crew ?
Mr. Brantley. Do you mean a thorough search ?
Mr. BoBO. Yes, sir, for contraband items. We will just pin it down
to narcotics, heroin, and marihuana. Have you ever found any of
that on any of the incoming ships ?
Mr. Brantley. We have found some marihuana. I can't recall any
heroin.
Mr. Bobo. Well, when a ship docks at the port of Miami, do your
inspectors go aboard that ship and make a complete and thorough
search of the ship ?
Mr. Brantley. They go aboard the ship, every ship that arrives
from a foreign country, and the extent of the search depends upon the
available manpower.
Mr. Bobo. Would you say that the average extent of the search of
vessels coming into the port of Miami would be a 40-percent search ?
Mr. Brantley. No, sir,
Mr. Bobo. It would be less than a 40-percent search ?
Mr. Brantley. Not more than 5 percent, I would say.
32 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. BoBo. Not more than 5 percent. Among the 40,000 passengers
coming in by passenger boat each year, what is the percent of pas-
sengers search, other than the declaration of goods ? Is any extensive
search made of their belongings ?
Mr. Brantley. All passengers are given some form of baggage
examination; some, of course, more thoroughly than others. But all
passengers were given some form of baggage examination, except
diplomats, of course, and a few others.
Mr. BoBO. Of the 50 planes a day coming into the Miami Airport —
and I presume that most of these come in from Mexico, South America,
Cuba, and the Latin American countries?
Mr. Brantley. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. What percentage of search would be given those planes ?
Mr. Brantley. All of the planes are given some search. In some of
them the search is superficial, depending upon the traffic at the time.
Mr. BoBO. Is there any search given occasionally to members of the
crew of the plane ?
Mr. Brantley. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. How often would this particular type of search occur?
Mr. Brantley. Well, the baggage of members of the crew is always
searched. They are only given personal searches when we have some
special reason to do so.
Mr. BoBO. When the plane lands, is the baggage taken off the plane
immediately and brought into the customs section by crew members
working around the plane there ?
Mr. Brantley. Yes, by porters.
Mr. BoBO. There would be no search made of those porters if they
worked around the Miami Airport at any time?
Mr. Brantley. Not normally.
Mr. BoBO. So that it would be possible for some of these 50 planes
landing a day to have heroin, marihuana, or anything stashed in the
hold and a porter could pick it up without any search being given
to him ?
Mr. Brantley. It would be possible. But the porters bringing the
baggage off normally do not go on board the plane,
Mr. BoBO. But they remove bags ?
]Mr. I5rantley. They remove the baggage usually from the forward
part of the plane.
Mr. BoBO. Are you familiar with or have you ever had a case in
this office within the last 5 years of any type of narcotics being brought
in by phme ? Either marihuana or
]\ir. BRANTLr:Y. We have had some, yes, usually in small quantities.
Mr. BoBO. On your fishing boats that fish the Florida waters and
go out into the gulf, is any examination made if they are fishing for
lobsters, we will say, of the barrels in which these lobsters are put, or
the barrels in which the shrimp are put if they are shrimping?
Mr. Brantley. Occasionally an examination is made.
Mr. Boi50. And those barrels are usually transshipped immediately
from the port of Miami — the same barrels — and go forward to New
York or to Chicago or to Cincinnati or some other city like that?
Are you familiar with that ?
Mr. Brantley. I am not too fauiiliar with that, but I think they
are all repacked here.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 33
Mr. BoBO. All repacked here ?
Mr. Brantley. Re-iced, and so on.
Mr. BoBO. Could you give us any idea as to the approximate per-
centage search of fishing vessels that might ply the waters here ? How
many men do you maintain searching vessels alone or supervising fish-
ing vessels ?
Mr. Brantley. We don't have any men especially assigned to that
work. We have 18 of the 62 inspectors stationed on the waterfront,
and they do all types of work.
Mr. BoBO. Is there any patrol made of any of the coastline of Flor-
ida by any division of customs, to your knowledge, that might pick up
a clandestine ship landing on the coast waters of Florida?
Mr. Brantley. Not in the form of a patrol.
The Chairman. How many patrol boats have you, Mr. Brantley ?
Mr. Brantley. We have no patrol boats. The Coast Guard does,
but we have no patrol boats.
Mr. Bono. Really, the Customs Inspection Service has to depend pri-
marily upon an informant's tip from some foreign source as to when
to search a vessel, don't they ? Or do they ?
Mr. Brantley, That is usually the case.
Mr. BoBO. Have you found, ]\Ir. Bi-antley, that the use of inform-
ants has proved productive in the catching of narcotics violations ?
Mr. Brantley. In some instances, yes ; but in many others, no.
Mr. BoBO. Does the Customs Inspection Service pay an informant
fee in case narcotics are found ?
Mr. Brantley, Yes, they do.
Mr. BoBO.^ Is it the usual hundred dollar fee ?
JNIr. Brantley, No, the fee is more than that. It is 25 percent of
the value.
Mr. Bono. Twenty-five percent of the value ?
Mr. Brantley, Yes. That is the limit. That is the maximum.
]\Ir. BoBO. Do you think that in your particular area here — I will
ask you this as a personal opinion — 60 men are sufficient to do the job
necessary on customs in Florida? And I realize that is an awfully
difficult question to ask you.
Mr. Brantley. At Miami ?
Mr. Bobo. Yes, sir. Could you use more men in the Customs Inspec-
tion Service ?
Mr. Brantley. Yes, sir, I could. This is my personal opinion.
The Chairman. It is quite evident that your manpower is now quite
inadequate? Isn't that so? To do the job that must be done?
Mr. Brantley. Well, Senator, it depends upon the type of the job
that should be done.
The Chairman, Yes, ^I realize that. But you could stand some
more men,
Mr. Brantley, I think so ; yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. With the available staff you have now, about a 5 percent
search is the best you can do ?
Mr. Brantley. That is the best we can do unless we have informa-
tion. Then we go all out, and pull men in.
Mr. BoBO. I think that is all.
The Chairman. The Chair has no further questions.
34 JUVENILE DELIXQUENCY
Tliaiik you very much, Mr. Brantley. We find the situation pretty
much the same wherever we have a port.
Mr. Brantley. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Blaine R. Richard, Jr.
The CiL\iRMAX. You are under subpena ; is that true ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, that is true.
The CiiAiRiNrAisr. Will you be sworn ?
Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give before this
aubconnnittee of a committee of the United States Senate will be the
trutli, tlie whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. Richard. I do.
The Chairman. Now will you state your name and address for the
record, please ?
TESTIMONY OF BLAINE R. RICHAUD, JR., MIAMI, PLA.
Mr. Richard. Blaine R. Richard, Jr., 1025 Northwest 30th Place,
Miami, PI a.
The Chairman, ^^liat is your organization?
Mr. Richard. I am an operator of Trix, Inc., 120 Northeast Sec-
ond Avenue.
The Chairman. All right, Counsel.
Mr. BoBo. Mr. Richard, would you give us the j^lace of your birth
and the date of your birth?
Mr. Richard. Newport, R. I., December 10, 1918.
Mr. BoBO. And how long have you been employed in your present
occuj^ation as operator of Trix, Inc. ?
Mr. Richard. Approximately a little less than 2 years.
]Mr. BoBO. And in the operation of Trix, Inc., what is the nature
of this operation?
jNIr. Richard. Tricks, jokes, magic, novelties, souvenirs.
Mr. lioBO. It is more or less one of these fun shops, so called?
Mr. Richard. More or less.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have there with your records, Mr. Richard, what
your income was for the year 1952?
Mr. Richard. No, I don't have that with me, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Did the subpena request you to bring your books and
records ?
Mr. Richard. I brought all those, yes ; but I don't have my personal
income there.
Ml'. BoBO. What was the income from the operation of Trix, Inc.,
for 195-']?
Mr. Richard. Gross?
Mr. BoBO. Yes, sir.
Mr. Richard. Approximately ten or twelve thousand dollars. You
see, I have these broken down into footings for each month. I don't
have the summary of the whole year.
]\rr. BoBO. AYould you give it to us month by month for the vear ?
Mr. Richard. Why, gladly, $1,177.97.
Mr. BoBO. That is January ?
Mr. Richard. No, that is April, the start of the fiscal year.
Mr. BoBO. The start of the fiscal year 1 958 ?
JUVENILE DELENTQUENCY 35
Mr. KiCHARD. Yes. $1,500.25.
Mr. BoBO. That is May?
Mr. Richard. That is May.
Mr. BoBO. Would you state the month as you give it to us ?
Mr. Richard. June, $642.56. July, $329.52, a vacation month.
The Chairman. Mr. Richard, have you counsel ?
Mr. Richard. No, I don't, sir.
The Chairman. You do not have counsel ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
The Chairman. Do you desire counsel ?
Mr. Richard. Not necessarily, sir.
Reopened again in November
Mr. BoBO. You were closed from July to November of 1953?
Mr. Richard. Yes.
$490.21. December, $441.20.
Now, that takes in the taxable cash sales. Then I have the exempt
sales in the next figure, if you desire that, which is a small amount,
which doesn't run over $50 or $60 a month, such as cigarettes and
articles which aren't taxable.
Mr. BoBO. Now, for the year of 1954, would you give us the figures
on that?
Mr. Richard. $585.42, January. $656.55, February. $713.59,
March. $605.84, April.
The Chairman. Does counsel intend to break these figures down,
into what type of literature ?
Mr. BoBO. Yes, sir.
Mr. Richard. May, $359.01. June, $382.38 ; and then I have been
inactive since that time, until the present date. We have just opened
up again.
Mr. BoBO. Trix has been closed from July until June ?
Mr. Richard. I opened up for a few days, but due to health condi-
tions and a setback heart condition, I have been unable to be active.
I took one vacation up north.
Mr. BoBo. How many years have you been in Miami ?
Mr. Richard. Thirty-three.
Mr. BoBO. You have been in Miami for 33 years ?
Mr. Richard. Thirty-three years.
Mr. BoBO. Prior to coming to Miami, where did you live ?
Mr. Richard. Born at Newport, R. I.
Mr. BoBO. You have lived in Miami all of your life ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, with the exception of periodic visits up north.
Mr. BoBO. Prior to opening Trix, Inc., what was your occupation ?
Mr. Richard. "Wholesale and retail sporting goods for a period of
7 or 8 years in Miami.
Mr. BoBO. And were these traveling jobs, where you traveled around
the country ?
Mr. Richard. No, all within the confines of lower Florida.
Mr. BoBO. On May the 11th of this year, were you arrested for hav-
ing in your possesion certain obscene photographs, books, and motion
pictures, for the purpose of sale or circulation ?
Mr. Richard. Yes.
(The Dade County, Fla., Criminal Court case no. 27522 and bench
docket read as follows :)
36 JUA-ENILE DELINQUENCY
In the Criminal Court of Record, of Dade County, in and for Dade
County, State of Florida
APRIL term, in the YEAR OF OUR LORD,
one thousand nine hundred and fifty-four
The State of Florida vs. Blaine R. Richard, Jr.
information for possession of obscene photographs,
printed MATTER AND MOVING PICTURES
In THE Name and by Authority of the State of Florida:
John D. Marsh, County Solicitor for the County of Dade, prosecuting for the
State of Florida, in the said County, under oath, information makes that
Blaine R. Richard, Jr. of the County of Dade and State of Florida, on the
11th day of May, in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and
fifty-four, in the County and State aforesaid, did have in his possesion certain
obscene photographs, obscene books, and obscene motion pictures, each con-
taining pictures and printed matter showing and describing natural and
unnatural sexual acts between men and women, men and men, and women and
women, for the purpose of sale, exhibition, loan and circulation, contrary to
the form of the Statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace
and dignity of the State of Florida.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor, Dade County, Florida.
State op Florida,
County of Dade :
Personally appeared before me, John D. Marsh, County Solicitor for Dade
County, Florida, who being first duly sworn, says that allegations as set forth
in the foregoing information are based upon facts that have bcjn sworn to as
true, and which, if true, would constitute the offense therein charged.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor, Dade County, Florida.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 24th day of May, A. D. 1954.
[seal] W. Cecil Watson,
Cl€7-k of the Criminal Court of Records, Dade County, Florida.
By Pauline D. Roach,
Deputy Clerk.
Defendant Blaine R. Richard, Jr., arraigned in open court, and to the within
information pleaded not guilty. Waived trial by jury.
B. R. Richard, Jr.
Attest : R. D. Morgan,
Deputy Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record,
Dade County, Florida.
[Endorsement],
Case No. 27522
In the Criminal Court of Record in and for
Dade County, State of Florida
The State of Florida vs. Blaine R. Richard, Jr.
information for possession op obscene photographs,
printed matter and moving pictures
Presented by County Solicitor and Filed May 25, 1954.
W. Cecil Watson,
Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor.
Witnesses for the State : C. W. Thompson, and Joe Gorman, Deputy Sheriffs ;
Herb Dogner, 374 NW ;i7th Ave.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the informa-
tion in the above cause as shown by files and records in our oflice.
[seal] W. Cecil Watson,
Clerk Criminal Court of Record.
By Dortha B. Goodman,
Deputy Clerk.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 37
Bench Docket
criminal court of record, dade county, florida
State of Florida vs. Blaine R. Richard, Jr., Defendent
Case No. 27522
chaege : possession of obscene photographs, printed matter and
moving pictures
Judgment
It appearing unto this Court that you, Blaine R. Richard, Jr., have been regu-
larly tried and convicted of posse.ssion of obscene photographs, printed matter
and moving pictures.
It is therefore the judgment of the law and it is hereby adjudged that you are
and stand convicted of the offense as above set forth.
It is further considered, ordered and adjudged that the passing of sentence
be and the same is hereby suspended from day to day and terra to term until
the further order of this Court.
Done and ordered in open Court at Miami, Dade County, Florida, this 12th day
of August, A. D. 19.")4.
Ben C. Willard, Judge.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the judgment
and sentence in the above cause as shown by files and records in our oflBce.
[seal] W. Cecil Watson.
Clerk Criminal Court of Record.
By Dorotha B. Goodman.
Deputy Clerk.
Filed this 12th day of August, A. D. 1954, and recorded in Criminal Court of
Record, Minutes No. A-31, on Page 337.
W. Cecil Watson, Clerk.
By Lucille Malloy, Deputy.
Mr. BoBO. Were you convicted of this charge ?
Mr. EiCHARD, I was.
Mr. BoBO. Were you arrested on the 21st day of June for the pos-
session of obscene photographs, books, and figures, for the purpose of
sale, exhibition, loan, and circulation ?
(The Dade County, Fla., criminal court case No. 27697 reads as fol-
lows:)
In the Criminal Court of Record of Dade County, in and for Dade County,
State of Florida
june term in the year of our lord, one thousand nine hundred and
fifty-four
The State of Florida vs. Blaine R. Richard, Jr.
information for possession of obscene photographs, printed matter, etc.
In THE Name and by Authority of the State of Florida :
John D. Marsh, County Solicitor for the County of Dade, prosecuting for the
State of Florida, in the said County, under oath, information makes that Blaine
R. Richard, Jr., of the County of Dade and State of Florida, on the 21st day of
June in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-four, in the
County and State aforesaid, did have in his possession certain obscene photo-
graphs, obscene books and certain obscene figures of the male sexual organ, com-
monly known as "Rubber Dildos", said ob.scene photographs and obscene books
containing pictures and printed matter showing and describing natural and un-
natural sexual acts between men and women, men and men, and women and
women, for the purpose of sale, exhibition, hjan and circulation, contrary to the
form of the Statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and
dignity of the State of Florida.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor, Dade County, Florida.
38 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
State of Flortda,
County of Dade:
Personally appeared before me, John D. Marsh, Coimty Solicitor for Dade
County, Florida, who lieinj; first duly sworn, says that the allegations as set forth
in the foregoing information are based upon facts that have been sworn to as
true, and which, if true, would constitute the offense therein ciiarged.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor, Dade Cotmty, Florida.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 2nd day of July A. D. 1954.
[seal] W. Cecil Watson,
Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record, Dade County, Florida.
By Wana E. Sampson,
Deputy Clerk.
Defendant Blaine R. Richard, Jr., arraigned in open Court, and to the within
information pleaded not guilty.
B. D. Morgan,
Deputy Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record Dade County, Florida.
[Endorsement]
In the Criminal Coukt of Record in and for Dade County, State of Florlda
The State of Florida vs. Blaine R. Richard, Jr.
information for possession of obscene photographs, printed matter, etc.
Presented by County Solicitor and Filed, July 2, 1954.
W. Cecil Watson,
Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record.
John D. Marsh,
County Solicitor.
Witnesses for the State: Cyrus W. Thompson, Jack Kirby, William L. Mc-
Crory, Ed Rouls, Deputy Sheriffs.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the information
in the above cause as shown by files and records in our oflSce.
[sKAJv] W. Cecii, Watson.
Clerk Criminal Court of Record.
By Dorotha B. Goodman,
Deputy Clerk.
Mr. Richard. It was alleged that I possessed it.
Mr, BoBO. You have never had in your possession or ownership any
of these lying here, or this deck of cards, which I hold in my hand?
Would you like to examine them?
Mr. Rk.'hard. At the particular time that the first arrest was made
at Trix, Inc., the sheriffs department made a thorough search and
confiscated film and pictures, but all of that they confiscated, and
from that date to this date I have not possessed anything, nor have I
offered for sale or offered to buy, loan, lend, show, or give away.
The Chairman. How much of it did you sell before your arrest?
Mr. Richard. Very, very little. The bulk of it was left to me on
consignment. After the arrest, I have never been confronted by the
man again for the money from it. Apparently, he is afraid to show
up for fear perhaps I will call the police.
The Chaihm^vn. Did you ever sell it to children? Did you ever
sell this sort of thing to children?
Mr. Richard. Absolutely not. I have never sold to a juvenile, to
the best of my knowledge.
The Chairman. So that you had no customers who were juveniles.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 39
Mr. EiCHARD. Xo ; 99 percent of my customers are adults.
The Chairman. But you have had juveniles who came in for tricks,
or sometliing of that sort ?
Mr. EiCHARD. Very, very seldom. Because during the summer
months is the vacation period, and that is the time that I take my
vacation, due to a heart condition. And while you are open during
the season down here, as I say, just about 99 percent of all customers,
if it was pinpointed down, are adults, while the kids are in school.
And, of course, being in the downtown area, the children are in the
outlying areas, the residential areas, where their homes are, and not in
the downtown section.
The Chairman. Mr. Richard, you have been very frank, but the
Chair is curious to know how you ever came to go in for the sale of
this literature.
Mr. Richard. Well, for a number of years I was successful in the
gun business, but due to an automobile accident and a lawsuit and
bankruptcy, the funds that I have saved during the better portion of
my life have dwindled, not from negligence, but I went into this
novelty business.
I had noticed numy, many stores up north, and among my travels,
and they had nothing like that down here.
The Chairman. Were you ever forced to take this, from the whole-
salers, in order to get other material that you wanted?
Mr. Richard. Xever, sir.
The Chairman. Nobody ever forced you into a situation like this ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Richard, on one of your trips outside Miami, you
were charged in Atlanta, Ga., with possession of obscene pictures, in
April of 1946 ; is that correct ?
Mr. Richard. Picture.
Mr. BoBo. At that time you were involved
Mr. Richard. That remains to be a question, as to what constitutes
obscenity. Because it just happened to be a nudist book purchased
while on the airplane ; purchased, that is, at the airport to read while
jflying. Of course, it later was returned to me. However, the original
arrest stands, and unless clarified stands questionable.
Mr. BoBO. And you were just picked up at the airport in Atlanta,
Ga., for having in your possession one nudist magazine ?
Mr. Richard. No, it was in reference to something else entirely
different. However, I had no connection with it, and was released.
They had this book, the nudist portfolio of photographs, and there was
one picture they held in question because it showed pubic hair, and
Vviien brought to the attention of the city judge, the question was asked,
"Well, did this man offer to sell ? Did he have it in his possession ?"
"Well, we found it on him."
"Did he offer to sell?"
"No."
"Were there any other things?"
"No."
Well, the case was closed at that.
Mr. BoBO. In the city of Jessups, Md., you also ran into a little
difficulty with the police ?
Mr. Richards. Not in reference to any of this material, sir.
40 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. BoBO. But as part of your record, in your 33 years of life in
Miami, Fla., going back to Atlanta, Ga., and New York, N. Y., and
Baltimore, Md., and WashingtoUj D. C.
Mr. Richard. There is a portion of it there, that has been taken
up and taken out of my life, that is, up until 1945.
Mr. BoBO. When you were in Washington, D. C, what was your
employment there ?
Mr. Richard. I wasn't employed at the time, sir. I was what one
would say a minor at that time.
Mr. BoBO. In Rikers Island, N. Y.
Mr. Richard. A minor.
Mr. BoBo. In New York City ?
Mr. Richard. Right up through the whole time, that was just one
part of a phase when a kid goes on a spending spree.
Mr. BoBo. How old are you now ?
Mr. Richard. Thirty-six as of last Friday.
Mr. BoBO. In 1937, you just graduated from high school ?
Mr. Richard. That is right, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Did you go to high school here in Miami ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBo. In 1946, your age was what, when you were arrested on
a charge of possessing obscene pictures ?
Mr. Richard. 1946? We will have to add that to 1918, and deter-
mine that it was 28.
Mr. BoBO. In 1942, in Baltimore, Md., was that still part of the chain
of events of a kid on a spending spree ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. From 1937 to 1942 ?
Mr. Richard. 1937 to 1942 ? Yes, sir.
]\Ir. BoBO. At that time did you ever have within your possession
in any of your travels as a child on a spending spree any of this obscene
literature?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. BoBo. Did you ever have in your possession any nudist maga-
zines?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. BoBO. The first time you ever had a nudist magazine was in
Atlanta, Ga., on April 30, 1946 ?
Mr. Richard. No, that wasn't the first time, sir. I had bought
other periodicals prior to that, or had seen them. I wouldn't say that
I had bought them.
IMr. BoBO. In any of your travels in New York, in Maryland, in
Washington, D. C, had you ever seen these cards available ?
Mr. Richard. Never in my life.
Mr. BoBO. Had you ever seen these particular books available?
Mr. Richard. Never in my life.
Mr. BoBO. Where did you get the idea from to set up in Miami?
]Mr. Richard. I have never seen any of that material while travel-
ing the United States. I have never been confronted with it in my life
outside of Miami, Fla.
Mr. BoBO. From whom did you buy this material ?
Mr. Richard. I never owned that material.
Mr. BoBO. From whom did you buy the films which you were renting
and for which you were convicted ?
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 41
Mr. Richard. That is a very good question. As I stated just a few
moments ago, the material which the Dade County sheriff's depart-
ment confiscated from my store was left with me on consignment by
an individual unknown to me. I asked him several times where he
was from. He said it was none of my business. And I can readily
see why he told me that then and told me that several times. I said,
"Where could I get in touch with you?" And after that confiscation
of material, I realized the gravity of the situation, and from that date
to this, have not seen, possessed, had, held, looked at, or wanted to
look at any of it.
Mr. Bono. Mr. Richard, you were arrested in Atlanta, Ga., in Octo-
ber 1946, for the possession of obscene literature. When this man
walked into your place of business with these particular filthy
books
Mr. Richard. I was not arrested, sir. Correct that statement.
Mr. BoBO. Strike out the reference to "these books."
With pictures of females and males in perverted poses. And joii
didn't realize the gravity
Mr. Richard. Wait a minute. What was that, sir ?
Mr. Bono. I just asked the question. Males and females in per-
verted poses.
Mr. Richard. You are asking that question in reference to what?
You said something to the court reporter.
Mr. Bono. I just told him to strike out any reference to ''these books,"
because you said they were never in your possession.
Mr. Richard. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. Now the pictures that j^ou had : what were they pic-
tures of ?
Mr. Richard. Pictures of females singly, pictures of men and
women together, ranging from art to obscenity, I guess one would say.
It depends upon what bracket you are going to put it in.
Mr. BoBO. Will you give me the photostatic copy of what you have
there ?
There were no perverted acts displayed in any of these pictures, nor-
mal or abnormal acts ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, there were.
Mr. BoBO. And when this man came in and offered these pictures to
you on consignment, you took them without finding his name, his ad-
dress, where he was from, when he would call back upon you, without
knowing what the price of the pictures would be ?
Mr. Richard. He said he would call on me. He offered me the
prices on them, on the various material that he left. And from that
day to this
The Chairman. How much could you have hoped to have profited
from that material ?
Mr. Richard. That is hard to say. It is really hard to say, Senator,
because I may have profited nothing.
The Chairman. Well, there was a profit motive there ; was there not ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, there was a profit motive.
The Chairman. Do you think a profit motive like that should exist
where you are selling things to the children of America, selling things
like this, sir?
Mr. Richard. I have never sold anything like that to a child in
my life.
42 JU\EXILE DELINQUENCY
The Chairmax. You have not ?
Mr. Richard. I have not.
]\Ir. BoBO. Have you ever had in your possession a deck of cards
similar to this [indicating] ?
Mr. Richard. I have had a deck of cards in my possession.
Mr. BoBO. Have you offered it for sale ?
Mr. Richard. I did.
Mr. BoBO. Have you ever had in your possession films showing
either normal or abnormal sex acts, for rent ?
Mr. Richard. I assume that is what was in the film. I have never
seen the contents of the film. Because they were on rolls.
Mr. BoBO. How did you describe the film to the person coming in
to rent them, Mr. Richard?
Mr. Richard. Stag-party film.
Mr. BoBO. Stag-party film?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. "What was the rental on a 16-millimeter film ?
Mr. Richard. Five dollars.
Mr. BoBO. Five dollars for an evening?
All'. Richard. Five dollars, three dollars, six dollars.
Mr. BoBO. What was the cost of these films to you ?
Mr. Richard. Twenty dollars. In other words, if I lost one of the
films, I had to account for $20. That was my understanding. The
price was put on everything.
The Chairman. You became owner of the film, then ?
JVix. Richard. I became tlie owner of the film.
Mr. BoBO. The man who brought you this film — did he also bring
you a small book with still pictures in it ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. And as far as you know, the small leather-bound book —
and this is the description of it, "Containing notations of books and
films available, with a short synopsis of what the films contain" — to
your knowledge, no one under the age of 21 has ever viewed those
in your shop ?
Mr. Richard. To the best of my knowledge, no one under the age
of 21. It was alleged at the hearing, or stated at the court trial, that
there was a child that had seen it, but no child was ever produced, and
to the best of my knowledge I don't think that anyone under the age
of 21 has seen it.
Mr. BoBO. And on the rental of these films, did you ever inquire
into the person renting them, as to where they were to be shown?
]SIr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Or who they were to be shown to ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. For $5 they could show them to anybody ?
Mr. Richard. For $5 they could rent them.
Mr. BoBO. Rent them and show them to anyone?
Mr. Richard. I don't know what the}^ were going to do with them.
I presumed they were going to take them home.
Mr. BoBO. But as far as your investigation into where they wanted
to show them, or any place else, if they wanted to take them out and
show them to children it was all ri^rht with vou ?
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 43
Mr. EicHARD. No, it wasn't; but I didn't inquire into it. When a
customer walks in, you don't ask liim his name and address, with the
thousands of customers that will come in and browse around and look.
Mr. BoBO. But you don't rent these films to just anybody.
Mr. Richard. At the time I did. But that time didn't last long.
And for the rest of my life, I shan't.
Mr. BoBO. How long did jou rent films?
Mr. Richard. A matter of weeks.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have any idea as to what your income from the
rental of films was at that time?
Mr. Richard. None.
Mr. BoBO. But you kept reels of 16-millimeter and 8-millimeter and
35-millimeter film ? And you had no income whatsoever from them ?
Mr. Richard. Possibly I would say there may have been 7 or 8
rentals, more or less.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have that breakdown in your books?
Mr. Richard. No, because that is a cash transaction, sir.
You see, when a person comes in to buy anything from me, or they
can rent any of the library books or the books on the shelf or novelties
or disguises or party favors— a lot of times they run into too much
money. If they put up the amount of the purchase price, if an article,
we will assume, is $5, and they place $5 with me, and it is agreed that
they are to rent it for 1 night, when they finish they bring me back
whatever the rental article is, and I give them $4, and if I am to charge
them a dollar for renting it or using it, then I ring it up as a cash sale.
If they don't come back at a specified time, then I will ring up the
whole $5 and it is finished. They have bought whatever the article is.
The Chairmax. These were all cash transactions, you say?
Mr. Richard. Yes.
The Chairman. Are they reflected in your income tax?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. You made out no slip or anything on the j)erson
renting the film?
Mr. Richard. The only notation that I would make on anything
like — I have two novels out now, because I do carry books, both edu-
cational and otherwise, legitimate books. There are two rented out
now, where a man doesn't want to pay the $2 for the price of the book,
because he will read it in one night and will want to bring it back.
Well, give me the $2, and I will set it in the drawer with the nota-
tion of the name of the book. When the book comes back, I will ring
up a dollar for the rental of it and refund him the other dollar.
Mr. BoBO. But suppose I walked into your store at the time at which
you were renting these films, came from Washington, D. C, and said,
'T want to rent a film from you. Here is $5." Would you ring it up
on the cash register ?
Mr. Richard. I Avould want $25.
iVIr. BoBO. $20 deposit ?
Mr. Richard. That is right.
:Mr. BoBO. And $5 for the rental of the film ?
Mr. Richard. Yes. And when you brought it back, I would give
yon back your $20.
Ml-. V>()V,o. No record made of the name of the man who would rent
the film, or no record made of the deposit?
44 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. Richard. Several times I have asked names, and got some
pretty smart answers. "John Jones," or "Joe Doaks."
]\[r. Boijo. Did you ever sell any of these films !;
Mr. RiciiAKD. No, sir.
Mr. BoBo. Have you ever handled in your store any 4 by 5's, such as
this [indicating J ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. Boiio. Or any 2 by 4's, such as this, the normal comic book
character of perverted type of stuff ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. BoBO. What type of literature did you have in your store that
was obscene, if any ?
Mr. Richard. I didn't have any literature that was obscene.
Mr. BoBO. But you had one deck of cards 'i
Mr. Richard. I had one deck of cards that was with me.
]\Ir. BoBO. How about ])hotogi'aphs^
Mr. Richard. I had pliotographs.
Mr. BoBO. What was the sale price of the photographs ?
j\Ir. Richard. Ten, fifteen, or twenty cents.
ISIr. BoBO. Were you at the l*addock Club? Was that where you
were arrested last time ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir. I was out at the Quarterback Club.
]\Ir. BoBO. You w^ere present on that occasion when they arrested
you ?
]Mr. Richard. Yes, I was present there.
Mr. BoBO. Had you seen any of this material around that club prior
to going in?
Sir. Richard. No, sir.
Mr. BoBO. And until today, you have never seen any material such
as this ?
Mr. Richard. I have seen it, but never possessed any of it.
]\Ir. BoBO. Has the man from whom you rented the films, who
brought the films in, or the leather book, returned ?
Mr. Richard. He has never returned. I just wish he did.
]Mr. BoBO. Now, in this book, you had notations as to the numbers of
the pictures, and a person would go through the book and pick out a
number of a pliotograph that he wanted; is that correct?
Mr. Richard. That is correct.
INIr. BoBO. And then wliere would 3'ou secure the photograph from ?
Mr. Richard. I was to have a duplicate supply of all the photo-
graphs. I never did get the duplicate su|)ply.
Mr. BoBO. But you sold ]:)hotogra])hs ?
Mr. Richard. I tore them out of the book and left the number
there.
Mv. BoBO. And in this book which you had, there were numbers of
photographs torn out ?
Mr. Richard. Yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. You never received a duplicate copy of any photograph
there ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir. Because he has never returned, to this day.
]\Ir. Boi'.o. Did the man give you any indication as to where he might
have been from ?
Mr. Richard. No, sir.
JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY 45
Mr. BoBo. Did he ever give you any indication as to the materials
he gave you, the lihn ? Was there any notation on the containers or
anything as to where the}' were made ?
AIi\ RicHAED. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Were they French film or American film ?
Mr. Richard. There is no indication. It is just black and wliite
film. There are no markings. The only markings that would be on
it that I can possibly remember would be Kodak on the edge of it, or
something.
Mr. BoBO. Well, were they these old-type films, or did they look to
be comparatively new films i
Mr. Richard. I had just scanned through the tip ends. I had never
viewed them. Counsel. I had never viewed them.
Mr. BoBO. There are two different types, and I was trying to pin
down whether yours were the later type made in America, or the older
French type film. Did the man give you any indication of that (
Mr. Richard. Xo.
Mr, BoBO. Did the description as it was listed in the book give you
any indication as to the type of fihn ?
^Ii\ Richard. Except that they were stag party film.
Mr. BoBO. There were no viewing facilities for anyone coming in
to rent, so that he would know that he had not bought a pig in a poke (
Mr. Richard. That is correct.
Mr. BoBo. In your dealing, up north in Xew York and Washington,
or any of those places, you have never run across any of this particular
type of literature ?
]VIr. Richard. I have never.
Mr. BoBo. Do you by any chance, in your travels around the coun-
try— have you ever met a Mr. Al Stone ?
Mr. Richard. Xo. sir. To the best of my knowledge I don't recall
meeting anyone by that name.
]VIr. BoBO. Mr. Abraham Rubenstein, or Abe Rubin? That is the
only man that has ever contacted you for the sale of any type of
pornographic literature ^
Mr. Richard. That is correct — no; an exception, there. I had a
man enter the store not less than, oh, I would say 2 weeks ago, approxi-
mately 10 days ago, who wanted to know if I was in the market to buy
any pornographic literature. I don't have to give you my answer.
Mr. BoBo. In the Trix shop, do you have a number of people coming
in asking you for that particular type of material ?
Mr. Richard. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. xVnd you had never made inquiry anywhere as to where
you might buy that type of material ?
Mr. Richard. Prior to my having that first consigned lot, I had
made several inquiries. Xo one knew the answer.
Mr. BoBO. From anyone that you asked, you never got a reply ?
Mr. Richard. I never got a reply.
Mr. BoBO. Have you ever run into similar material like this in other
trick shops or places in the Miami area, as to where you might make
an inquiry ?
Mr. Richard. I never enter them, because I go to work at 9 in the
morning and stay there in my store until 9 at night and then go home,
56080 — 55 4
i6 JT^EXILE DELIXQUEXCY
and try to eke out a living. I have found it a very unprofitable thing.
I have been in hopes of offering it for sale.
Mr. BoBo. A deck of cards such as this, which you said that you
had — what was the cost to you of that deck of cards ?
Mr. Richard. I was given one deck of cards like that, and the cost
to me would have been SI had I purchased them.
Mr. BoBo. And yet the going price on that deck of cards is $5 ?
Mr. Richard. That is right. That was my understanding.
Mr. BoBO. It looks to me like it would be something like 4,000 per-
cent profit.
Mr. Richard. In all novelties it is that. It can run up to that in
any novelty, joke, or magic.
Mr. BoBO. And the pictures ?
Mr. Richard. He placed a price on them of 3 cents apiece.
Mr. BoBO. And the most you ever asked for a picture was 20 cents ?
Mr. Richard. That is right: 10, 15, 20. or 25.
Mr. BoBO. From whom did you make inquiries as to where you
might obtain this particular type of thing ?
Mr. Richard. Various salesmen that would come in offering arti-
cles, souvenirs, novelties, in the magic lines, and their imported lines,
but none of them knew. They had run across it but didn't know where
it came from.
Mr. BoBO. Xot having any previous experience with any of this, and
never having seen any of it before, where did you get the idea to make
inquiries ?
Mr. Richard. Because I had been asked for it.
Mr. BoBO. Are you acquainted with anyone in the city of Xew York i
Mr. Richard. Oh, good gosh, yes,
Mr. BoBO. Quite a few ?
Mr. Richard. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. How about Mr. Edgar Levy ?
Mr. Richard. Edgar Levy ? To the best of my knowledge, I don't
place the name, unless he is the owner of some company with which I
do business up there.
Mr. BoBO. Have you ever known a Mr. Arthur Sobel ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Or a Mr. Lewis Saxton of Pittsburgh, Pa. ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. Boiio. How about a Mr. Stanley Jablonski of St. Louis, Mo. ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Have you ever been in Jacksonville, Fla. ?
Mr. Richard. I have been through Jacksonville, Fla.
Mr. BoBT). Do 3'ou know anyone in Jacksonville, there ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Do you know a Mr. John Wesley Carr ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Ml-. BoBo. How about a Pete Vaccari, V-a-c-c-a-r-i ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir.
Mr. BoBO. And you have no idea where the films which y(ju rented
came from, nor where the cards that you sold came from ?
Mr. Richard. Xo, sir. Don't say "cards." I said that one deck was
offered to me. I possessed them for less than 5 minutes.
Mr. BoBO. AVell, one deck happens to be "cards.*'
JUNENILE DELESTQUENCY 47
Mr. Richard. Oh. I see.
Mr. BoBO. I think that is all.
The Chairmax. Mr. Richard, how long have you been out of this
business '?
Mr. Richard. Since my arrest, sir.
The Chairman. "When was that, now ?
Mr. Richard. In May.
The Chairman. Well, you certainly do not think that this was a
wholesome enterprise to be engaged in under any circumstances, do
you?
Mr. Richard. That is correct, sir.
The Chairman. I just wanted to say, for the subcommittee, and I
want the record to show, that the subcommittee frowns on literature
of this type [indicating]. We condemn it. We condemn its uses and
we condemn its sale.
Mr. Richard. I have never sold any of it. And might I add for
the record
The Chairman. I want you to understand it. You have been per-
fectly frank, and the Chair has appreciated that.
Mr. Richard. Well, I intend to be. I heard one of the officers or
heads of the Miami Police Department here testify.
The Chairman. A little louder, please.
Mr. Richard. As I say. I heard one of the officers of the police
department, I think from Miami Beach, testify, where he had received
word that a novelt^^ store in the Beach had been or was allegedly
offering for sale. I don't know who they could be, because I don't
know who my competitors are. I have my own business to look out
for. and my own wife and child. But I might add that I think that
the person or persons who offer this for sale more or less will come in
to a man like I or to a novelty or joke store because they want to offer
these things for sale. I have heard during my adolescent period of
similar things being offered for sale in places like that. It was all
hearsay.
But I can say this : From the time of that confiscation of every piece
of film or picture that I had. I don't handle it. won't handle it.*fi"Own
upon it. I have periodically visited our chief of police, who is very
cooperative. If there are any articles such as a souvenir, like the salt
and pepper shakers, or something that might be questionable, that looks
like a bust of Venus, or a perfume bottle — I have asked him to send a
man down, and he has been very, very cooperative. The chairman of
our board of review, Mrs. ^IcLinden, has been more than cooperative
in coming by the store. She reviews cards, post cards, magazines.
And I have offered them my full cooperation. If there was some-
thing further that I could tell you about it in stopping it, I am with
you. But if my life depended upon it right now, and you said tomor-
row morning you were going to electrocute me unless I said where this
is manufactured, I couldn't answer yon. Because I don't know.
If I can be further cooperative. I am only too glad to answer any-
*^hing you want.
The CiiAiR:NrAN. You have been very cooperative, as I say.
Mr. Richard. And these are sincere thoughts from me.
The (^nAiR:\iAX. You have been very cooperative, and that was the
reason you were jiut under subpena, so that you would be jirotected.
48 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. Richard. I appreciate that.
The CiiAiRMAx. Of course, I have given you the right to counseh
and you do not want counsel.
Mr, Richard. No, sir.
The Chairman. The subcommittee is grateful to you for coming
here today, even though you were under subpena.
Mr. BoBO. May I make this statement before you go on. Senator?
One reason for having you here is because whether you knew it or
did not know it, you were associated with some of the worst racketeers
we have in the country, with one to three hundred million dollars of
this stuif going out in the mails.
Mr. Richard. Might I say, Counsel, I can see that now. I had
been asked by several customers for film, pictures, and I iiKjuired into
it. Until that shipment was left with me, I hadn't had previous con-
tact with any of it. But when you enter into it, and see, as the counsel
pointed out, that perhaps a man could take it out and show it to some
juveniles — I had never thought of that until this very minute in this
courtroom. And I can see the viciousness of it.
But here is one man that will work w^ith anyone in combatting it.
And the store is open day or night, and any time it is open it doesn't
need a search warrant to go through it. It is open to inspection at
any time.
Formerlj' I did have a partition up, but I have that down, and there
is fresh air in it now. And I am sorry it was polluted that one time
with the stuff.
The Chairman. I am sure you are.
Counsel will call the next witness, before the noon recess.
Mr. Bodo. Is INIrs. Adele Faske in the courtroom ?
The Chairman. Mrs. Faske is not in the room, is she ?
The hour is 12:10; so the subcommittee will stand in recess until
2 o'clock.
I would like to announce that Judge Beckham has asked the staff
of the subcommittee to luncheon with him today at the school.
("WHiereupon, at 12:10 p. m., a recess was taken until 2 p. m., this
same day.)
ArXERNOON session
The hearing was resumed at 2 p. m., pursuant to the recess.
The Chairman. Shall we proceed ?
ISIrs. Faske, will you be sworn, please? Do you swear that the testi-
mony that you are about to give before this subcommittee of a com-
mittee of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God ?
Mrs. Faske. I do.
The Chairman. You may be seated.
Mr. Bono. ]Mr. Chairman, I have a letter here from Sergeant Owens
which I would like to insert in the record at this time. It concerns
tattooing.
The Chairman. Do you want to read it into the record ?
Mr. BoBO. Xo, sir, I will just insert it.
The Chairman. Without objection, it will be ordered into the rec-
ord at this point in the proceedings. Let it be exhibit No. 2.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ' 49
(The letter referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 2," and reads as
follows:)
ExiiiRiT No. 2
City of Miami, Fi-a.,
December 16, 195 J/.
Chief Counselor,
Senate Invcstigaiion Committee.
(Attention Mr. Bobo.)
As a matter of information to tlie committee, let it be noted that our police
flepai'tment have had numerous complaints whereby, juveniles have been tat-
tooed by tattoo artists without consent from their parents.
I would like to bring to your attention that there is no local or State law
whereby this tattoo artist can be prosecuted for such action.
Tours truly,
Detective Sgt. Earl Owens,
Juvenile Bureau, Police Department.
Mr. BoBO, Mrs. Faske, will you state jouv full name and j^our asso-
ciation and your local address ?
TESTIMONY OF MRS. ADELE SIEGEL FASKE, ASSISTANT STATE'S
ATTORNEY, MIAMI, ELA.
Mrs. Faske. Adele Siegel Faske. I am an assistant State's at-
torney, and my local address is 535 NE. 51st Street.
Mr. BoBO. Is it Miss Faske, or Mrs. Faske ?
Mrs. Faske. Mrs. Faske.
Mr, BoBO. I believe, Mrs. Faske, that in the State attorney's office
you are in charge of enforcing the Uniform Nonsupport Act as it
applies to the State of Florida ?
Mrs. Faske. Yes, sir.
Mr. Bobo. And you have made quite a study of the uniform non-
support law not only in Florida but in the other States of the Union?
Mrs. Faske. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. And have also attended a recent convention or conference
on the Uniform Nonsupport Act?
Mrs. Faske. In Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mr. BoBO. Would you give us, from the benefit of your experience
and your travels and your attendance at conferences, what you think
the advantages of the Uniform Nonsupport Act are?
Mrs. Faske. Well, the main advantage is that before we had this
Uniform Nonsupport Act a man could cross a State line, abandon his
family and be free from other than criminal proceedings. This is a
civil proceeding, so that the social aspect of it is that if the family is
separated, and you think in terms of rehabilitation, it is so much easier
to rehabilitate a family where the man has not been labeled a felon, as
he would under the criminal proceedings. And that is one of the main
aspects that is so favorable with this law.
Mr. BoBO. "Wliat has been your success in prosecuting these civil ac-
tions where a man deserts his family, say, in Tennessee, and comes to
Florida, and Tennessee sends their court order down ? Have you been
successful in recovering support money from most of these men?
Mrs. Faske. Yes, sir, we have. The only problem that arises here
in Dade County is that there is a certain percentage where you don't
get .service on the man because the address is an old address. I5ut I
do have some statistics, and if you are interested in them, I could call
them to your attention.
50 ' JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
But in the bulk of the cases where we bring the man before the court,
there is something about getting him to pay into the registry of the
court, and this court transferring it to the court in the initiating State,
that makes him pay a little more readily than he would otherwise.
The Chaikmax. That information will be made a part of the record
at this point.
(The information referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 3," and reads
as follows:)
Exhibit No. 3
Uniform support of dependents km:
Hearings scheduled for November 1954 20
No service 9
Continued 2
Canceled 1
Orders 7
Order staying cause 1
New cases received from responding states 49-
Hearings scheduled for December 1954 25
Held to date 2.3
Canceled 2
No service 12
Orders 9
New cases received from responding States (to date) 25'
Cases filed :
Initiating State :
December 31
November LS
Responding States :
December IT
November 10'
Total number of cases received, responding States -540
Cases previously receiving aid to dependent children now under court
order T
Mr. BoBO. Do you have in your statistics tliere the number that are
brought and the number that are successfully prosecuted, and so forth?
Mrs. Faske. Y\"ell, for example, where we are the responding State,
that is, where the father resides here and the families are in 1 of the
45 other States — I believe I am correct in saying that only Nevada
remains to join the Union — we have received this j^ear 540 cases.
Xo\^, obviously, we have not tried or we liave not processed com-
pletely 540 cases, because, as in most of these State positions, we are
understaffed. So the problem, the slowup in the clerical department^
naturally, holds back the processing of these cases.
Mr. Bono. How many people do you have assigned to the State
attorney's office handling these particular matters ?
Mrs. Faske. I am wliat is called the petitioner's representative.
That is, I represent the petitioner whether she is here or whether she
is in the responding State.
Mr. Bono. You are the one assigned to that ?
Mrs. Faske. That is right. And then tliere is one secretary assigned
to the support department.
Mr. BoBO. Have you ever found it true that after you have initiated
your proceedings and sent out the service to an individual, that he
might have heard of this action and gone into another county of the
State or left the State of Florida and gone into another State?
Mrs. Faske. I just got a bulletin from the convention, and I think
they call those "periodic skippers." You have got a certain percen-
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 51
tage of those, and you have just got to face it. There is nothing you
can do about a man who does not care about taking root. His main
object in life is to avoid his responsibility to his family. But the per-
centage is so small. In other words, I truthfully think that psycho-
logically they are happy after you catch them, because they feel that
now they are a part of the family, even though they originally were
angry, or whatever the cause might have been for their leaving. They
are psychologically adjusted to the fact that noAv they are contributing
to the support of the family, and in most of these hearings, they will
question the judge and ask if they now have the right of reasonable
visitation, or : can they correspond ? or : can they expect to hear from
the children ?
Mr. BoBO. You mentioned rehabilitation a moment ago. You think,
then, that under this act, without making it a felony, the man is morp
easily rehabilitated and comes back to being a part of his family?
Mrs. Faske. Yes, sir, I do.
Mr. BoBO. And where you successfully prosecute these cases here,
the man pays into the registry of the court. And do you have any of
them that lapse in their payments with any great regularity?
Mrs. Faske. Well, there is something peculiar to these cases that I
think you can say probably doesn't happen any other place. These
cases are never Avhat you call closed. The man may contribute to the
family for a year, and then suddenly he has decided he doesn't want
to contribute any more. Or he may, for a few months, and then he
becomes lax. The cases are never closed where they go on. There is a
percentage that would continue to pay regularly, and are happy to do
so, but on the other hand, we have the percentage of cases where they
just have to be taken back in on a rule to show cause periodically, and
reminded ol their responsibilities.
Mr. BoBO. Now, suppose that you had successful 1}^ ])rosecuted a case
here in Dade County. The man had paid to his family for a year, and
then all of a sudden he goes to New Orleans, La. It will be necessary
in that event, in case he doesn't pay support to his family, for New
Orleans, that parish there, to institute the same proceedings?
Mrs. Faske. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. And if he should stay there for a Mdiile, it would be neces-
sary for him to go on to another State and then to initiate the same
proceedings.
Mrs. Faske. That is right. I am glad you brought that point up,
sir, for the simple reason that that was brought out at the convention.
The only time that you can transfer a case from one State to the
other without filing a new proceeding is prior to the entrance of a
court order. If a man has left from New York and gone to New
Orleans, for example, as in your case, prior to his having been placed
under a court order in New York, then you can just transfer the case,
and we don't have to file a new case here in Florida.
Mr. BoBO. Now, in these cases, who bears the cost ?
Mrs. Faske. That is another very interesting point, especially in
Florida. Fortunately, Dade County is covei-ed by what we call the
population statute. There are three counties in the State — I believe
I am correct in saying this — that is, Dade County, Duval, and Hills-
borough, where they will accept insolvency affidavits. So that that
])ORes no problem here. Where the petitioner has the funds, she does
52 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
assume them and does pay the court costs here, coming to $13.10, the
filing fee of $12.50, and 60 cents on the sheriff's return. If she is
without funds, or if she is a case that has been i-eferred from the wel-
fare, we automatically file those under the insolvency affidavits. But
in the rest of the State, we have the problem that they are not covered
by this population statute, and it poses a problem, and unless the peti-
tioner can get someone to lend her the money she just can't process
the case. And it also poses this problem, that where a case it sent, for
example, to Orlando — I know that happens to be a pro]:)lem, because
I was speaking with some of the people there — and the petitioner in
the northern State is without funds, and she is on relief, if she cannot
forward the filing fee they are unable to process the case.
So, at the convention, it was thought that probably it would be a
wonderful plan if we would have it automatically filed, have it auto-
matically filed under "insolvency," or perhaps have the respondent
father, who has managed to avoid his responsibilities long enough any-
way, assume the costs, so that it won't overburden the taxpayers.
Mr, Bono. Now, you handle also the forwarding. You forward a
case to the State of California, where the court costs might be $13 or
they might be $25, and only a resident of California can file under the
so-called pauper's author insolvency act.
Is there any provision made in your office for the payment of costs
for an indigent person ?
Mrs. Faske. Well, what usually is done : Some States won't coop-
erate at all. They say their filing fee is X amount of dollars, and
that is all. They just won't cooperate or even wait and let them take
it out of the first payment, or see if they can have the respondent
assume the court costs.
But in a lot if instances they are able to go ahead with the insol-
vencj^ affidavit, as if she were a bona fide resident of that State, and
then take the filing fee out of the first payment, or, if it doesn't cover
it, withhold the first two payments, or however the case might be.
Mr. Bono. Is there any charge made for forwarding the money that
is paid in to the register to the family ?
Mrs. Faske. There are only a couple of States where they withhold
a few pennies now and again.
Mr. BoBO. Now, if you had a man desert his family and his children
in the State of Florida here in Miami, Dade County, go to the District
of Columbia, what action would you take against that person ?
Mrs. Faske. That is a problem that we have been having for a long
time, for the 2i/^ years in the Solicitor's Office, where we operated
exclusively under the criminal statute, and that was prior to the
adoption of the uniform support law here in the Florida 1953 session
of the legislature. The only thing we can do is prevail upon the United
States attorney, who, I might add, is most cooperative, to send for the
man and have a member of his staff talk to him.
Now, if the family here is unfortunate enougli to have the man resid-
ing in the District and making his residence there, then, if he does not
want to cooperate, there is nothing we can do except to proceed under
the criminal statute. However, there is a certain percentage of these
cases where you have a man employed in the District and obviously
living on the Virginia side or the Maryland side, and then we can pro-
ceed against him at his domicile.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 53
Mr. BoBo. Would it be helpful to you in your work if the Congress
of the United States should see fit to pass this Uniform Nonsupport
Act to apply to the District cf Columbia ?
Mrs, F!aske, Well, it certainly would, because it just doesn't seem
fair to me to have a man maybe having a very nice government job
leaving his family at the mercy of the taxpayers in the State, and he is
home free.
The Chairman. Are you familiar with this statute — or this bill ; it
has not become a statute yet — S. 2662 ?
Mrs. Faske. It was just left at my office, and I just looked through it.
I didn't make a thorough study of it. Senator.
The Chairman. Well, to help the subcommittee, will you make a
study of that and give the subcommittee the benefit of your experience
and observations?
Mrs. Faske. Thank you. I would be very happy to.
The Chairman. I wish you would.
Mr. BoBo. Mr, Chumbris, you will see that she gets the address of
the subcommittee ?
But you would be opposed, I think you said, in your opening remark,
there, to placing the onus on a man of having been a felon, and you
would rather keep it a civil proceeding ?
Mrs. Faske. I don't think it would be abolished completely ; no. I
think in a last resort in many cases, it is the only way that some of
these people can learn anything. That is the only language they un-
derstand. But I do feel that we should exhaust all civil remedies first.
Because the problem, here, truthfully, in Dade County, is that they
just won't extradite except in most extreme cases: because the volume
of these cases makes it prohibitive, the money that the taxpayer has
to pay out just doesn't seem to make it possible for them to assume that,
and, furthermore, it isn't what we call practical, for the simple reason
that you have to send a man out, for example, to Texas. I cite this as
a case that happened. And then you have the transportation and per
diem and per mile, et cetera, of the man who is going to pick up the
runaway father. Then you have the double transportation and ex-
penses back. And the man gets into Dade County, and he goes up and
he posts bond, or else he doesn't post bond, as the case may be.
But suppose he posts bond. And he goes over to visit the family.
The next morning the wife is in the office of the county solicitor beg-
ging and crying. "He has come home. All is forgiven."
And the taxpayers are out all that money. And that money, I feel,
would have been much better spent going to some of these ADC cases
that are waiting to get on the welfare rolls.
Mr. BoBO. It practically never happens, then, that criminal pro-
ceedings are brought under the present statutes of the State where a
man is extradited and brought back ?
Mrs. Faske. Very seldom. The county commissioners here just
won't hear of it.
Mr. BoBO. Do you think it would be helpful if it was possible where
a man is ordered by a State court in Dade County to pay so much
money to the support of his family, and he absconds to the State of
Texas, that there the action could be brought in the Federal court
and he could be convicted of a criminal act, a felony, for crossing the
State lines to avoid supporting his family ? There would be no extra-
54 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
dition there, and to provide a measure for the support of his family,
do you think that woukl be helpful ?
Mrs. Faske. That would be helpful as a protective measure after
we have exhausted the civil measures.
In my humble opinion, I would certainly feel that we must exhaust
the civil aspect of all of these cases first.
Mr. BoBO. We usually find that the families of these deserting fath-
ers are pretty destitute families ; aren't they ?
Mrs. Faske. Yes ; they are, and most of them have applied for aid
to dependent children or are presently receivino; it. And one of the
prerequisites to their receiving it is that they must clear with our
office, to show that every effort is being made to make the father as-
sume his responsibility rather than return to welfare.
Mr. BoBO. Not only are the children victims of a broken home, but
they are also thrown upon community supj^oit ?
Mrs. Faske. That is right. And the hardship cases that we see
in the office are just tremendous, and you can't help but feel, wdien a
mother comes to you with tears in her eyes, and she says, "I can't al-
ways say 'No' to my children" — you feel that you have got to exhaust
every possible means to make this father assume his responsibility so
that the child won't go through life always hearing, "No" and "they
can't afford it." Because the ramifications of that are obvious.
The Chairman. Mrs. Faske, you mentioned earlier in your testi-
mony the difficulty in getting service on these fathers. Can you get the
ser\dce in these jurisdictions by publication, or do you have to get
personal service?
Mrs. Faske. No, sir ; we have to have personal service in these pro-
ceedings.
The Chairman. In practically every jurisdiction?
Mrs. Faske. That is right.
The Chairman. I will appreciate it very much, as chairman of this
subcommittee, if you will study this Langer-Kef auver-Hennings-Flan-
ders-Hendrickson Act, S. 2662. We had hoped it would be an act before
this session was over, but we were disappointed. So with all your rich
experience, I hope that you will study it and transmit to me your views
and your suggestions and any corrections you may have to offer.
Mrs. Faske. Thank you.
Mr. BoBO. May I ask one further question, Mrs. Faske? I under-
stand that there is now in the process of being formulated an inter-
national treaty on nonsupport. In what stage is that treaty at the
present time ?
Mrs. Faske. Not too far along, I hope. I sent for my copies so that
I could give them to some of my friends who are interested throughout
the State, especially to Mr. Irving, our attorney general. I certainly
hope it has not gone too far. Because it would just be bedlam. It
would certainly be the root of breaking up the American home. After
a man has established himself and suddenly somebody decides to pro-
ceed in a paternity action for support of some children, when he has
his own famih% and the wife wdio is now living with him hasn't even
heard of it, you can well understand the ramifications of something
like that.
Mr. BoBO. In your understanding of the treaty as it now stands,
you would be opposed to the United States becoming a party to that ?
Mrs. Faske. Yes, sir ; I certainly would.
JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY 55
The CHAiRTkrAN. Mrs. Faske, I have one more question. In more
recent years at the State level of government, we have had a lot of
success,' I think, with uniform State laws of various kinds, starting
probably with the original Negotiable Instruments Act and other laws.
Do you think if we could have developed more State laws to deal
with this problem of delinquency, it would be helpful? Uniform
State laws ? Do you understand what I mean ?
Mrs. Faske. Could you just go a little bit further in your question?
I don't believe I understood you.
The Chairman. Well, I wondered if it would not be helpful if more
of our laws at the State level of government could be made uniform,
so that the practices and procedures in the various States would be
on a par.
Mrs. Faske. Yes, sir, I understand your question now. Senator.
Yes, I do.
The Chairmax. Fine. I am glad to hear you say that. That is one
of my hobbies in this work.
Thank you very much, Mrs. Faske. You have been very helpful to
the subcommittee, and we appreciate it.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Daniel Sullivan ?
The Chairman. Mr. Sullivan, do you swear that the testimony you
are about to give before this subcommittee of a committee of the Sen-
ate of the United States will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you God ?
Mr. Sullivan. I do.
Mr. BoBO. Will you state your name and occupation and position
and local address for the benefit of the record ?
TESTIMONY OF DANIEL P. SULLIVAN, OPERATING DIRECTOR,
CRIME COMMISSION OF GREATER MIAMI
]Mr. Sullivan. My name is Daniel P. Sullivan, and I am the oper-
ating director of the Crime Commission of Greater Miami. My ad-
dress is 460 Northeast 103d Street, Miami Shores.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Sullivan, you have had quite an extensive career
in the field of crime as it involves adults, haven't you?
Mr. Sullivan. Yes, I guess so.
Mr. BoBO. Would you care to give us some of your background as
to your crime experience ?
Mr. Sullivan. I became a special agent of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in June of 1932, and I remained with the FBI until
October 1942. I became director of plant protection and security for
Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. here in Miami in about November
of 1942. and remained until after the war. I then became the chief in-
vestigator for the Florida State Racing Commission, and for 1 year
worked on the racetracks in security work, and then I became operat-
ing director of the Crime Commission of Greater Miami in August of
1948 2 or 3 months after our commission was formed, and I still hold
that job.
Mr. BoBO. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Sullivan, the crime commission necessarily is concerned with
adult crime, but I think you have done some investigations and some
surveys as affects juvenile delinquency and juvenile crimes; is that
^•orrect ?
56 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Mr. Sullivan. That is correct.
Mr. BoBO. Would you give us your views as to what you have found
the juvenile delinquency problem to be from the viewpoint of the crime
commission ?
Mr. Sullivan. "We ran into this particular phase of crime in connec-
tion with an investigation of what might be called organized, crime.
We are not geared or set up as a criminal bureau or as a juvenile inves-
tigative unit.
Our primary function is to encourage respect for laws generally and
strive for better law enforcement.
We have operated not exclusively but in great measure in the field
of organized crime, rackets, gambling, prostitution, and so on. Our
investigations, however, have run into other phases of it.
We have been making a survey of the enforcement beverage laws for
the last 2 or 3 j^ears, and during our survey we ran into a problem that
certainly has a great effect upon delinquency in juveniles.
We found that since the war there had arisen a tremendous increase
in the number of licensed beverage places that cater to homosexuals
and other sex deviates.
At the end of the war, there were possibly 1 or 2 places in the Greatei'
Miami area, maybe 3, that catered to that type of clientele.
As of a year ago, that number had increased to probably between
20 and 25. That would be in Dade County, in Miami, in Miami
Beach, and in the unincorporated areas.
We found that very frequently these places were the locale for
numerous violations of the beverage law, such as sales of liquor to
juveniles, afterhours sales, sale of improper types of beverages not
permitted under their particular licenses, disorderly conduct, fights,
and also some crimes of violence.
So, primarily, although our attempt was to obtain better enforce-
ment of the Sta^^e and local ordinances on beverage control, we found
that a great evi' liad arisen, one that apparently is almost a hidden
phase in our American life, and that has to do with the seduction of
young boys and young girls by homosexuals.
In recent months, we made a survey of some other large metro-
politan areas, and we found that they had also undergone a tremen-
dous increase in the homosexual problem, particularly in the case of
San Francisco, Phoenix, Ariz., and Norfolk, Va.
The problem is a delicate one, for the reason that many people lift
their eyebrows when you speak of homosexuals, and secondly, it is a
difficult one because there is a distinction between the person who has
certain tendencies and the person who lets those tendencies eventuate
into some illegal or immoral action prohibited by law. It has got to be
touched on very carefully and handled properly.
However, I do think this: That there is not one phase of criminal
enterprise in the country today that is as innately dangerous to the
welfare of this Nation, to the States that make it up, and to the local
connnunities, as is this gi'owing problem of liomosexuality, first of all
because it is a forbidden subject: secondly, because it is a subject that
touches upon the feeling of most citizens that it is a purely personal
thing involving certain unusual characters and it is far afield from
the average citizen and the activities of citizens in the streets and their
working places.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 57
From our correspondence and our investigations of the cities,
apparently the subject matter is one that might come within the possi-
bility of legislation by Congress.
The former head of the liquor and night club detail of the Miami
Police Department, in a public statement about 3 or 4 months ago,
estimated that we had between six and eight thousand homosexuals
in the Greater Miami area, an astounding statement to me, although I
probably know as much about it as the average person does in law
enforcement.
I would say that they are not homebreds. Some are. The great
mass of these people are moving in interstate commerce. They move
to the areas in which enforcement is lax, is easy, and where the town
or the city or the county has a policy of easy enforcement.
That is the problem from the viewpoint of its interstate character.
They apparently float easily from one town to another as the en-
forcement becomes strict or it eases up, and they seem to have a pipe-
line whereby that becomes readily known.
The question as to juveniles is one, I think, of even greater serious-
ness. If these people who are imf ortunate, who have those tendencies,
would remain in the open ranks, I would say it is no problem. The
tendency, however, is for those people to move to the innocent, the
uninitiated, the people who are sexually inexperienced, and naturally
they move to the young, to boys and girls that are 15, 16, 17, and 18
years of age. They tend to recruit new members into their group.
And unlike practically any other type of crime, once they are suc-
cessful in bringing within their scope of influence a young, uninitiated
boy or girl, that person may be lost for life to common normal stand-
ards of morality.
It is a problem, I think, that transcends the problem that we had
back in 1916, I think it was, before Congress passed the Mann Act.
It is one that not only has its eft'ect here in Miami but has its national
effect. They have a nationally circulated magazine, in which they
endorse the general activities, feelings, hopes, aspirations, and ideas
of their own group. They indicate that they have a different stand-
ard of morals. They seek for changes in the law. They teach meth-
ods and manners of evading police action. And they are constantly
exploiting the welfare of their individual members.
I know of no police investigation that has been conducted, possibly
outside of our investigation, on this particular i:)roblem. It has been
mentioned in numerous congressional investigations incidentally, such
as the infiltration of the State Department by large groups of homo-
sexuals.
There is no question about it that if there is a continuing increase
in this problem in this country, it might ultimately be the cause for
possible destruction eventually of this country, as the same problem
did destroy other civilizations in the past.
We attacked it from the viewpoint that our State beverage laws
were so written that it was intended that licensed bars and night clubs
should be run, first of all, by people of good moral character; sec-
ondly, that the places should be run in accordance with the common
ideas of decency and order. And we more or less capped our program
and drive around the licensed beverage business and demanded that
the State beverage department and the local bar-enforcement officers
58 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
do soiiietliiiio; to clean up this situation, inasmuch as at least the nu-
cleus of these people make licensed beverage places their headquar-
ters, their rendezvous, the places where they can get in touch with
one another locally, and also the places where they can find the various
other members of their fraternity who may be located in other cities.
The drive was sparked by us back in 1952, moved slowly, and finally
was given a great deal of impetus by the very direct and very aggres-
sive action of Mayor Aronovitz after he became the mayor of the city
of Miami.
As a result, the police have more or less made a drive against these
places, have questioned the known suspects, the known degenerates,
have demanded of the operators that they clean up the situation.
Tlirough our efforts and those of others, many have been cited to
the State beverage department. Tlie licenses of some have been re-
voked. And generally speaking, the situation is in much better shape
today than it was even a year ago.
The city of Miami has passed an ordinance placing tough restric-
tions upon the operators of nightclubs and bars, preventing the serv-
ing of known perverts, preventing the concentration of '2 or more
perverts in a place at 1 time.
And so the campaign that we undertook incidental to our interest in
the alcoholic beverage enforcement, I believe, has brought results in
this area.
However, it has not solved the problem. Unquestionably, a great
nmnber of tliese same people have hidden away and possibly gone {■>
Chicago or Cleveland or Detroit or some other place where the enforce-
ment activities are not as wide awake to the problem, and where the
enforcement may be libei'al, and the city may have the reputation of
being an easy city as far as they are concerned.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Sullivan, I think you are talking on a subject that I
don't believe the average American has any idea on, as to the extent
of the problem. By admission of the magazine you talked about being-
])ublished, there are over 6 million of them in the United States today.
I tliink Miami has had some prime examples of what the influence of
this can be on children. I have read in the newspapers since I have
been here the cases of 3 or possibly 4 schoolteachers that have been in-
volved with students in the schools. I have also been informed — and
I want to ask you tlie question if you have heard this before — that once
a young, sexually inexperienced person has been introduced to these
particular acts, the likelihood of liim going into this particular per-
verted way of life is greatly increased, and that many of them are
recruited into the ranks just by that very thing.
Mr. Sullivan. I think that is true. As I see it, you have two crimes
in which juveniles become involved in connection witli tliis question
of homosexuals. One is the crime wherein tlie homosexual violates the
law against the juvenile, in a question of morality. The other is a
very common crime, and we have had 2 or ?> very bad instances here
in Dade County. That is the crime of violence committed by juveniles
against known homosexuals, where they attempt to rob a homosexual.
We had one killing by a bartender of a known perverted hangout of
a patron in the patron's apartment house.
"We had another case involving two 10-year-old service men, 1 a
marine and 1 a sailor, who were picked up in the most notorious hang-
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 59
out that we had in greater Miami by a homosexual, who took them
down to the park, and these 2 men, who had been drinking through-
out the day for 24 liours, finally threw him into the bay, and he
drowned. . They were charged with manslaughter, and I think they
are still serving time in the Florida State Penitentiary.
The third case was the case of a steward on an airline, who was
}>icked up by 2 young boys, one 18, I believe, and one 19, here in the
last 4 or 5 months, and they took him out in the country and killed him
after an attempted robbery. And apparently they luid been doing that
over a period of time, going along our main streets at night where
these people do come along to pick up young boys, and would get a
ride and rob the driver of the car.
The Chairman. How old were these boys ?
Mr. Sullivan. I tliink one was 18 ancl the other 19; both of them
local boys who had heard about the practice of these fellows to drive
the streets at night, the main streets and highways, and pick up young
fellows who might be waiting for buses. They would go out and look
for these homosexuals, and when they found one, they would get a ride
and then stick him up, take his money away from him, and possibly
beat him.
In this case they killed the man, and both of the boys I believe are
still awaiting trial. I don't think they have been tried yet.
Each one of these cases, of course, aroused a great deal of public
indignation, and as that indignation arose, our authorities started
taking cognizance of this particular problem that we had here and
the tremendous growth in the liomosexuals in the area, and it probably
is one of the things that sparked the various ordinances and laws and
whatnot that have been brouglit to bear.
Now, for instance, in both Miami and the city of Miami Beach,
there has been passed a law which forbids impersonators to dress in
female attire, with the idea of cutting down on this impersonation
business in these places where they have that type of entertainment.
Mr. BoBO. I am sure you are familiar with television and the night
club performers, and so forth. Have you noticed recently the great
increase of so-called efl'eminate acts by the comedians on television and
also in the night clubs, to indicate that they might have a passing
acquaintance with this particular subject^ Have you noticed that?
Mr. Sullivan. It has become very prominent in the last 2 or 3
years; in motion pictures, on radio, and of course now with tele-
vision. And, as a matter of fact, there was one nationally syndicated
writer — and I think it was Winchell ; it may have been Euark — who
Avrote, here about 4 or 5 months ago, that it was almost impossi-
ble for a person to get a position in major television in New York
today unless he was a homosexual.
Mr. BoBO. Mr. Sullivan, there is one other area which we have
touched upon this morning. I would like to ask you if you have any
information or any ideas on the subject. Do you have any opinibn
as to what narcotics might be in this particular area, both coming
into this port or maybe just distributed here ?
Mr. Sullivan. I have been informed by the Narcotics Unit of the
Treasury Department that narcotics is not a great problem in this
area ; that it is a problem in great measure that is limited to the supply
60 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
of narcotics to tourists who come here who are addicts and who come
here during the winter season ; that outside of that season it is a ques-
tion of having some marihuana, but that it is not a big problem as it is
in some other metropohtan areas.
Mr. BoBO. I just wondered if you, as a member of the crime commis-
sion, had received information or anonymous tips that it might be
more prevalent in Miami than one might think.
Mr, Sullivan. I didn't say whether or not I agreed with the Nar-
cotics Bureau. I think that this area may be the port of entry for
narcotics from other countries, but I am not in the position to know
as well as the Narcotics Unit. But I do believe that. I have some
reason to believe it.
But I think that is different from what your question is, as involving
the use of narcotics in this area.
Mr. BoBO. Well, with the great port of Miami, with the number of
foreign ships coming into it, the importation of narcotics through
Miami, may be going north to Chicago and New York, where we know
there is a tremendous narcotic problem, to Cleveland, Ohio, and that
area — do you think it could be going through Miami and not stopping
here possibly ?
Mr. Sullivan. Well, possibly that could be, but the Narcotics Bureau
doesn't believe so, and they are in a better position to know than I.
They say they know, generally speaking, the source of the port of entry
of the major narcotics volume in the United States. That is wh>»f
they say.
Mr. BoBo. I think that is all.
The Chairman. Mr. Sullivan, you have helped the subcommittee
tremendously by your appearance here today. Your rich experience
and unselfish service in this field have brought to this record a very fine
study, and I hope my colleagues, when this record is written, will read
that story that you have told us very carefully,
Mr. Sullivan. Thank you.
The Chairman. I shall certainly read it myself.
Mr. BoBO. Judge Walter Beckham.
The Chairman. Mr, Beckham, it is a pleasure to swear a judge.
Judge, do you swear that the testimony you give before this subcom-
mittee of a committee of the United States Senate will be the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God ?
Judge Beckham, I do.
The Chairman. It is a great ]:)leasure to have you here, and I am
sorry that our subcommittee staff did not take advantage or could not
take advantage of your luncheon invitation.
Mr. BoBO. Senator, Mrs. Faske left a copy of statistics that she
wished to insert in tlie record concerning the Non-Support Act, which
I would like to introduce at this time.
The Chairman. The statistics will be inserted in the record at an
appropriate place in the good lady's remarks. {See exhibit No, 3,
p. 50.)
Mr. BoBO. Judge Beckham, would you state for us your name and
official position ?
I
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 61
TESTIMONY OF JUDGE WALTER H. BECKHAM, JR., JUVENILE AND
DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURT, DADE COUNTY, ELA.
Judge Beckham. I am Judge Walter H. Beckliam, judge of the
juvenile and domestic relations court for Dade County. I reside at
461 Southwest 22d Kond, Miami.
Mr. BoBo. How long have you been judge of the juvenile court in
Miami, Dade County, Judge ?
Judge Beckham. Since 1933, Counselor.
Mr. BoBO. From your many years of experience in handling the
problems of juvenile delinquency after they reach the juvenile court,
do you have a statement or remarks that you would like to make con-
cerning the problems of juvenile delinquency in Dade County?
Judge BeckHzVM. Yes, I have sir. I have seen the county grow from
a very small population group comj^aratively to a present population
estimated in the neighborhood of 600,000 or more.
I survey the passing parade of youth during the years I have sat on
the bench, and the problems are very much the same. We have more
cases, because we have more children. We don't see any particular
ratio increase in juvenile delinquency, if you measure the cases against
the population, but we do see certain changing types of delinquency.
For instance, we are having more serious crimes and violent crimes
committed by juveniles, and I would like to remind you, too, that a
juvenile in Florida means a boy or girl under 17. And when we get
statistics from our court, you have to evaluate them with the age group.
Sometimes newspaper stories refer to anyone who is a minor as a
juvenile, which is a misnomer. Juveniles should be understood to
mean those under 17, so far as our nomenclature is concerned. Those
from 17 to 21 are youths or teen-agers, but it is misleading to call them
juveniles.
We find the problems of serious crime have increased, such as more
holdups by juveniles and more atacks, robbing by juveniles, break-
ing and entering by juveniles, and, as Mr. Sullivan has just testified,
we have sometimes some juveniles engaged in rolling or robbing the
homosexual, who is trying to victimize the juvenile, and the juveniles
trying to victimize the homosexual in the sense that he robs them.
We think the overshadowing cause of juvenile delinquency, as we
see it, sir, is lack of parental supervision in a general sense. Too many
parents do not have a close and detailed knowledge or interest in what
the children are doing, where they are going, with whom they are
going, and what is going to happen to them.
We find that the careful alert family tliat has a program for the
child and knows what they are doing and checks on it, rarely ever
have very serious problems with their children. It is callous, indiffer-
ent family, in many instances, that give us our problem.
During the years, we have greatly increased our facilities for work-
ing with juveniles here. When I came in, we didn't have any juvenile
aid bureaus. We didn't have any policewomen. We didn't have any
juvenile officer assigned in any department.
By carefully evaluating the need for these services and going before
public bodies, we are fortunately now having, I think, in practically
every municipality in the county at least one juvenile officer, and in the
larger communities we have a well-staffed juvenile aid bureau, such
56980—55 5
62 JU^-ENILE DELINQUENCY
as the city of Miami and Miami Beach, Hialeah, and other communi-
ties, Avho coo}3erate by having- at least one juvenile officer as a liaison
officer between them and the juvenile court.
The attitude of the police departments toward the juvenile court
lias been more cordial, because they know our work and have worked
with us through their juvenile aid officers.
Truancy has been a big problem in Dade County because of the
fact of the widely scattered j^opulation and the fact that we have
many transients who move from other communities and the children
are frequently slow in getting into the schools, and, as some have said,
the weather is fine and the tishing good, and children don't always
get to school on the day they should.
"We do have that problem of truancy.
Among boys, our leading offense is running away. We do have
some figures broken down by the mayor's committee, who had a staff
from the University of Miami check on our figures, and we didn't
see that report before it was released. The record does show that run-
aways are the leading offense, but when you understand the back-
ground of the runaways you understand that that is not the whole
story. Because we have a missing persons bureau, and when a family
has a child, a boy, disappear, they usually notify first the missing
persons bui-eau to hunt for them.
They list them as runaways. Then, when they pick them up, they
send them over to us, if they are of juvenile age.
The intake sheet still says "runaways," but when we go into the
case, we find that while the child has been a runaway, perhaps there
has been automobile stealing, sex cases, breakings and enterings, more
serious offenses, which have occurred while they were on the runaway
basis. But the runaway problem still remains the most serious prob-
lem, and running away still remains the indexed description of the
case as it first started, so we have to evaluate those figures.
Now, I am fair enough to say that the court figures are not the
whole story on delinquency. There is an uncaught as well as a caught
group. We are largely a court of referral, although we do take
many cases of our own initiative that come to the attention of our
court and our officers in their own jurisdiction. But the majority of
our cases are referred cases from police departments who have the
first contact with juveniles.
We have some figures here, if you care to see trends. These sta-
tistics may be interesting. Wp have figures on transients, figures on
delinquents, and we have figures that might be enlightening if you
want to hear them.
We still feel that the figures show that the delinquent group, as
serious as it may be, is a minority group, and does not represent at
all the majority of our young people. We may read stories and think
that all of our youth group has gone haywire, but when you check
up the figures show that it is a minority group and in many communi-
ties less than 10 percent, and in some communities less than 5. In this
State, an interesting comparison was made by our State welfare
board, I believe, that took the adjudicated cases of delinquency in this
county and various counties and compared them against the total
school population, to see what ratio of children were delinquent.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 63
In Dade Count}', that figure was 1.7 percent of the children who go
to school, that were delinquent, in the sense that they had had cases
in court in which they had been adjudicated delinquents.
We realize that this is only a trend. It isn't entirely correct, because
school figures may include some above juvenile court age, and it cer-
tainly includes kindergarten and other children that would not ordi-
narily be classed as subject to the juvenile court. But it is an
indication,
AVe find that our runaway problem has increased during the years,
and we have figures on the transients, as we call them, which show
the trend over several years. And since this committee has expressed
an interest in runaways as being an interstate problem, we have a list
here of all the cases of runaways that came to us in 1954, with the
State from which they came.
As has been testified to, by the police departments, we do not get
all cases of runaways because where they are 16 or over and not in
au}^ law violation, it isn't the policy to have them come to us if it can
be worked out otherwise, because many families let their boys and
girls, when they reach 16 and pass compulsory school requirements,
go out and get a job. So we do not take jurisdiction over every boy
who is 16 and away from home just because he is away from home,
unless he is engaged in some law violation. Then we do pick him up.
Mr. BoBO. Judge, may I ask a question at that point there?
Judge Beckham. Yes.
Mr, BoBO. I notice you were saying a moment ago that the greatest
number of cases as shown by this recent report you referred to had
to do with runaways. But after going into the problem of runaways,
you said the boy was listed as a runaway but you found that during
the period of his being a runaway he got into the more serious prob-
lems, such as burglary and robbery and sex offenses.
Judge Beckham. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. Is it not entirely possible that the 16-year-old boys that
are left to roam on their own as runaways, even though their parents
don't want them, would have a tendency to become involved in more
serious offenses, unless some type of supervision is given by some
agency in the Miami area ?
Judge Beckham. Well,* I think that that is true up to a certain
point. Of course, you have to take comparative types of cases. At
one time our community, I think, was sending them out on what we
call "hobo express," taking them to the county line and letting them
loose. That wasn't good. That wasn't humane. We never refuse a
welfare case in its chronic sense, and we are not going to throw chil-
dren to the wolves. We do something.
But most of these boys either get a job or they are working. We
have had 16-year-old boys away from home that were occupying good
jobs and were picked up because they were found to be transients
and away from home, and they were brought to us, their job taken
away from them, with a period of readjustment having to be made.
There may be exceptions, Counsel, but I think in the main, consid-
ering the limited facilities that you have to deal with, to have children
taken care of, the policy we now have is justified, although we would
like to take jurisdiction over all of them if we could get them returned.
64 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Now, then, you have this answer to that problem, too. I went to
Congress along about 1946 and asked for relief on these runaways,
with a committee of judges appointed by the National Council of
Juvenile Court Judges. I appeared before a committee hearing in
Congress to get some relief on these runaways. At that time, we were
having quite a few, largely due to the war conditions, too, along in
those years.
At the hearing before the subcommittee, there was some thoui^ht
that, "Well, maybe you welfare people are trying to have the Fede ral
Government send people on joyrides all over the country with juve-
niles if we furnish money to take them home."
We had to argue that out, and then they wanted to know how much
it was going to cost, and they figured it would cost a great deal of
money, which we didn't agree with, but that was the thinking.
So we finally agreed that, "Well, if you think it is going to be a
matter of joyrides, just furnish the matter of transportation back
home. And we will provide custodial care if it has to be done. Most
of them get there without custodial care."
Then they said, "Well, Judge, isn't it true that a lot of boys go to
work and leave home legally when they pass school age?" Well, that
was true. So it ended up with Congress giving this care to dependent
children, runaways, only to children under 16.
So if we take the 16-year-olds, they become a big welfare burden
when we can't get action out of their home communities, as is often
the case. We can't turn to the welfare fund. State aid, because it is
limited to those under 16.
That is one reason why we had that policy.
Now, as to girls, we think they are a moral menace, for them to be
away from home at even 16 or 17. We followed the policy of taking
them in order to keep them from circulating and becoming a moral
menace. I think that is the answer on that problem.
Mr. BoBO. I was interested in another point you made. Judge, that
the ratio of delinquency does not seem to be increasing any in the
Miami area. Now, we have found, in going around nationally to the
dozen or more cities and to the hearings in Washington, that approxi-
mately 30 percent of the children that are arrested by the police, picked
up by the police, are brought to the children's court, and about 50 per-
cent of those brought to the attention of the children's court are found
to be delinquent. Now, your statistics there show the juvenile court,
the 30 percent that are arrested and brought before the court ; is that
correct ?
Judge Beckham. That is correct. In other words, as I stated in
the beginning, our juvenile court figures are not accurate. They only
represent such cases as are referred to them. We know that there are
a lot of other children of which we have no record, other children
guilty of certain acts which are not apprehended.
So you have to understand the juvenile court figures in various com-
munities by understanding the coverage they have. Some have officers
to cover the cases, and they have big figures. Others may say, "We
have very little delinquency or none," because they have no facilities
and are not dealing with the situation.
Mr. BoBO. I have found — and this is just my own personal opin-
ion— that statistical figures are rather difficult to rely on in determin-
ing any problem.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 65
Judge Beckham. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. Because you could have a city the size of Miami with 10
policemen, and you would show no arrests in the city of Miami, or
maybe a hundred, and by the statistics, you would say you had no
crime problem.
Judge Beckham. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. Where, if you had 3,000 policemen in the city of Miami,
you would probably be shocked at the crime problem you had by the
number of arrests that would be made.
Judge Beckham. Well, now, along that line, we compared our
figures, which we developed in 1953, with 1952, just to show" you that
trend. And we gave that report to the papers. Our records were open
for substantiation, of course. And we see that there were no particular
increases in cases adjudicated delinquent in the court.
At the same time there was approximately a 10,000 increase in the
schoolchild population of the county during the same period ; which
would indicate really a decrease in ratio based on population growth.
And there again, as I say, we don't pretend to have all the cases that
come into court.
It is a problem here when you consider our school growth.
As you have been told already in the record, our population here has
had a jump of 10,000 in a year in schoolchildren. And that calls for
new buildings, new teachers. I think there have been about 800 new
teachers employed in the system during the present year. Over in
juvenile court, we have to have expanded facilities, too, as the popula-
tion grows, and we have a fairly considerable group of county commis-
sioners, and we have pretty fair treatment, but we are always having
growing pains, because of growth of population, just as with schools
and other people.
We do think there are some things that the Federal Government can
do in this field. I have other figures to discuss and other angles to dis-
cuss, but before I cease testifying here, I have a few specific matters of
legislation that I would like to suggest to the Federal Government, be-
cause I think that is one of your main purposes.
Mr. BoBO. That is one of our main jobs.
Judge Beckham. This question of children going from one State to
another — a large part comes from interstate motorists and truck-
drivers picking these children up and bringing them from one State to
another. If we had a law preventing them from laiowingly transport-
ing children from one State to another, runaway children, you would
stop much of the traffic. That is one recommendation.
Another thing we find is that a juvenile can go over to an airline
office or railroad office in order to run away and, even if of juvenile
age, buy a ticket. We think there should be a restriction on selling
tickets, on a transportation company selling tickets, to juveniles, unless
they are accompanied by a responsible adult when they buy the ticket.
Some of these transportation companies exercise a little care, and on
some occasions have called us and said, "We have a juvenile here try-
ing to buy a ticket that we think is a runaway. Better come over and
see."
But in many cases we have runaway children and we ask, "How did
you get down here from some distant State?"
"Well," they say, "I came down here on the bus," or, "on the train,"
or, if he stole enough money from someone, "on the plane." And we
66 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
feel if we were to pass a law restricting sale of interstate transporta-
tion, as indicated, you would cut off some of the traffic that flows in.
Mr. BoBO. I had a young juvenile who told me, having run away
fi'om home, that he went down to the bus station and told the man he
wanted to go to Florida. The man said, "Where in Florida ?"
The boy said, "Anywhere in Florida."
"All right," the man said. "Will Miami be all right ? "
Judge Beckham. And, of course, another recommendation, as I have
just said, is that the Federal Government should increase the age limit
from 16 to IT for the use of Federal funds to return runaway children
from one State to another. In other words, it ought to be more or
less the same as the juvenile court age in tlie State. Because these
cases come to the juvenile court, and they have to clear tliem, and if
the bracket of juvenile age jurisdiction is not the same as the State aid
bracket, you have that group left over that causes trouble in the figures.
Many conmiunities in Florida, and I am sure all over the Nation, do
not have proper detention facilities and training-school facilities for
delinquent children.
The Federal Government has given State aid to many things in the
country. We think it would be fine if the Federal Government would
aid counties and States in building proper detention and training facil-
ties for delinquents, including provisions for accepting nonresident
delinquents that Florida must now refuse.
In other words, we have this problem in Florida as to the 16-year-
olds you mentioned. Suppose a 16-year-old is involved in a serious
crime with another and he is a runaway fi'om another State. He is
involved in a serious crime with a local boy of 16. They both come
before you, or some other court. They must come before the juvenile
court if they are under 17. You can send the local boy to the State
training school, but the nonresident boy you can't, because the policy
of the training school of this State at this time is not to accept non-
resident commitments, on the theory that you might have so many you
would use up all the facilities available and have the school crowded
and crowd out your own local people.
Well, then, the law says, you can't put that juvenile in jail. You
can't fine him. You can't send him to the chain gang. You have him
on your hands as a local proposition if you can't get him home.
So here is an inequality of justice. You have to, in many cases, let
the out-of -State juvenile go home, when he is in just as serious a crime
as the local boy you send to the school.
Now, if Federal funds were used to assist training-school programs
in each State, it would be a requirement that they accept nonresident
juveniles who were in trouble in return for the Federal aid which was
given them.
It might also be a workable ])lan for the Federal court to use State
institutions for committing juveniles. We sometimes get requests,
offers, from the Federal court, "Wouldn't you like to take jurisdiction
of this juvenile ?" from the Federal judge. We will say, "Well, Judge,
we would like to help you, but we are just crowded so much that if we
start taking Federal cases we won't have room for our local State boys
under State regulation. We can't take them."
But if a program of Federal aid to local State schools, training
schools, was given, all those things could be wiped out.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 07
Mr. BoBO. Jud^e, may I ask you a question on that '.
Judge Beckham. Yes.
Mr. 13oBO. We have millions of acres of national forest around this
country that are unused. What would you think of the ])lan to
establish within these national forests on a cooperative basis between
a certain number of States and the Federal Government forestry
camps for the detention of juveniles, whereby we could reap the bene-
fits of conservation and also reap the benefits of conserving some of
our youth ?
Judge Beckham. Well, Counsel, I think that would be a wonderful
plan and a" wonderful project. Back in the early days when we had
these work camps for youth, they were helpful in taking a lot of
unemployed youth and putting them to work on WPA projects and
things of that kind, as we remember it, back in those days. They
formed a useful service, and it was thought then that maybe these
things were good things to continue. I think that is an excellent idea.
Mr. BoBO. That would alleviate your problem of not being able to
detain a youth because he is an out of State resident.
Judge Beckham. That is correct.
Now, we think that you could meet the juvenile-from-another-State
problem in another way. You could have a Federal law making it a
Federal offense for a juvenile to lun away from his home State into
another State, thus permitting a runaway to be taken into Federal
court and be returned home by Federal authorities, if you wanted to
take the heat off of your local government. That is another out — by
making a runaway juvenile from another State subject to Federal
courts.
Among other things, we need a Federal Housing Authority to
develop cheap boarding homes and day nurseries for children of
working parents, who nuist often leave children unsupervised while
away from home working. Federal Government finances develop and
promote housing finances, and too often there is no nursery, in a big
way, to take care of the children of working mothers who must leave
the children unsupervised.
Every community needs either some cheap nurseries or free nur-
series to aid the problem of the w^orking mother, going back to the
story that most delinquency comes from parents failing to properly
supervise their children.
Mr. Bobo. I believe, Judge, that on most federally financed housing
programs under that particuar program, the housing is financed and
built by the Federal Government, but it is run and controlled by local
housing authorities.
Judge Beckham. Yes, but you could tie a string to giving the
]noney by attaching a requirement.
I remember when they were holding hearings on whether housing
authorities should go into this field, I appeared before the committee
and made the suggestion that in no case where Federal money was
used or guaranteed for these projects should the landlord refuse to
accept children.
We were having a lot of trouble getting families with children into
houses, people who built these things with Federal money not letting
children into them.
That was brought to the attention of the committee, and I think
that has been written into the statutes.
68 JirVENILE DELINQUENCY
We have noted, in juvenile court, that a lot of families were not
getting relief.
"We have, as you may hear from other people here present this
afternoon, baby rackets, babies being brought here for adoption from
other States. What can the Federal law do about that? We have
more than our share in Miami. We do have to be humane. We do
have a well-organized county planning council and humane agencies
and a big chest appropriation doing a good job. We have three
licensed adoption procedures. We have the machinery.
Too often, though, we think it is too much of a burden to take care
of the big influx of young working mothers who come here to have
their baby and leave the baby and go home, leaving the baby as an
adoption problem on the local community.
I think if we could provide in a Federal law that no baby could be
taken from one State to another for adoption in anotlier State without
a court order of the State from which the child is to be taken, or unless
it is to be taken by a licensed adoption agency, that would be well.
We have had cases of babies being "snatched," as they say in Miami,
and flown to Xew York and sold in a black baby market in New York.
We suspicion that that happens oftener than it has been said to hap-
pen. If you had a law that no baby could be taken in interstate com-
merce to another State for adoption except by an order of the court
in the area from which the baby leaves, you would stop these black
markets in babies at their source.
In addition to that, it should be made a Federal offense for the par-
ents of an illegitimate child to flee the State of their residence to avoid
prosecution or the support of such child. It is not a criminal offense
in Florida, as far as I can find, to have an illegitimate cliild. There is
a civil charge, but to make it a misdemeanor or felony offense to be-
come the parent of such a cliild doesn't seem to be on the books. We
realize that those are often human faults and errors, and we don't
want to penalize an innocent girl for her first offense, but we have
men who become parents of more than 1 illegitimate child, and mothers
who become the parents of more than 1 illegitimate child.
It seems to me that should be corrected, by providing under Federal
law, that the parent of an illegitimate child should not flee the State
to avoid prosecution or the support of such bastard child.
Now, we have discussed indecent pictures here today and things of
that kind. There is a gap in the law on that.
The Post Office Department can ban certain obscene matter from
the mail, but they can apparently ship the same stuff by express or
freight without running into censorship.
It seems to me that the Federal law ought to provide that anything
that is unfit to go through the mail or anything that is in itself obscene
or indecent could not be shipped by any means of transportation from
one State to another. That would be a simple law.
We need better censorship of television, movies, and radio programs
on a national scale, which would prevent the giving of the complete
details of technique of committing a crime. We have boys coming
into court with such knowledge, and when we ask, ""\'\niere did you see
this? How did you learn of this?" the answer is, "I saw it on tele-
vision." He saw the whole thing from watching television or seeing
it in a movie. We need stronger censorship on that.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 69
We need in the field of prevention the requirement that the United
States Department of Education and Children's Bureau give national
television and radio programs on child guidance and prevention of
juvenile delinquency. Let the Government subsidize them and give
them as a part of the education program either under the Children's
Bureau or the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in
Washington. We have got to reach this thing by reaching the masses
and counteract a lot of the stuff that comes out over television and
radio of the wrong kind.
I was in Europe this summer and attended juvenile court in Lon-
don, and I came across an unusual thing, where they have for prob-
lem boys an apprenticeship in the Navy for boys 14 to 17 who are
not accepted for the regular Navy, but they may be enlisted in a spe-
cial training group with separate facilities, to be run as a school to
provide apprenticeship training and education for these boys. It
struck me as an excellent thing.
We have many underprivileged boys with never a chance to go to
college who want jobs and want to go into the service but have to
wait until they are 17.
If we had some provision for a subtraining course, for final en-
listment in the service, that would give us a backlog of fine servicemen
to eventually go into the regular service, I think it would be a fine
thing.
We also want to suggest that the President every year might select
a group of outstanding boys and girls in each State, nominated by
their school for outstanding achievement, character, and good citi-
zenship. We never seem to recognize, in this country, the good boy or
girl. If there was some national education program in the country
providing recognition for the boy or girl doing an outstanding job,
probably with the President making the presentation in an annual
ceremony at the ^Aliite House, it would do much to inspire boys and
girls.
On the question of banning publications from the mail, we now
more or less have a law that requires you to pass on each publication.
I think the law should be changed to provide that when a publica-
tion by its general character over several issues is shown to be an im-
proper and unfit publication, it might be banned without having to
pass upon every particular issue that comes into the mail.
And in the field of education, less than 40 percent of our people,
according to the statistics, go to church or Sunday school, or have any
definite training as to morals and decency. They have a code not to
do certain things for fear they would get arrested and put in jail,
but not because it is right or wrong. We think a service would be
rendered to education if the Department of Education would develop
a textbook to be recommended for national use in all our schools teach-
ing respect for law, good citizenship, decency and morality, and give
them a required course, for which credits could be given, the same as
with any other course, to reach the group that now never get any dif-
ferent influence from careless homes.
They don't go to a church, nor are they members of character train-
ing organizations. They just grow up as morons.
Many people of various faiths have heard me make that statement.
70 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
We could train the thinking habits of this Nation in one or two
generations of children if we would have more specific character
training.
The bugaboo of church and State has so toned down so much of our
teaching for fear of giving offense, that sometimes we don't give any
instruction. I believe that a proper textbook approved by all faiths
could be put out by our Department of Education.
We need also a Federal law to provide for the training of juvenile
court officials, probation officers, and police personnel dealing with
juveniles, as a national program of the Federal Government.
We need to pass stricter laws outlawing the printing and distribu-
tion of so-called horror, sex, and crime comics, including a Fed-
eral Board of Censorship for them. We understand that through
Justice Mitchell, they have accepted voluntary censorship and are do-
ing a good job, I know Judge Mitchell, and he is going to do a good
job, but it is a voluntar}- matter at this time, and I understand one of
the biggest publishers of this stuff has refused to come into the asso-
ciation at this time. So we need a Federal board to check these things.
And the thing that worries all of us who have a problem with juveniles
as we watch television is the technique of crimes that are presented,
the enormous amount of wine, beer, and similar alcoholic ads that are
run in connection with or close to child programs when they should
not be given at all or should be given at an hour when children do not
view them. Because we should not allow our public facilities, tele-
vision, radio, and things of that sort, to be engaged in education of
the wrong kind.
Xow, in the letter which you sent out, I think you stated that you
might be interested in knowing what some of the bright spots in the
community were.
The Chairmax. That is correct. We want the bright spots as well
as the bad ones.
Judge Beckham, Any delinquency is bad. We don't want any of
it. Miami has some. It doesn't have as much as some communities.
And our official figures, so far as they have come through the courts
do not indicate any alarming increase. We do have some, and we
would like to eliminate it all.
We are glad you are here. We want you to give a frank appraisal
to what we do have for the value of the service. But here are some
things on the bright side of the picture, in fairness to the community.
We do not have the narcotic problem in this community as affects
children. I think all the agencies testifying will bear that out. It so
far has been the testimony I have heard today.
We do not spot use of marihuana or narcotics as a problem for our
children. We are getting to be more of a port city eacli year, and
we may have that problem some day, but so far, thank God, we don't
have that. We have stayed away from that.
As I have pointed out, the cooperation between police department
and juvenile court has shown great improvement, with juvenile aid
officers. In many communities there is complaint about treatment by
the police, but we have generally overcome that, here, with juvenile
aid bureaus and we have a good working relation. We cooperate.
Another thing that Miami does not have is any long line of gang
wars, such as you have in a lot of communities. We had one little
flare-up here, but it was an isolated incident between schoolchildren.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 71
We don't have race wars between blacks and whites. We don't have
gang wars between tenement districts. We don't have any of the
nsnal type gangs that you have in other communities. That is a bright
spot.
We have, as I pointed out, an unusually fine county welfare plan-
ning council, and we are equipped to handle almost any social prob-
lem. We raise over a million dollars here each year for the community
chest. We are just increasing that drive now. I think that is a very,
very fair appraisal of what the community is doing in the way of its
own facilities.
Speaking of the court, we have today, I think, without being overly
modest, the finest juvenile court detention home in the United States,
if not in Europe or anywhere else I have seen. Our county commis-
sioners, with the encouragement of the local groups, took our children
out of jail. They used to all be put in jail before they were heard
in court. And they put them in this Youth Hall, which has a home
atmosphere, with the most modern equipment and most modern tech-
nique of dealing with detention children. That is on the bright side
of the ledger and is something every community wants but many com-
munities don't have. We are fortunate in having that.
We have a big country home for children, for long-range care, one
of the finest in the country, where we do an excellent job.
We hope the committee might be able to see these facilities which
we have many visitors come to see, even foreign visitors coming to
Miami. They come out to see our detention facilities and court.
In addition to the beach being here, we have many community
swimming pools. The recreation departments are well organized.
AVe have a summer league for Softball for our children. We have
seven youth centers in the county, well supervised. And in that field
of providing recreation, we are up to date and forAvard-looking, and
I don't think we are to be criticized for the lack of those facilities.
We don't need so many facilities so much as we need somewhere
along the line to teach children to think right. You can't dance chil-
dren into being good or swim children into being good. They have
got to learn to think some time. And that goes back to the thought
that we need more church attendance, of course, ahvays, but this project
I suggested of a national textbook on those things should be
brought up.
We have spent several million dollars on school buildings since
the war. We are providing some of our finest school buildings for
our Negro students this time. You would be amazed to see some
of the school buildings erected for Negro children. They are more
modern than some of the white facilities. And in Youth Hall, we
have equal facilities for Negro children.
Mr. BoBO. Is the same equipment. Judge, provided for the Negro
children as for the white children ?
Judge Beckham. Absolutely ; no distinction.
Mr. BoBo. Both in training and buildings and in every way?
Judge Brx'KHAM, That is correct. And that is one of the bright
spots, our race relations down here, which are very good. We do have
a State law for segregation. We have separate services, but they are
equal. The Youth Hall is exact duplicates, white and colored.
72 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Down at the county home, we have the same equipment, excellent
facilities, and buildings. Up at the State school we have one of our
finest organizations for the students. Mr. Dody, the superintendent,
is here today. We are proud of how we take care of our Negro
residents.
I might say on tliat point that the Negro population is onlj^ about
15 percent of the white. We have had so few children out of the
Negro group going into Youth Hall that we didn't have enough to
make it practicable to operate it for the period, while we had the same
amount of extra space at the Negro home in the country.
So we closed temporarily the Youth Hall for Negro children, but
we have a crew standing by, and Avhenever it is needed it can be
reopened. We had more personnel on the job than we had Negro
children, so it seemed foolish.
So it is still there for them and will be operated fully whenever the
volume is sufficient.
We do have, as I say, most modern school buildings. Here in the
field of juvenile court, we have an ajjpreciative community. We have
a Dade County Juvenile Council that has represented us in public
relations and has sponsored many excellent things, and we have many
private affairs that have been put on, such as dance bands and dances
for children in our various communities.
There are some at Miami Beach, and there is an occasional big
main dance band recreation program, with proper supervision for
children, here.
Coral Gables built a war memorial youth center, one of the first
in the Nation, after the war, a very expensive and well-operated youth
center.
I mention these things to give the impression or counterimpression,
that all in Dade County is not delinquency. We have many bright
spots, and I personally think all over the Nation many of our young
people have been sold short. Our young people have not gone haywire.
The national figures indicate that only about 5 percent of them are
really in trouble.
The great group of the rest of them get going in the right way and
turn out all right. But we want to reduce that 5 percent if we can.
Our young people are better educated, more wholesome, and have a
better potential for the future than any group of young people we
have ever had.
They have more problems that we older people have given them,
which we have to understand, and which we have to help them meet
and solve.
In the field of legislation, we have recently passed in Florida a model
juvenile court law, one of the best in the country, revamped all the
old laws and setting up a new one, so that in legislative matters we
have moved ahead, too.
Now, I thought that I would like to get that in the record, because
that is only fair to the community, along with several of these other
things.
We are a tourist town. We have many problems thrust upon us by
visitors, including homosexuality, baby rackets, unwed mothers, all
those things which come primarily from the tourists. And we have to
deal with them, because we are a tourist city.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 73
Now. if there are any figures on any particular group that you would
like for me to give. I'have them here. Are there any questions you
would like to ask, or statistics that you want ?
Mr. BoBO. Judge, I think we have a copy of one of your reports that
you have furnished Mr. Strong, and I think you have certainly covered
the field of the juvenile court very thoroughly for us, and I have no
further questions.
The Chairman. No, Judge. Your statistics have been very helpful,
and they are alread}^ a part of the subcommittee's files, the ones that I
have reference to.
Judge Beckham. Well, as I say, transients you have discussed, and
we have the figures on those here, running back several years, showing
how they have developed from about 65 in 1936 to the larger group
which has come along during the years. We started out in 1936 with
only 64 transients. Last year we had 183. And the figures that have
been compiled to date give us a total of 97. They fluctuate, depending
upon conditions, perhaps, in the homes, and conditions in the country,
where the children, unhappy and dissatisfied at home, ran away.
We are open to any questions on statistics. We have them here.
Statistics are rather dry, but they are available.
The Chairman. I might say that the chairman of this subcommittee
started out with a somewhat optimistic view. Some of our news-
papers in the country and other journalists have written stories that
scared and frightened everybody. But I said at the beginning that we
would not find it quite as bad as we saw it in the press. And we did
find, of course, in your great Nation's Capital, in the city of Washing-
ton, a truly shocking condition. Because if things ought to be good
anywhere in the country, they ought to be good in Washington. It
is the Nation's Capital, and indeed it is the world capital now,
virtually.
And so, we went into Washington first, to find out what troubles
were there. And we found plenty.
But as we go over the countryside, these beautiful cities all over
America, we don't find things c{uite as bad as we thought we would.
Judge Beckham. That is correct. We have a lot of voluntary train-
ing organizations where children volunteer for character training.
The Chairman. Do not misunderstand me. They are bad enough-
Judge Beckham. Yes ; I agree with you. And there is a lot we want
to know and want to learn. We don't claim to be perfect. But we do
claim to be a fair city in reference to these things, and progressive in
trying to solve them, and we appreciate your being here.
The Chairman. Judge, there is one thing that has worried the mem-
bers of this subcommittee, and this was true in almost every city of this
country, and you touched upon it at the outset of your remarks : that
all the time younger children are getting into the more serious crimes,
the younger juvenile groups are becoming involved in robbery and
murder and that sort of thing. And percentagewise it might not be so
bad, but I wonder if you could, from your experience on the bench, give
us any reason for that ?
Judge Beckham. You mean for the younger group getting into the
more violent crimes ?
The Chairman. Yes ; these younger kids.
74 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Judge Beckham. Well, right after the war was over, w^e ascribed a
lot of it to the returned warrior who came home with his gun and sword
and various war paraphernalia that inspired his younger brother.
That was given as a cause back in those days. Today we think violent
crimes have been fomented among young people by the wrong kind of
comics, where scenes of horror and torture weapons have been por-
trayed as a thrilling story.
The same thing has been true of some of the worst kind of crime pic-
tures on radio and television, where the technique of crime has been
committed to public dissemination.
In other words, things that you and I were years in finding out.
Senator, as boys, children today sit down before television and see, or
listen to on the radio, or they go to a movie and see them acted before
them, and they are well educated, away beyond what we were, in
crimes of that kind. I think that is the course, improper education.
The Chairmax. We have a report coming out now very shortly
which I approved last week, dealing with these crime comics, and I
hope every American who can get hold of a copy of that report will
read it.
Judge Beckham. That will certainly be productive.
The Chairman. We did not have any idea, when we journeyed to
New York for 3 days of hearings, that this industry had grown to the
extent that we witnessed. And it was a very shocking thing to prac-
tically every member of the committee. As counsel said this morning,
he did not know about these books until he got into this work. And I
can assure you the junior Senator from New Jersey did not know any-
thing about them, although I have raised five children.
Judge Beckham. Yes. Well, I have raised children, too, and taught
school. That has been my background, as well as practicing law sev-
eral years before I became judge.
I might say this, as further inspiration. In my experience in
Europe this summer visiting several European courts, they are having
our same problems, and they are worried about it just as we are, and
they are beginning to study the effect of television and radio on their
children's education.
The Chairman. We had before our subcommittee, when we were
conducting our television hearings, a lady from BBC, who gave us
some very helpful and constructive suggestions. I might sa3% on that
score, that when these television experts, the executives of the com-
pany, the men in charge of production, came down to Washington and
testified before the subcommittee, they said everything was all right —
until we threw on the screens some of the pictures that we had taken
out of their plays. And they wrote back and admitted that they had
violated their own code in every single instance.
So we are making some progress.
Judge Beckham. I think so, Senator. I think this committee is
doing a fine work. We are glad you are here.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Judge Beckham. I will file the suggestions I had for Federal legis-
lation for the record, so that you can take them with you.
The Chairman. We will be glad to receive them. Let that be
exhibit No. 4.
(The material referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 4," and reads as
follows:)
JLWENILE DELIXQUENCY 75
Exhibit No. 4
:Specific Things the Federal Go\-ernment Might Do To Help Prevent Juvenile
Delinquency
1. Lavp^ preventing interstate motorists and truckdrivers from transporting
runaway children from one State to another.
2. Restricting transportation companies from selling tickets to juveniles unless
accompanied by responsible adult.
3. Increasing age limit from imder 16 to under 17 for use of Federal funds
to return runaway children from one State to another. (Law is now limited to
those under IG.)
4. State aid from Federal Government to assist States in building proper deten-
tion and training school facilities for delinquents, including provision for accept-
ing nonresident delinquents which Florida now refuses.
5. Federal law making it an offense under Federal delinquency act for juve-
nile to run away to another State, thus permitting such runaway to be paroled
in United States courts and returned home by Federal authorities.
6. Better Federal legislation regulating advertising and sale of firearms through
interstate commerce and mails.
7. Federal Housing Authority should develop cheap boarding homes and day
nurseries for children of working parents who must often leave children unsuper-
vised while on job.
8. Federal regulation of adoption rackets by providing no baby could be taken
from one State for adoption in another State without a court order of State from
which child is to be taken, or unless being placed by a licensed adoption agency.
9. Make it a Federal offense for the parents of an illegitimate child to flee
the State of their residence to avoid prosecution or the support of such child.
10. Federal law to ban shipment in any form of interstate transportation inde-
cent pictures and printed matter, and any such that is banned by the mails also.
11. Better Federal censorship of television, movies, and radio programs, which
now give the exact and complete details for committing a crime, thus now giving
our youth a liberal education in crime and the curiosity and desire to commit
some.
12. Have United States Department of Education and Children's Bureau give
national television and radio programs on child guidance and prevention of
juvenile delinquency.
13. There should be a national educational campaign sponsored by the Federal
Government to see that children really learn to read at the appropriate age in
school. Much truancy and delinquency comes from poor readers among juveniles.
14. There should be studied the possibility of the military services establish-
ing an apprentice service school separate and apart from the regular services
where boys 14 to 17 might be accepted for education and training. England has
such a service for its Navy.
1.5. There should be better regulation of so much wine, beer, and liquor ads
over television and radio, especially at hours and in connection with programs
often viewed by children.
16. Create certain national honors for a select group of outstanding boys and
girls in each State, nominated by their school for outstanding achievement, char-
acter, and good citizenship, to be presented by the President in an annual cere-
mony at the White House, thus publicizing the decent boys and girls who are
now often overlooked while the delinquent gets all the publicity.
17. Permit Post Office Department to ban a publication from the mails on
account of its general character as obscene or indecent over a period of publica-
tions, rather than merely banning a particular issue.
18. Have some appropriate Federal agency develop a textbook to be recom-
mended for national use in all our schools, teaching respect for law, good citi-
zenship, decency, and morality, to be given as a required course for which credit
would be given as for any other subject. This would reach the great non-church-
going children group of the Nation, now estimated at over 50 percent of our
child population.
19. Let the Federal court establish or subsidize courses of instruction for
juvenile court and juvenile police personnel for raising the standards of such
officials for jobs dealing with children.
20. Pass stricter laws outlawing the printing and distribution of so-called
horror, sex, and crime comics, including a Federal Board of Censorship, for
movies, radio, television, and printed matter, rather than leaving such things to
voluntary or unofficial censorship boards.
76 JU^■EXILE DELINQUENCY
The Chairman. The subcommittee will stand in recess for 5 minutes.
( Short recess. )
The Chairman. Tlie subcommittee will come to order,
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Whiteside ?
The Chairman. Will you be sworn, please ?
Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give to this sub-
committee of a committee of the Senate of the United States will be
tlie truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mrs. Whiteside. I do.
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Whiteside, would you state your name and address
and position for the benefit of the record ?
TESTIMONY OF MRS. THUEMAN WHITESIDE, CHAIRMAN, MAYOR'S
COMMITTEE OF 50 ON JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, CORAL GABLES,
FLA.
Mrs. Whiteside. I am Mrs. Thurman Whiteside, and my address
is 4409 Santa Maria Street, Coral Gables, Fla.
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Whiteside, you have just recently served on a com-
mittee on delinquency appointed by the mayor of Miami, Mayor
Aronovitz. Would you give some of the highlights of the report
which you submitted to the mayor and your recommendations as to the
juvenile-delinquency problem in Miami ?
]Mrs. Whiteside. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Before you do, Mrs. Whiteside, may I as chairman
of the committee greet the maj'^or of Miami, Mr. Aronovitz.
It is a privilege to be here with you, Mr. Mayor. We will yvant
to hear from you later, if we can.
Xow you may proceed.
Mrs. WiiiTKsmE. Mr. Chairman, this committee was appointed by
]Mayor Aronovitz in the end of May or eai-ly in June of this year to
study those conditions "which preclude healthy mental, spiritual, and
emotional develo})ment of children and youths." This, of course, is
related to the problem of juvenile delinquency and the concern of the
citizens of this community with regard to it.
There were several points of attack on this problem of delinquency
which the committee wished to consider.
But before I go into that, you know, when you sit and listen, as I
have been listening, to people discussing the juvenile delinquent, some-
times I wonder if we ai'e talking about the same person or if we are
talking about the same child.
Just to sort of keep the record straight, this is the kind of child that
we are talking about, when we discuss the delinquent child:
He is usually an aggressive child, one who acts out his feelings of
hostility toward a world which he feels has deprived him of the sense
of being wanted and needed and uniquely loved. His reaction is to
hit out at such a world. To him all authority or any segment of it,
at home, at school, or in other surroundings, is a punishment di-
rected unfairly, he feels, at him.
Jn his e.yes, it is proof that those around him failed to love him
and that they are exercising their greater strength and influence to
hurt him. His defenses are high and of long standing. The fact that
he often translates actual efforts to help him into efforts to breach
JUVENILK DELINQUENCY 77
his defenses, and reacts with hostility to such etTorts, makes hini hard
to reach and increases the difficulty of altering his behavior. He
cannot seek help, it must be brought to him where and Avlien it can
touch him.
I think that is a very important factor about the delinquent child,
actually, his inability to seek help for his ])roblem. And 1 think that
is equally true of the parents of a delinc][uent child.
Now, another thing that stands out, I think, when we take a sort
of big look at this problem of juvenile delinquency, is that most peo-
ple don't know the delinquent child. There are, after all, only 3
groups or o agencies in our society tochiy, and I think this is true
largely throughout this country, who deal with the delinquent child.
And they are the schools, the courts, and the police dejjartments.
We have developed character building and recreation agencies in
this community, as other cities and communities have, throughout this
Nation. "We have casework and guidance agencies as well.
By and large, these agencies do not directly serve the delinquent
child, and the reason foi- that seems to be that within the character
building and recreation agencies the delinquent is a child who pre-
sents the group from participating happily in a group activity.
In other words, the delinquent child breaks up the game. So they
rule him out of it. Well, if that goes on long enough, the delinquent
leaves the character building or recreation sort of plan that has been
developed for him. He doesn't fit in.
One authority, by the way, Bertram Beck, has said that most delin-
quents wouldn't be caught dead in the average character-building pro-
gram ; and it is true.
Now, so far as the casework and guidance agencies are concerned,
they are underbudgeted and understaffed, by and large, for the
problems which they have already assumed, the responsibilities which
they have already assumed, toward a segment of the community. And
then, too, it takes work and guidance practices based on the ability of
the individual to seek help and to participate in a solution to this
problem.
This factor is one which is usually absent in the case of the delin-
quent child. He cannot seek help, and he cannot participate in a solu-
tion to his problem, not at least at the point at which he has become an
adjudged delinquent.
Therefore, while we in this community, as in other communities,
have many casework agencies and guidance agencies and i-ecreation
and character training agencies of which we are very proud, largely
there is no bridge between them and the hard core of delinquent chil-
dren within this comnumity.
We need, in this county, to build a bridge to these children.
I agree with the judge that perhaps our problem of delinquency
here is not as great as it is in some other areas in this country. Based
on the figures of the court for the last year, the percentage of delin-
quency is 2.84 of the total school population. There were 2,880 chil-
dren known to the court last year. Now, we are aware, of course, that,
as Judge Beckliam has said, there are many more people who have got-
ten into difficulties in this county. These are children known to the
police by and large. In most instances, the police see the child, who
gets into difficulty fii-st.
56980—55 6
78 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
About three times as many children are seen by the police as are ever
seen by the court or taken into court.
It becomes, therefore, of vital importance that the police in their
initial interview with the child be able to handle the situation very
skillfully, that they know what they are dealing with, that they are
able to bring some resources to this youngster, from within themselves,
some knowledge, some skills, some awareness.
We have felt that perhaps some training for our police officers with-
in this community might help with the problem of delinquency. We
have suggested that the possibility of training institutes be explored
by the University of Miami and possibly State universities. This,
of course, has been done in other sections in this country, as you are
of course familiar with.
For instance, the Police Institute, the Institute of Police Services at
the University of Southern California, and we don't see why that
same sort of service could not be developed here by the University of
Miami.
It is true that a brief orientation is done at the Police Academy
here in Miami. We do not believe, however, that this really enables a
person to be, as we would say, adequately prepared to deal with the
delinquent child.
We have 20 municipal police departments in Dade County. We
have five constables. We have the Florida Highway Patiol. We
have a number of overlapping police and law-enforcement agencies
in this county. Last year we had 1,551 men employed in all of those
law enforcement agencies. Only 26 of those men were assigned to
juvenile duty in this county.
So you see, even within our own law-enforcement agencies we are
not (a) either adequately training people to deal with the delinquent
child when the law-enforcement officer meets him, or (b) we are not
assigning people to that kind of service.
We think something can be done in both instances. We do not
believe that our city and our county are aware of the fact that we are
as badly understati'ed in the area of juvenile law enforcement, shall
we say, or juvenile officers in law enforcement, as we are.
We have prepared a series of recommendations for the content of
training for police officers, wliich we hope will be taken very seriously
by our law-enforcement officials.
We have also done a study of the distributional aspects of delin-
quency in Dade County, which brings out some very interesting
factors.
I have a map. Is it all right ?
Mr. BoBO. May I pass on this comment and question on that, Mrs.
Whiteside? It is rather surprising to me, the number of times in the
cities where we have visited, where some of them have a complete lack
of a juvenile aid bureau, when we figure that 85 i)ercent of the young-
sters in the Natioiuil Training School are there for automobile steal-
ing, which is a serious crime, and 50 percent of our more serious crimes
are committed by those 16 years of age, 17 years of age, and under.
And yet we have so few policemen trained and equipped to deal with
the problem. And that seems to be nationwide. One of the greatest
percentages of our crime is from youngsters, both serious and minor
crimes.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 79
Mrs. Whiteside. Yes.
This problem of the training of the police officers is one which
seems to be engaging the attention of communities nationally. We
have been ,in touch with other comnmnities throughout the country.
We have been aware not only that this is our problem, but that we
share it with other communities.
In the analysis of the figures which were secured with the coopera-
tion of Judge Beckham from the records of the court, we found that
there were 2,880 cases known to the court last year. It was very inter-
esting to us, in analyzing the location of these cases, to find that.
Now, I don't know who wants to look at this, or if anybody can see
it, or not.
The Chairman. Now we can both see it. Go right ahead.
Mrs. Whiteside. Nobody is taking any pictures of it, so I guess it
doesn't make much difference.
Well, there are many comparisons and many deductions to be drawn
from the analysis of the spot map of delinquency which we have here.
We have had census tracts made of this community, and this is a census
tract map, a small-sized census tract map.
Now, the four highest areas of deliquency are areas A4, AlO, A15,
A17, and the fifth one is A34.
The Chairman. Those are the shaded areas ?
Mrs. Whiteside. Those are the shaded areas, not all of the shaded
areas, but I want to call to your attention the fact that those four
highest delinquency areas are in the unincorporated areas of the county.
That means that the municipal police departments of this county have
no authority in those areas and offer no services in those areas, but the
sheriff's department does. And I would also like to mention to you
that there are no juvenile officers presently at work in the sheriff's
office. The budget commission of this county has not seen fit to allocate
sufficient funds to employ such staff at the present time.
Those are the four highest areas of delinquency, in the unincor-
porated areas.
Now, the fifth highest area of delinquency is A35, which is the Negro
district in and around the central downtown area.
As you might expect, these are very crowded sections of the city.
I might also make one other statement from this map, and that is that
in the unincorporated areas we find tlie rate of growth in this com-
munity is 25 percent faster than it is within the incorporated areas of
the city itself. So that what we are having is a tremendous increase
in population within the unincorporated areas, you see, where at the
same time we have not provided services.
Municipal services do not extend to them, and other services are not
available to them.
Now, we also feel that there need to be neighborhood recreation
programs within those unincorporated areas, that the whole recreation
program for those areas needs to be extensively looked at.
We further recommend, of course, that a much more intensive job
of analysis be done on these figures than we have been able to do within
this limited period of time.
The Chairman. Have you a duplicate of this map ?
Mrs. Whiteside. I have this map, in which that was done, which
Avill be unintelligible. But this can go in the record.
80
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
The Chairman. The map will be received, marked as an exhibit and
inserted at this point in Mrs, Whiteside's remarks.
(The map referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 5," and is as follows :)
I>«d£ CouWTy UVg
MIAMI AND ADJACENT
AREAS BY CENSUS
TRACTS
(Untracted)
Mr. BoBO. Necessarily, in the city of Miami, where you have these
areas of high delinquency contribution, those delinquents in those
particular areas where no services are offered are going to spill over
into Miami occasionally and commit delinquent acts and go back then
to their own home, which creates a serious problem.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 81
Mrs. Whitkside. As far as the city of Miami is concerned and the
services of Miami, yes.
I would like to say that this work on this map was done by Dr.
Reinholcl Wolfe, a research analyst of the University of Miami, and
that Dr. Zarbo and graduate students, worlving with a subcommittee
chaired by Mr. Timothy Sullivan, was responsible for this analysis of
the distributional aspects of delinquency in this county.
As you see, with our governmental j^icture, city, county, many
municipalities, here, where you come to pinpoint deliquency you find
yourself runnino; across areas and running across lines. You can't
stop talking about delinquency Mhen you reach the city limits of
Miami, because delinquency rides right across the line in an auto-
mobile, as you have just pointed out, but services stop.
Again, I would like to point out, in terms of service, or to reiterate,
rather, that with our character building and recreation agencies, with
our casework and guidance agencies in this area, we do need a way of
reaching the delinquent with the skills and the services that these
agencies represent.
Now, this report contains an analysis of the distributional aspects of
this pamphlet, as to the census tracts, but we feel also, as I say, that
further analysis should be done.
Now, the resources to serve delinquent children and their families —
we are impressed repeatedly with the fact that, again, it is very diffi-
cult to reach the parents of a delinquent child with the forces in the
community that need to reach them, the churches, the schools, the
family life, education groups, casework agencies, the people who are
concerned with character building and with human behavior.
The family of the delinquent child is usually pretty resistant to
these kinds of services. Now, we feel that there is one place at which
the family can be reached, and reached very easily, and that is in
school. We have an analysis of the possibility of discussion groups
within the schools of the parents of the dilinquent child. Unfortu-
nately, family life, education groups, PTA programs, casework agency
programs, church progi-ams, aimed at good family life, do not hit the
people who need that kind of helj). You know, they aren't the ones
who come to meetings. That is the point, of course.
But it is possible for those kinds of services and that kind of under-
standing to be brought to the parents of delinquent children, and it
can be done through discussion groups.
At school there are, of course, other ways of reaching the parents,
radio, television, counseling service, many factors, which can be used
in an effort to get through. And it is very important that the parents
of the delinquent children be reached.
The parents of delinquent children very frequently have no sense of
personal worth themselves, and it is very difficult to communicate that
to a child when you don't have it. They are people who need help, by
and large. It has not been found generally helpful to use punitive
measures on the parents of delinquent children. It doesn't help the
parents, and it doesn't help the children to any great extent.
There is need for an understanding to be reached between the official
agencies of the community and the voluntary agencies as to areas of
service, as to use of resources. That is a need which exists in this com-
munity, and I am quite sure it exists in all other communities. Official
agencies operate within a framework of law. Voluntary agencies oper-
82 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
ate within a set or criteria of service that they establish or is established
by their boards. It is possible for private or privately supported
groups not to work very closely with official agencies, because of the
difference in their background, because of the difference in their per-
sonnel. But it is essential that they work closely together. Otherwise
all of the services that are available for children and their parents in
this community cannot be brought to bear on them.
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Whiteside, I notice the three that come in contact
with the delinquent, the schools, the law enforcement agencies, and the
courts.
Mrs. Whiteside. Yes.
]Mr. BoBO. And then you have your numerous service agencies, both
public and private.
INIrs. AViiiTESiDE. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. Is there any coordination or working together among
these three that are immediately delinquent and this great mass over
here that is serving? Is there any central coordinator? Is there any
cooperation or intercourse between these agencies ?
Mrs. Whiteside. There is, of course, the Welfare Planning Council
in this community, and there are various other grou})s or various othei"
devices used, I am sure, which we have not analyzed in this report, ]Mr.
Bobo. But we believe that certainly there could be better coordination.
It seems to us that what is needed here is a further analysis of this situ-
ation in Dade County, not simply this one, but that tliere be a coordi-
nating committee established here within the community, within the
total Dade County community, with sufficient budget and with suffi-
cient technical staff. Because this kind of thing will indicate to you
that there is a need for technical staff", if you are going to do this kind
of a job.
We believe that a county- wide coordinating committee in the field
of the problems of youth could be of immense value in this county,,
properly staffed, ]noper]y budgeted. It would have on it, of course,
the official agencies, as well as the unofficial agencies, or the private
agencies, else it would be of no particular value.
We have seen this operate, or this kind of a plan and a program oper-
ate, on the State level with the Florida Commission. We know it is of
value. There are county agencies operating with the Florida Com-
mission now in certain other areas of the State, in which it is valuable.
There is no reason why such a coordinating committee could not be-
established in Dade County, by Dade Countians themselves for this
county. I believe it would result in more effective service between the
official and unofficial agencies for and on behalf of the delinquent child.
Mr. BoBO. I have had the personal observation in visiting a num-
ber of cities that in many cities we have a great deal of social services
available.
Mrs. Whiteside. But they don't reach the delinquent child.
Mr. BoBO. Well, they are available, but maybe the court doesn't
know about them; maybe they are overlapping; and, as you say, a
great majority of them never reach down to the delinquent child. I
think we are all familiar with that.
But it seems to me, and I will ask you this question : Would it not
be possible, from what you have obsei'ved so far, to have some central
coordinating body to make available to all agencies interested in de-
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 83^
linquency the technical services, treatment facilities, that would affect
a juvenile delinquent ?
Mrs. Whiteside. Yes, it would be possible. It could be done.
Mr. BoBO. Did j^ou find that there is a waste of manpower and fa-
cilities and services in Miami and in Dade County, just because we
don't know which way to put the people 'i
Mrs. Whiteside. Well, I will tell you, Mr. Bobo. I don't know
whether I would say it is a waste of services or not, because every-
body has more of a job to do than they can do. But it is that there
are certain skills available here within certain aoencies, both official
and unofficial, that never reach the deliquent child, either because the
agency that has the skills is alread}' overburdened or because there is
just no direct way to get to the delinquent child for them.
Now, I have only one other factor that I would like to mention, and
then I will stop. That is the ])roblem of the predelinquent. There is
a great deal of thinking in this country today that if we reach these
children who are in difficulty soon enough, something can be done to
change the pattern of their behavior.
There is no doubt about the fact that a child who is in real difficul-
ties begins to show it fairly early. There is no doubt but that this
overaggression begins to be apparent. There have been studies made.
We have one here in this State, over in Pinellas County, the Juvenile
Welfare Board of St. Petersburg, or of Pinellas County, rather, which
has done a study of the predelinquent child in the schools of that
county for a period of 3 years. They were supported by private funds
initially, and it has now been taken over by the school board there.
And such cliildren, when they are picked up are put into a guidance
situation almost immediately, and help is brought to them — you see,
very frequently, as Judge Beckham knows all too well, by the time
a child becomes an adjudged delinquent in law, his defenses are so
high, and he has gone so far along the road, that it is extremely diffi-
cult to make a very good efi^ort at changing his behavior pattern, ex-
tremely difficult. But if you had gotten to him sooner, had gotten
to him early enough, you might have made some headway with him.
His defenses might not have been so high, and so difficult to breach.
You might have been able to do something with him.
So we do think it is very important that some guidance and some
counseling be done with the disturbed predelinquent child.
Now, we know that the schools see those children, because that is
where many of their disturbances are obvious.
The Chairman. AVliat you are suggesting must be done at the local
level.
Mrs. Whiteside. Yes ; oh, yes.
But one point here that distresses us is that we live in the second
fastest growing community in America, here in Dade County, and
our schools here have l^een terribl}^ burdened to provide even class-
room space. They have provided counseling services for our high
school students and for our junior high school students, but counseling
services have not yet been afforded to our elementary school students.
Now, this we understand. We realize why it occurred; but we
would like to say that definitely it is a need. Because a third of the
juveniles in the court last year were under 13, and the bulk of those
against whom complaints are made are not in the high school and
84 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
junior high school. So that is where we need to do an extension of
services as soon as we can ati'ord to do it.
Thank you, gentlemen.
The Chairman. Mrs. Whiteside, don't you want to leave that record
for the subcommittee files? Didn't you have a printed copy?
Mrs. Whiteside. I don't have a printed one.
The Chairman. All right.
It will be made a part of the subcommittee's printed record, then.
Thank you very much, Mrs. Whiteside.
Mrs. Whiteside. Thank you. Senator.
(The material referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 6," and reads
as follows:)
Exhibit No. 6
Summary or Data Presented in the Report
A. DiSTRIBUTIOXAL ASPECTS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY In DaDE CoUNTY In 1953
I. DEr.INQUENCY IN CENSUS TKACTS AND DISTRICTS
(See location map, p. 80)
Caution should be exercised in comparing delinquency data for individual
census tracts and districts. The differences in figures in each tract and district
may be due to a variety of factors not examined in this report, such as:
1. Child population of the census tract or district adjacent thereto.
2. Composition of the population as to age, sex, and race.
3. Socioeconomic status of the area.
4. Educational, recreational, and religious facilities.
5. Availability of police services within a given area.
6. Policies of police officers in making disposition of juvenile cases.
7. Use of community resources other than the juvenile court in referring
children with problems.
The figures reported on the spot map of the location of "2.880 delinquency cases
in 1953 are those obtained from the Dade County Juvenile Court file cards on
each child.
The figures dealing with the average daily attendance of school children were
obtained from the Student Welfare Department of the Dade County Board of
Public Instruction. They do not include private schools.
In considering the volume of delinquency in Dade County, it is more important
to determine whether the figures for a given census tract show increases or
decreases over the years rather than to ascertain whether they exceed or fall
short of those for another tract or district. The desire to make comparisons
on the basis of these figures on delinquency is best limited to a comparison of
the same census tract or district over a period of years rather than to contrast
the separate census tracts or districts.
This study is a preliminary report and its value will depend on continuing
research througli the years.
It should also be remembered that the 2,880 juvenile delinquency cases does
not mean that 2,880 juveniles were involved in the cases. A single individual
may be included several times, and appear in the records as two cases. It has
been recommended In a recent report of the National Conference on Juvenile
Delinquency that the unit of counting be based on the child rather than on the
case, as is done at present. Also some device is needed to yield information
on repeaters. P>y counting cases we do not get a true statistic of children in-
volved, or an undupU'-ated count of the children.
(a) Rnnaivays
The total of 183 out-of-State runaways is significant. Special provisions are
needed for the disposition of these cases. The object is to return the child to
his or her home as quickly as possible unless they have committed a violation
within the jurisdiction of the court. In Dade County it has been the practice of
police officers to take into custody only male runaways who are 15 years old
or under and permit the 16-year-olds to go on their way. This practice may be
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 85
harmful since most of these 16-year-olds are unable to find work and may
eventually become involved in criminal practices. The tendency of these youths
to pick up with homosexuals either as a temiwrary means of obtaining food or
shelter or to mug and roll them is always a possibility.
Our concern should be great for this continually growing group of transient
youngsters who violate the laws of our community and our State and come in
conflict with the police and the courts. Last March the Council of State Govern-
ments prepared a preliminary draft of a proposed interstate compact on juve-
niles. The council expects to have a final draft ready in time for presentation
to the many State legislatures which will be meeting in 1955. As it now stands
in the working draft, the compact, in addition to providing for the cooperative
supervision of probationers, the return of escapees, and return and detention
procedures, binds the contracting States to the following agreement:
'•The duly constituted judicial and administrative authorities of a State party
to this compact may arrange for the detention and return of any juvenile found
in that State, who has not been adjudged delinquent but who has run away with-
out the consent of a parent or guardian, to any other State party to this compact
which is the State of residence of said juvenile. The duly accredited officers of
any State party to this compact, upon the establishment of their authority and
the identity of the juvenile being returned, shall be permitted to transport such
juvenile through any and all States parties to this compact, without interference."
(6) Juvenile complaints
The total number of juvenile delinquency complaints by sex. for whites and
nonwhites in 1953, was 2,230. Of this total 1,566 were involved in court liearings
and 664 were not. The 1.566 adjudged delinquents in 1953 represented 70.22
percent of all the delinquency complaints. The remaining 664 or 29.78 percent
did not have a court hearing but had informal disposition by one of the juvenile
counselors. Is this 70-30 ratio representative of juvenile courts throughout the
country? Further study is needed to determine what yardstick is used in
determining which cases require a court hearing and which do not.
(c) Additional research needed
This report does not statistically tabulate the number of commitments to the
boys' .sichool at IMarianna or the girls' schools at Ocala and Forest Hill. Nor does
it specify the numbers confined temporarily at Youth Hall or the numbers com-
mitted to Kendall.
No attempt was made to analyze the total number of cases as to public or
private school attended, religion, occupational status of the parents, siblings in
the family, home conditions, and other criteria. The value of this study, then,
has had to be a statistical presentation without attempting to go below the surface
facts to uncover the individual problems involved in these cases.
The next step in this process is to make an exhaustive social analysis of each
case history to determine those factors contributing to the antisocial behavior
of these children. To know that 2..S80 juvenile cases were handled by the court
in 1953 is not enough. We must get below the surface facts and find out why
they became delinquent.
(d) Cases by census tracts and districts
Five census tracts were reported to possess the largest number of total cases.
They are A-10. A— 4, A-15. A-17. and A-34. In considering these tracts note
that 4 of the 5 lie within the unincorporated areas of Dade County or partially
within the unincorporated area and a municipal area. Consider the distinctive-
ness of these tracts.
A-10. — Located in the unincorporated area. Two schools, Horace Mann and
West Little River, with a combined average daily attendance figure of 2,508
are situated there. This area is characterized by low income, poor housing,
health problems, and other disturbing factors.
A-^/.— Located in the unincorporated area with part of the tract occupying
the Negro section of the city of Opa Locka. Five schools. Westview, Van E.
Blanton, Benjamin Franklin, Miami Park, and Bunche Park (N), with a com-
bined average daily attendance of 4.119. are situated there. This area is a
rapidly expanding one. New housing projects for the low-income white and
nonwliite groups are in the construction stage. This area is characterized by
low incomes, poor housing, health problems, and other disturbing factors.
86 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
A-15. — Located in the unincorporated area with part of the tract in the city
of Miami. Its population composition is primarily Negro. Two Negro schools,
Dorsey High and Lii)erty City Elementary, with a combined average daily attend-
ance of 2,811 are situated there. This area is characterized by low incomes,
poor housing, health problems, and other disturbing factors.
A.-17. — Located, except for a small section in and around Northwest 36th
Street and 27th Avenue which is in the city of Miami, primarily in the unin-
corix)rated area. Two schools. Melrose and Bethune (N), with a combined
average daily school attendance of 1.272. are located there. This area is char-
acterized by low incomes, poor housing, health problems, and other disturbing
factors.
A~3J/. — Located entirely within the city of Miami. It is just outside the
central business district. Racial composition is largely nonwhite. Two schools,
Douglas Elementary (N) and Booker T. Washngton (N), with a combined aver-
age daily attendance of 2,334, are situated there. This area is characterized
by low incomes, poor housing, health problems, and other disturbing factors.
In evaluating these 5 census tracts and the social conditions therein a sig-
nificant fact is that 4 of the tracts, A-4, A-10, A-15, and A-17, are adjacent to
one another. This area, then, can be considered a high delinquency area.
A total of 2S1 male and female nonwhite cases and 267 white male and female
cases for a total of 548 cases of tbe 2,880 were from these 5 tracts. Tbe per-
centage total is 10.01 percent. Three of these tracts lie within district II,
1 within district I and. 1 within district X.
Additional study of these tracts is necessary if we wish to learn why they have
such a high incidence of delinquency.
(e) Use of another criteria
In considering delinquency cases as to location, on the basis of districts, it is
difficult to arrive at conclusions by considering only the total number of cases
and the percentage of the total cases contained within any individual district.
Use of another criteria, the avei-age daily public school attendance, was utilized
in an attempt to give a more accurate picture of the cases within a district as
they relate to children between the ages of 6 and 16. When we use this figure we
must assume that the children residing in these districts attend the public schools
in the area. This assumption is more valid when applied to districts than if we
attempted to apply it to census tracts. Public school attendance figures were
used exclusively since the private school attendance figures were not available.
The percentage of error in the following tabulation will then be equivalent to
the number of cases involving children who attended private schools in 1953.
This is not thought to be very large — another unknown factor.
Using this additional criteria it is then i>ossible to consider the districts, not
only by cases and i>ercentage of total cases therein, but also by cases and the
I)ei-centage of the cases as they relate to the public school average daily attendance
in the district. For a valid correlation to result the total cases must be con-
trasted with the child population 6-16 years of age. The ideal would be to spot
all children 6 to 16 as to residence, in each census tract, then draw our percentage
totals. Due to time limitations this was not done. The use of the average daily
school attendance for public schools is then assumed to represent the child popu-
lation 6 to 16 in any given district. When using this additional criteria we can
recognize some significant differences. For example : Both districts 4 and 10
have the same number of cases — 196. Using only the percentage total of all case^?
they both represent 17.2 percent of 2,880 cases. Using the additional criteria,
district 4 indicates that the 496 cases is only 3.35 percent of the 14,794 average
daily school attendance while district 10 is 5.04 percent of 9,834 average daily
school attendance. For purposes of evaluation this percentage difference is
more significant than the 17.2 percent. This additional criteria also enables us
to test the validity of the percent totals of the highest rating districts. The
results of a comijai ison of these two approaches is noted elsewhere in this sum-
mary. What wo find is that they complement one another, with a few exceptions,
and thereby reinforce the exact spotting of delinquency areas.
The following tabulation results when you consider the average daily public
school attendance as it relates to the cases reported within each district.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
87
District
Cases
A vpiase
daily school
attendance
I^ercent
I \
273
449
18
496
102
107
18
189
49
496
141
9, 325
15.58S
2,645
14,794
4,992
5,202
5,647
6,114
2,701
9,834
5,528
2.92
II . -
2.88
III
.72
IV
3.35
V
2.04
VI
2.06
VII
.32
VIII
3.09
IX
1.81
X-- .
5 04
other untracted .
2.55
Total
2, 338
82, 370
2 84
Note. — 376 out-of-town cases and 16ii no-address cases not included in above data.
The total average daily public school attendance for nonwhites in 1953, 16
liublic schools, was 12,923: 6G9 nonwhite cases is equal to o.lS percent of the
total nonwhite average daily school attendance.
The total average daily public school attendance for whites in 1953, 81 public
schools, was 69,447 ; 2,211 white cases is equal to 3.18 percent of the total white
average daily school attendance.
The districts showing the highest percentage of delinquency cases per average
•daily school attendance are, in order, 10, 4, 8, 1, 2, 6, 5, 9, 3, and 7. (See ap-
pendix VIII for a comparison of the two sets of percentages.)
Total cases tlien represents 2.84 ijercent of the average daily public school
attendance. This compares, recognizing different statistical basis, with a
recording of 1.70 percent as reported in appendix VI, Report No. 1, Florida
Children's Commission — Studying Juvenile Delinquency in Florida. In compar-
ing these two figin-es it should be noted that the Florida Children's Commission
report considers only adjudged delinquents and an all-inclusive school
population obtained from the State department of education. The preceding
tabulation deals with total juvenile cases on record at the juvenile court and
the average daily public school attendance as reported by the student welfare
department of the Dade County Board of Public Instruction for 1953-54.
(/) Summary
1. Districts 10, 4, 8, 1, and 2 represent the highest incidence of delinquency,
followed by districts 6, 5, and 9. Districts 3 and 7 are the lowest.
2. One exception : District 2 should be considered a bit differently from the
others. Although it rates fifth and third on the 2 lists, you will note that
census tracts A-4, A-10. and A-15, 3 of the 5 highest census tracts, lie within
the district, and are adjacent to one another. This means that although the
district as a whole has but 2.04 percent of its school iwpulation involved in
delinquency ca.ses, the 3 census tracts represent, uunierically, 358 of the 449
cases in the entire district. This indicates a delinquency area. Therefore,
some districts must be considered in the light of census tract totals also, since
some tracts are out of proportion to the rest and distort the results of a given
district.
3. District 10, which represents the area of highest incidence of delinquency
cases, is bounded on the east by the bay, on the west by northwest 27th Avenue,
on the south by the Tamiami Trail, and on the north by northwest 20th Street.
This is an area of transition bounding the central business district of Miami.
The population composition is that of Negro and low-income whites in tracts
A-30 through A-,36, with middle and low socioeconomic groups occupying tracts
A-37, C-rA. C-52, C-53. and C-.54. Tracts A-30 through A-36 had 318 of the
total of 496 cases in that district. This is 13.77 percent of the 2,880 cases and
all but 3.43 percent of the entire district. A high delinquency area statistically.
Why? Additional research is needed.
4. Districts 7 and 8 are adjacent to one another yet the incidence of delinquency
ca.ses in 7 is insignificant while that of 8 is relatively high. The answer may lie
in the fact that 8 is adjacent also to 10 and the pattern of social relationships
may be between 8 and 10 in.stead of 7 and 8. The socioeconomic structure of
the 2 tracts is also quite different— 10 and 8 are closely related as to social
cfinditions and forces prevalent and this may be a basis for more interaction
88 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
between the 2 than between 7 and S. This would make an interesting followup
study.
5. In the category "Other," the total percentages are high. This group resides
in the unincorporated areas of Dade County, primarily to the south in Homestead
and Florida City. Further investigation of this area is indicated.
(g) Observations
This preliminary report is just that. It does not pretend to be a complete and
accurate survey of delinquency in Dade County. It presents some highlights but
must, due to time limitations, leave a lot unsaid. If this study opens up addi-
tional avenues of research into the problem of delinquency in Dade County it
will have served its most useful purpose. A continiiing, more exact, all-inclusive
survey by competent social scientists is still needed to get below the surface facts
as I'eported in the juvenile court file cards.
II. DELIXQfEXCY COMPL-Vl.NTS, BY SEX, WHITE AND NONWHITE, 1953
The 1.566 adjudged delinquents represent 70.22 percent of 2,2?>0 complaints.
The 664 complaints did not require an official court hearing and disposition
was made by the counselors. Represents 20.78 percent of the total complaints.
In Dade County, therefore, the ratio of adjudged delinquents to those not re-
quiring official court hearing is approximately 70-.30.
III. SEASOXAX VARIATION — 2,230 DELINQUENCY COMPLAINTS, BY SEX, WHITE AND
N ON WHITE, 1953
To properly draw conclusions on the importance of seasonal variations as a
facttu" in prolileni of juvenile delinquency in Dade County it is necessary to ask
and seek out answers to the following questions. These and many other i^ertinent
questions can only be answered through additional study of the problem.
1. Is it significant that the high number of delinquency complaints during the
months of March. February, and .Tanuai'y of 19o3 correspond to the fact that these
3 months represent the height of the tourist season in Dade County?
2. Does the total of 247 complaints in June bear any relation to the closing of
schools and the resultant loss of supervision for the greater part of the day?
3. Has this seasonal variation remained constant throughout the years or does
it fluctuate?
IV. JLiYENILE DELINQUENCY CASES, 1953 — AGES OF BOYS AND GIRLS WHEN EEFFEKRED
TO COURT
Sixty-six percent of all offenses were committed by the 14-16 age group.
Thirty-two percent of all offenses were committed by those under 14.
The ratio is approximately 2 to 1. For every 2 juveniles between 14 and 16
who conunit an otTense tiiere is 1 juvenile under 14 committing an offense.
It is necessary to know :
How many of the 66 percent were before the courts prior to their 14th
birthday?
What is the incidence of repeaters in the court?
What is the overall incidence of repeaters for all age groups?
National statistics on juvenile delinquency compiled by the Children's Bureau
Indicate that the majority of boys and girls who come before juvenile courts
for delinquent behavior are between 15 and 17 years of age. A study of 500
delinquent boys revealed that the age at which the largest number first api>eared
in court ^\ as l)etween 11 and 13.
Delinquency begins early in Dade County as well as throughout the Nation.
Age distribution, by sex
Girls : Percent
In the 14-year-old group 25
Between the ages of 14 and 16 . 70
Under 14 (none under 9 years of age) 27
Boys :
In the 16-year-old group , 27
Between the ages of 14 and 16 66
Under 14 (none under 7 years of age) 32
Seventy-percent offenders are males. Two-thirds of all offenses were com-
mitted by the 14-16 age group.
JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY
89
V. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY CASES, DADE COUNTY, 1953
Reasons for referral to court, all sexes, both races
[Percent]
Boys
Girls
Both sexes
Running away
Other stealing
Other reasons
Ungovernable
Truancy
Mischief
Traffic violations.
Burglary
Sex offense
Auto stealing
Injury to person..
20.46
18.79
10.64
36.27
8.61
9.35
14.53
16.93
9.95
7.78
25.01
15.42
1L76
9.32
8.93
7.41
6.98
5.57
4.41
3.79
1.35
XOTE. — Xationwide, according to the Children's Bureau, stealing and malicious mischief, in the case of
boys, and ungovernable, running awaj% and sex offenses, in the case of girls, were the most prevalent reasons
for referral to court.
Information on the classification "Other reasons" is needed to clarify this data.
It is listed third on both groupings and accounts for 357 cases. It amounts to
11.76 percent of all the reasons, preceded only by running away and other
stealing.
In considering the category "Running away" the rate for the nonwhite is
only 12.(>0 percent as compared to the white of 28.94 percent, or a case difference
of 92 to 667. Is it a fact, then, that Negro children do not run away from home
as often as white children? Or could this be due to iwlice practices which may
place little concern on the runaway reijorts filed by Negro parents? Generally
do the police investigate the running away of a white juvenile but tend to file
the Negro messages and do little about them?
The category "Other stealing" is too vague and it needs explanation and
elaboration. 468 cases constitute 15.42 percent of the total reasons and second
behind running away as the main reason for referral. Are petty larceny and
grand larceny grouped together in this category?
It is concluded that the classifying of the reasons for I'eferral is too limited
in many instances to draw any valid conclusions. Farther research into these
cases is needed to determine specifically the main reason for referral.
Police departments usually refer runaways to the court and this reason is
entered into the file of the ofBcial description of the case.
Futher investigation by the court, however, reveals many other offenses
connected with running away, usually sex offenses with girls, and stolen
automobiles with boys. The cases are then disposed of in light of the total
delinquency picture. These supiilementary facts are necessary to properly
evaluate running away as the chief offense.
The term "ungoveruable" usually means the girl who is considered incoiTigible.
This term also includes other types of offenses, frequently involving sex, when
the whole picture is developed in a court hearing.
Considering the five districts that represent the highest number of delinquency
cases, namely, 10, 4, 8, 1, and 2, we find the reasons for referral to be :
District No. 10:
1. Other stealing
2. Other reasons
3. Running away
4. Truancy
5. Ungovernable
District No. 4 :
1. Other stealing
2. Ungovernable
3. Mischief
4. Other reason
5. Running away
District No. 8 :
1. Mischief
2. Running away
3. Ungovernable
District No. 8 — Continued
4. Other stealing
5. Other reason
District No. 1 :
1. Running away
2. Truancy
3. Traffic violation
4. Other stealing
5. Other reason
District No. 2 :
1. Running away
2. Ungovernable
3. Mischief
4. Other stealing
5. Truancy
90
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
More girls are referred for running away than boys.
More girls are referred for sex offenses than boys.
More sirls are referred for truancy than boys.
More boys are referred for other stealing than girls.
More boys are referred for mischief than girls.
More boys are referred for traffic violations than girls.
More boys are referred for burglary than girls.
More boys are referred for auto theft than girls.
Girls did not engage in auto theft or burglary in 1953.
Children in Dade County, generally speaking, commit the same delinquency
actions as children throughout the Nation, and in relatively the same degree.
Of the total 2,880 cases, 669 nonwhites equal 2.3 percent of total cases.
Of the total 1,5.56 adjusted delinquents, 365 (11 out-of-State runaways included)
nonwhite equal 23 percent of total adjudged delinquents.
Of the total 2.230 complaints, 668 nonwhites equal 30 percent of total com-
plaints.
A comparison of total percentages of delinqncncy cases reported in districts based
on the total number of cases and the average daily public school attendance,
1953-54
District
Cases
Percent of
average
daily se>"ool
attendance
Percent of
total cases
1
273
449
18
496
102
107
18
189
49
496
2.92
2.88
.72
3.35
2.04
2.06
.32
3.09
1.81
5.04
9.43
2
15.56
3 -.
.61
4
17.2
5 ..
3. 50
6
3.70
7
.59
8
6.50
9 - -.- -
1.68
10 . - - ...
17.2
Subtotal
2,197
141
Other (untrafted).- . _ ._ ..
2.56
4.83
Total ...
2,338
2.84
80.80
Cases listed in the categories ''Out of town" and "No address" are not included
in the above data. These constituted 542 cases and 18.81 percent of 2,880 total
cases. Is it significant that almost 20 percent of the cases referred to the
juvenile court are in these categories? Out of a total of 376 out-of-town cases,
183 are listed as out-of-State runaways, 162 are runaways from other parts of
Florida, and 31 are listed for other i-easons. The "Xo address" group of 166
ca.ses is represented by .3!) runaways, 38 other stealing-, 17 truancy, 17 burglary,
35 ungovernable, and 40 for other reasons.
In considering tlie dala presented relating to the districts it may be helpful
to contrast them on the basis of highest percentage totals.
Percent average daily school attendance: Districts 10, 4, 8, 1, 2, 6, 5, 9, 3, 7.
Percent total cases : Districts 10, 4. 2, 1, 8, 6, 5, 9, 3, 7.
T'sing these two criteria, then, it is possible to state that districts 1, 2, 4, 8,
and 10 represent deliiuiuency areas within Dade County. Other data and more
research are. of course, needed about sjiecilic situations in these areas.
This is a iireJiniinary rejiort and must be considered as such. Further re-
search into the problem is necessary before valid conclusions can l)e drawn.
B. Tin: Ri;souH( Ks To Serve Delinquent Childkex and Tiieik Families
"The parents who need this information never come to PTA meetings * * * nor
to case work agencies."
'•We don't attract the young girls who need this socializing experience."
"We have a long wjiiting list (in our aiiiKtintment schedule."
"We can't let one disrujitive and destructive youngster ruin the games on
the playgroinid fnr everyone else."
Even though these are familiar remarks the public is apparently satisfied that
its .social welfai-e. parent organizations, character building, recreation, and
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 91
group work agencies iiic prt'venters of delinquency. Kut licrtiain Beck, Direc-
tor, Special Juvenile 1 )eliu(|Uency Project, Washington. D. C. says: "We have,
for exainjile, iiiuuerous character i>ui!,T2 report. New York Youth Board: The Cougars, by Stacy
.Tones. Harper'.^ niafrazine, November 1!)54.
92 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
One thing is certain : The problem must be approached with a determination to
use existing resources to tlie maximum. New Yorli Youth Board believes "aggres-
sive casework" must be used to get help to the persons who resist; and the New
York board uses the "detached workers" who go into the streets to locate the
gangs in their hangouts and to gain their confidence and acceptance for "the pur-
pose of rechanneling their antisocial behavior in socially acceptable directions." ^
Tliere have been other experiments called the area approach. It was first inau-
gurated by Clifford Shaw in the Chicago area projects. Other projects are :
Commission on Community Interrelations of the American Jewish Congress in
Chicago and New York.
Cleveland area project.
Detroit area project.
Central Harlem Street Club project of the Welfare Council of New York City.
Los Angeles youth project.
Tompkins Square project.
Brooklyn Council for Social Planning.
Perhaps the experiences of these cities may suggest methods for Dade County.
This section contains data and conclusions based upon the
attached appendixes I and II.
Hecreation for Unincorporated Areas and Statistics for Recrea-
tional Planning
Conclusions
(Based upon data in appendix I)
1. This report was prepared for the annual meeting of the Florida Recreation
Association in May 1954. It emphasizes the population growth trend in the
unincorporated areas of Dade County.
(a) Unincorporated area growth is twice that of the incorporated areas.
(b) School population in unincorporated areas was approximately 25 percent
of the total school population during 1953.
(c) A contrast is made between a very high white socioeconomic community,
Coral Gables, and a low socioeconomic commvmity in the Negro section of the
unincorporated area, Liberty City. The composition of the population is very
similar as to the age distribution and total numbers. The Negro community
area is approximately 4 square miles. The Gables community is 15 square miles.
The comparison made of funds budgeted for community recreational purposes
is significant, especially when you consider the area of greatest need.
Annual Visiting Teacher Report, Dade County Board of Public
Instruction, 1953-54
Conclusions
(Based on appendix II)
1. Of all the agencies working with children who constitute delinquency prob-
lems, the student welfare department of the Dade County School Board has
assigned qualified and trained personnel to the area. All of the 17 visiting
teachers are certified in their subjects and all have taught school. All have
advanced work or have completed their M. A. degree with .30 houx's credit in the
visiting teacher field. All but two are certified as visiting teachers and they
soon will be. Training includes instruction in the areas of child guidance, child
growth and development, social welfare and child care, sociology of the school,
administration, and other fields relating to child welfare. They are compe-
tently trained to work with problem children.
( a ) Appendix V is a statement of the 1953-54 visiting teacher program. Atten-
tion should be given to sections 5, 6, 7, and 9.
2 See story in Harper's.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
93
Section 5. — 16,907 referrals made — not individuals but number of complaints.
One child may be referred 2 or 3 times.
Section 6. — lleason for referral indicates that nonattendance and truancy
greatest. Nonattendance is often truancy with parents' permission.
Section 7.- — Number of referrals indicates that elementary schools and junior
high schools predominate. Is this significant?
Section 9. — Juvenile court hearings totaled 235 and conferences vpith court
counselors and VT were 356. Of this 356 some later had a court hearing, and
are included in the 235 totaL
Appendix I
Recreation fob Unincorporated Areas and Population Statistics for
Recreational Planning
[Unincorporated area: An area within any given county that is not incorporated under the corporation
laws of the State of Florida. An area subject to State laws only, with the county commissioners serving
as the governing body and the sheriff's office responsible for all phases of law enforcement. An area that
does not fall within the geographic boundaries of any municipality, town, village, etc.]
/. Dade County population and housinff inventory, incorporated and
unincorporated areas ^
Unincorporated areas.
Incorporated areas
Dwelling
units, 1950
census
39, 040
141,418
Popula-
tion, 1950
111,875
383, 209
Dwelling
units,
April 1954
64, 895
184, 967
Popula-
tion esti-
mated,
April 1954
182, 902
501, 483
Growth,
1954 over
1950
Percent
63.5
30.9
Average
yearly
growth
Percent
15.9
7.9
' Data obtained from University of Miami Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
Population Growth in Unincorporated Areias Is More Than Twice That of the
Incorporated Areas
//. School 'population of schools located in unincorporated areas; age group
approximately 6 to 18^
[Total school population, male and female, Negro and -white],
South Dade High 610
Horace Mann, Jr., High 1,113
r.en.jaiiiin Franklin 1, 0S4
Biscayne Gardens 530
Earlington Heights 500
Flagami 993
Gladeview 786
Kendall 368
Key Biscayne 252
IMelrose 642
Miami Parli 983
Ojus 444
Olynipia Heights 1,044
Perrine 286
Redland 816
1 Data obtained from student welfare departiaent, Dade County Board of Public Instruc-
tion.
Van E. Blanton 1,000
West L. River 1,098
Sunset 1, 143
South Miami 834
Westview 360
Pinecrest 240
Springview 249
I»(.r.sey Hiffh (N) 2,074
IMaysHigh (N) 1,135
Bethune (N) 737
Liberty City (N) 976
R. R. Moton (N) 549
Richmond Heights (N) 236
Bunche Park (N) 991
Total number schools*located in unincorporated areas
Total school population, schools in unincorporated areas
Total school population, all public schools in Dade County, Fla.
Percent school population in unincorporated areas
20
22, 073
89, 907
24.52
50080—55-
94
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
///. Ammmt "budgeted for reci-eation programs by several incorporated areas *
City of Miami, 1951-52 $304, 416
Miami Beach, 1950-51 120,000
Coral Gables, 1952-53 31, 536
Hialeah, 1952-53 47, 999
Miami Springs, 1952-53 19, 178
Opa. Locka, 1952-53 10, 870
Nortli Miami, 1952-53 21, 000
^ Data obtained from Welfare Planning Council Study on Recreation and Group Work,
Dade County, Fla., March 1954. "Particular attention is recommended: to securing
neighborhood recreation facilities in the urbanized unincorporated parts of the county"
(p. 61).
Amount budgeted by county commissioners for recreation program in unincor-
porated areas, none.
IV. Use of statuticdl tabulations in recreational planning^
1. 1950 POPULATION STATISTICS BY AGE AND SEX OF NONWHITE POPULATION IN
UNINCORPORATED AREA KNOWN AS LIBERTY CITY
[Census tracts A-10, A-15, A-15a, A-17, and A-18]
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Under 5 ... . - . - -- -- .
995
767
594
475
1,006
709
663
574
2,001
5to9 --- --- --
1,476
10 to 14 ..----.-
1,257
15tol9
1,049
Total under 19 . .__
2,831
3,816
2,952
4,495
5,783
Total over 19 .
8,311
6,647
7,447
2 14, 094
' Abstract of statistical reports from the Department of Commerce Bulletin P-D31, 1950 United States
Census of Population, Miami, Fla., and adjacent areas.
» Total nonwhite population, 1950, 14,094.
2. 1950 POPULATION STATISTICS BY AGE AND SEX OF WHITE POPULATION IN
CITY OF CORAL GABLES, FLA.
Age group
Male
Female
Total
UnderS
671
1,212
1,085
1,518
1,774
1,523
1,475
1,044
822
701
1,122
994
708
1,642
1,864
1,633
1,186
1,050
1,372
5 to 14
2,334
15 to 20
2,079
21 to 24 - -
2,226
25to34 .
3,416
35 to 44 .
5,642
3,387
45 to 54
3,108
55to64
2,230
1,872
Grand total
11,124
10,900
3 22. 024
» Total white population, 1950, 22,024.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 95
Appendix II
Visiting Teacher Annual Report, Dade County, 1953-54
[Number of visiting teacliers, 17]
1. Number of schools visited 8, 215
2. School conferences :
(a) Principals, vice principals 4,633^
(6) Deans 4, 989
(c) Counselors 1, 236
(d) Teachers 4, 651
(e) Registrars, secretaries 4,898
(/) Nurse 612
(g) Child 3, 355
(h) Parents 766
(t) Group conferences 487
3. Other conferences 2,164
4. Visits :
(a) Home 13, 182
(ft) Parents or guardians contacted 10,462
(c) Field (agencies, employers, etc.) 1,654
5. Referrals from —
(a) Child 337
(b) Parents 338
(c) School 15, 233
id) Other 999
Total 16, 907
6. Reason for referral :
(a) Behavior 939
(ft) Health 1, 690
(c) Nonattendance 6, 081
id) Truancy 3, 805
(e) Home situation 1,329
(/) Failure in school 356
(g) Other 1, 987
Total 16, 907
7. Number of referrals :
(a) Elementary 7, 588i
(ft) Junior high 6,937
(c) Senior high 2,382;
Total 16, 907
8. Referrals made by visiting teacher to —
(a) Sui>ei'visor 326
(b) School guidance department 214
(c) County guidance department 70
(d) Community agencies 653
9. Court:
(a) Hearings -— 235
(b) Conferences 356
10. Professional meetings :
(a.) Staff 429
(6) Community 228
96
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
C. Police Services for Juveniles
I. juvenile contacts
In 1952 an estimated 385,000 boys and girls were brought to the attention of
the juvenile courts in this country. A much greater number, more than 1 million,
were dealt with by the police in the same year. Many of these were referred to
the court. A great many delinquent children undoubtedly escape the attention of
the law. The number of these hidden delinquents is not definitely known but
studies indicate that it is considerable. One survey in a large eastern city
indicated that almost one-third of boys and girls who spoke of serious acts of
delinquency were unknown to the police. It is impossible to estimate the number
of children (delinquent) who escape the attention of all agencies in the com-
munity. Of the more than 1 million boys and girls who came to the attention
of the police for misbehavior in 1952, about 3 out of 4 were dealt with directly
by the police and were not taken to the juvenile court. In the case of most of
these children not taken to court, police officers took whatever steps they thought
might alter their delinquent behavior. The police referred some of these boys
and girls to other social agencies for help.
If we assume that the 2,880 cases before the Dade County Juvenile Court in
1953 were all referred to the court by the police it would then mean, on the basis
of nationwide information, that police officers in Dade County dealt with 8,640
children in 1953 without taking them to the court.
II. SPECIAL SERVICES
It has been estimated that about 5 percent of a community's police force should
be assigned for work with children.
According to this standard the following Dade County law enforcement agen-
cies should have assigned full time the number of ofiicers indicated (total
number of police officers obtained from FBI Semiannual Bulletin, July 1954) :
Police oflBcers
City of Miami Police Department.
Coral Gables Police Department..
Hialeah Police Department
Miami Beacli Police Department..
Miami Springs Police Department
North Miami Police Department..
Opa Locka Police Department
Homestead Police Department
Miami Shores Police Department..
South Miami Police Department. .
West Miami Police Department...
Sheriff's office
' Estimated.
Compare this data with the following inventory and you will find that many
law-enforcement agencies in Dade County do not approximate the national
standard.
Inventory, police ftervices for juveniles, Dade County, Fla., 1953
The following inventory was made of police departments in Dade County
in an effort to ascertain specific police services designed to cope with juvenile
complaints and violations.
For purposes of simplification a group of services are listed and numbered.
The police departments are then classified alphabetically and the number indi-
cating a service which was available in 1953 is noted. Where clarifying com-
ments are needed they will be made immediately following the listing.
1. Juvenile aid bureau or division.
2. Juvenile officer ( s ) .
3. Full-time assignment.
4. Part-time assignment.
JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY 97
5. Separate juvenile file kept and regular reports made to chief.
6. Primary referral to juvenile court.
7. First contact usually made by patrolmen.
8. Have a training manual on juvenile procedure.
9. Officers working juvenile detail have received special training or instruc-
tion.
10. Oflicers are assigned juvenile cases as part of regular duty.
Police departments
Bal Harbour 6, 7, 10
Bay Harbor Islands 6,7,10
Biscayne Park 6, 7,10
Coral Gables 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
(All juvenile complaints and cases channeled through 1
officer with rank of captain. In involved cases may obtain
the assistance of plainclothes detective. Police force totals
64.)
El Portal 6, 7, 10
Golden Beach 6, 7, 10
Hialeah 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
(All juvenile complaints and cases channeled through 1
officer with rank of lieutenant. City has a guidance board
which assists the juvenile officer in minor cases. Now be-
fore city council to create a special bureau. Police force
of 53.)
Homestead 6, 7, 10
Florida City 6, 7,10
Miami 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
(All juvenile complaints and cases channeled through bu-
reau consisting of a captain. 1 sergeant, 8 white plainclothes
detectives, 2 colored patrolmen plainclothes, and 2 white
female patrolwomen — a total of 14 out of a force of 529
officers. Also handle missing persons complaints, both juve-
nile and adult.)
Miami Beach 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
(All juvenile complaints and cases are channeled through
the bureau consisting of 1 sergeant, 1 policewoman, white,
and 1 white police officer — a total of 3 out of a force of 147
police officers. Also handle adult and juvenile missing per-
sons cases.)
Miami Shores 6, 7, 10
Miami Springs 2, 4, 6, 7, 10
(The recreation director and Lutheran minister are con-
sidered juvenile officers and cases are often referred to them.
They are appointed by the police chief. Cases, when not re-
ferred to them, are sent directly to the juvenile court. They
then work in cooperation with the court. Police force totals
18.)
North Miami 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
(All juvenile complaints and cases channeled through 2
officers, 1 a detective sergeant and the other the chief.
Plan to add another man in December. This will make a total
of 3 out of a force of 34. )
North Miami Beach 6, 7, 10
North Bay Village 6, 7, 10
Opa Locka 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
(1 patrolman who is also the recreation director has some
cases referred to him, otherwise they are referred directly
to the juvenile court. Police force totals 13.)
South Miami 6, 7, 10
Surf.side 6, 7, 10
West Miami 6, 7, 10
98 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Other law-enforcement agencies
Sheriff's office 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
(The juvenile division of the sheriff's department was
discontinued as of Aug. 1, 1954. Up to that time it had
been in oi>eration for li/4 years. During the first 6 months
of 1953 2 men were assigned to this division. One was the
director and the other a plainclothes deputy. Funds for the
continuance of this division were not renewed by the budget
commission but the director was kept on to continue the
work already started. The trained director resigned on
Aug. 1, 1954, for reasons of professional advancement. Prior
to leaving he prepared a statement of juvenile procedure
to be followed by all deputies. This plan was approved by
the sheriff and distributed to all deputy sheriffs, and is fol-
lowed today.)
Dade County Police 6, 7, 10
Florida Highway Patrol 1 6, 7, 10
Constable's office (5) 6,7,10
III. TRAINED SPECIALISTS
Assigning police officers to work primarily with juveniles is not enough. The
majority of cities fail to require any qualifications for appointment to juvenile
work other than those for the police force in general. In most instances there is
no specific educational requirement for this detail.
It has been estimated that police departments with juvenile specialists or a
bureau or a si^ecially assigned officer, work with three times as many children
for delinquency as departments contact without such specialists, but refer far
fewer cases to the juvenile court and place children in detention less often.
The figures indicate that the departments with specialists reach more of the
borderline cases of delinquency.
With trained police officers in the field the more opportunity the community
wiU have of reaching a child who is committing his first delinquency and thus
will prevent him from going undetected until a pattern of delinquency has been
developed.
Prevention must be as definite a police function as detection and apprehension.
Growth of Florida in the past 10 years and expected growth in the next decade
iiave added to enforcement problems. Local law enforcement agencies have
had difficulty in meeting the juvenile problems occasioned by this increase.
Police officers are in a good position to discover the existence of harmful influ-
ences and to recognize cliildren wlio are potential or actual delinquents, and
those who are victims of neglect or abuse.
A curriculum for training special officers to work with children could include
the following :
1. Philosophy of police work with juveniles.
2. Laws pertaining to juveniles.
3. Conditioning factors in juvenile delinquency.
4. Duties of a juvenile bureau or officer.
5. Intradepartmental relationship between the juvenile control unit and
other police units and iiersonnel.
6. Interviewing.
7. Screening process.
8. Dispositions.
9. Knowledge and use of community resources.
. 10. Records.
11. Developing good relationships with related agencies and the public.
12. Preventing delinquency through comnumity organization.
Whenever possible, a police department should make educational leave avail-
able for both preliminary and advanced training. A staff officer given educational
leave can later pass on his acquired knowledge and skills to others through an
in-service training jjrogram.
- The police-juvenile relationship is evidently a matter that requires careful
consideration and planning in every community.
The authority the police force has over juveniles and the functions assumed
by the police department in regard to juveniles may determine the role of the
police, varying from community to community. A function now engaged in by
many police departments to varying degrees is the prevention of delinquency.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 99
Thus, we find that in many communities the police use their sti-atesic position
to detect conditions in the community that are likely to promote delinquency
and, by the enforcement of laws, ordinances, or regulations, act to correct such
conditions. Many police departments are now giving greater attention to train-
ing their officers in those modern concepts of law enforcement that emphasize
protection, treatment, and rehabilitation of the child. Where particular atten-
tion to the problem of young people is given, the relationship of the police to
other community agencies has been strengthened and clarified, so that the police
have a better understanding of what can and should be done for children through
the use of other resources in the community.
Statistical data show that the police force deals with more delinquent children
than does any of our other community agencies officially concerned with these
children. Nearly all of the delinquent children seen by other agencies had
been dealt with in the first place by the police. Of the agencies officially con-
cerned with delinquents, the iK)lice have contact with the largest number of these
children and have the first opportunity to determine how serious their mis-
behavior is and what is called for in the way of treatment.
Police procedure governing the treatment of children should carry out the
jihilosophy of protection and rehabilitation. Otherwise the entire effort of a
community to redeem and protect its youth may be wrecked and nullified at the
very outset.
IV. COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Police officers need an awareness at all times that there are other community
agencies concerned with the welfare of children and the use of these agencies,
with the services they offer, is a part of their responsibility in delinquency
prevention.
Law enforcement must assume a more important role in the field of practical
delinquency prevention. Every officer needs to know how to interview and treat
juveniles effectively and constructively. The police department should be
familiar with the information available in the social service exchange. Through,
this agency it is determined if other community agencies are working with the
child or his family. Where a separate juvenile bureau or division exists within
a department this bureau should obtain membership in the social service
exchange.
Juvenile officers must work in cooperation with the school attendance officers.
An increasing rate of truancy from schools in many areas has become a matter
of grave concern. Enforcement is concerned with the problem, since repeated
truancy frequently leads to delinquency. Police should render practical assist-
ance to the schools in meeting this problem. In the State of Florida it is required
that every child attend school until he is 16 years of age or is at least 14 years,
has finished the eighth grade, and must work to help his family (sees. 232.01,
232.06) . Truancy is a violation of the State law and all law enforcement officers
must consider it as such.
It is not the function of police officers to do casework or make comprehensive
case studies. The social information they do secure must be limited to that
needed for a general imderstanding of a youngster's situation, so that he may
be referred to the proper source for help. Getting this information is part of
a screening process to determine whether the child should be —
(n) Returned or left at home without other action ;
(6) Referred to a health, welfare, educational, or recreation agency; or
(c) Referred to the juvenile court.
Police services are only a part of the total community effort to promote the
welfare of children and yoimg people. For police services to be made most
effective, then, they should be planned in relationship to the overall community
program as well as to the services offered by individual agencies.
Police departments should take part in community planning and be a member
of any coordinating council that may exist.
V. JUVENILE BUREAUS
A successful police operation requires the establishment of a juvenile biireau
with activity directed to the prevention of delinquency. Its chief concern is to
deal in an understanding and constructive way with those who come to its atten-
tion, and to locate and correct conditions which may lead to delinquency. It
should never operate as merely a pickup sei*vice for the juvenile court. Its func-
tions .should involve :
100 JUVENILE DELESTQUENCY
1. A careful study of the delinquency problem as it is represented in cases and
complaints brought before them.
2. Treatment of all cases of juveniles taken into custody, and other cases
presenting si>eeial problems.
3. Leadership in informing and guiding the entire department in techniques
and methods by which police can control and prevent delinquency.
4. Frequent inspection of public places which may attract youth,
5. Patrol duty in parks.
6. Interviewing and taking statements from youths involved in olfenses with
adults.
7. Interviewing parents of juveniles who may be in trouble or on the verge of
getting into trouble.
8. Investigate complaints of persons (adults) who may be contributing to
the delinquency of children.
9. Acting as liaison or referral officers between the department and those
welfare agencies, public or private, which can provide redirectional services to
the delinquent.
10. Cooperating with civic, social, and church groups to improve certain condi-
tions in the community which may contribute to delinquency.
11. Developing services of various kinds to meet the needs found in the course
of tlie work of the bureau.
A juvenile officer should be intelligent, patient, and have a good sound educa-
tion in the area of child development, have integrity, and the capacity to lead.
He must have the aliility to cooperate with a wide variety of people. He must
also be a well-trained investigator and be trained in police science. In some in-
stances children are denied their civil rights due to the officer neglecting to be
aware of the rights that are all citizens', no matter what their age.
A successful juvenile bureau requires the services of one or more women. All
female offenders should be dealt with by a woman. Experience and training in
social work will add to the value of a policewoman.
Police reports and records should be analyzed over a period of years and spot
maps made to identify the following :
1. Scene of juvenile misconduct or delinquency.
2. Residence of child involved.
3. Sex of delinquent.
4. Age group.
A street and address card tile should augment the information indicated on
the spot map.
The police should discharge their responsibility to the juvenile offender in such
fashion as will be constructive as far as the youth is concerned, and will not
result in the indiscriminate and unnecessai-y filing of petitions of complaints in
juvenile court.
VT. NATIONAL BEPOET
Citizen reports on treatment service needs, to combat juvenile delinquency in
various States, submitted in December 1953, states first, more police officers need
special training in juvenile control. Two-thirds of the State reiwrts expressed
in one form or another that "officers with sijecial training in the field of juvenile
control are essential to all police and sheriff's departments." Recommendations
from separate States called for the establishment of regular training facilities
for the instruction of police officers in juvenile work and that some form of
compulsory attendance be required. Others recommended 1-week institutes held
annually and that a handbook in work with juveniles be developed for use by all
officers. The single obstacle to development of better i)olice services for juve-
niles most often noted in the State reports was lack of fimds to hire trained,
competent personnel. A number of State groups suggested specific methods to
give police officers training for work with juveniles. Some proixtsed workshops,
distribution of written material, special course as part of State police school
curriculum, training facility by the State, regional institutes. One ottier sug-
gestion was that the State might aid municipal police departments to employ at
least one officer qualified to do juvenile aid bureau work.
Second, the majority of the State groui>s emphasized the need for better coor-
dination of police work with that of probation departments, juvenile courts,
social agencies, the schools, and other agencies in the community concerned with
delinquent children. Police officers must be familiarized with the vax'ious social
agencies in the community and the function these agencies can perform for
delinquent children in need of help.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 101
VII. SOUND POLICE SEKVICE8 FOE JU\'ENILES NINE-POINT PROGRAM
1. Proper recognition should be shown by police officials of the importance of
working with children in each jurisdiction.
2. There should be sufficient police personnel to cope with the problems of
children. This includes sufficient personnel to patrol streets and supervise
parks and other places where children are found.
3. There is a need for the training and instruction of all police officers having
contact with juveniles. Additional training should be given police officers whose
primary responsibility is work with children.
4. There should be a philosophy of delinquency prevention rather than delin-
quency suppression.
5. There should be a close working relationship with all community agencies
and services helping children.
6. There should be increased recognition on the part of responsible public
officials of the importance of police woi'k with juveniles.
7. An analysis and clarification of the police role in delinquency prevention
and control, with particular reference to cooperation with related agencies is
needed.
8. Careful consideration be given the requirements for selection of personnel
for juvenile police service.
9. Research projects be formulated and undertaken for the evaluation of
various methods of police services to juveniles and delinquency prevention and
control by police.
Soiirces
(1) Techniques of Law Enforcement in the Treatment of Juveniles and the
Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, 1944, Federal Security Agency.
(2) Report by Citizen Groups on Juvenile Delinquency Treatment Service
Needs in Their States, Children's Bureau, 1953.
(3) Children's Bureau Publication No. 340, revised 1954: Some Facts
About * * * Juvenile Delinquency.
(4) Police Services for Juveniles, Children's Bureau Publication No. 344, 1954.
(5) Report on the National Conference on Juvenile Delinquency, June 28-30,
1954.
This section contains conclusions drawn from material secured
from police departments, the sheriff's office, and other sources. The
data is derived from the preceeding inventory and the attached
appendix I.
Police Services for Juveniles, Dade County, 1953
Conclusions
(Based upon inventory)
1. In 1953 there were three law enforcement agencies : City of Miami police
department, Miami Beach police department, and the sheriff's office, which had a
separate division or bureau, a juvenile section, responsible for all complaints and
cases involving children up to 17 years of age. The total number of officers
assigned to this juvenile detail exclusively, was 19.
2. In 1953 there were five law enforcement agencies : Cities of Ooral Gables
police department, Hialeah police department, JNIiami Springs police department.
North Miami police department, and the Opa Locka police department, which had
assigned secial juvenile officers to work juvenile complaints and cases. The total
number of officers thus assigned totaled seven.
(a) In 1953 a total of 26 law enforcement officers were assigned specifically
and exclusively to a juvenile detail.
(b) In 1953 the 24 municipal police departments, the sheriff's office, the Dade
County police, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the 5 constables' offices employed
a total of 1,515 persons.
3. In 1953 the remaining 10 law enforcement agencies assigned their juvenile
complaints and cases as part of the regular caseload of the individual officers.
4. The first police contact with juveniles is usually made by the patrolmen
who then channel the cases to the bureau, division, or juvenile officer.
102 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
5. In 1953 no law enforcement agency had an Inservice training program or
special education requirements for those assigned to the juvenile detail. The city
of Miami iwlice department has devoted about 3-5 pages in its police manual
to juvenile procedure and the police academy schedules talks by the juvenile
court judge or chief probation officer to new recruits plus a field trip to the deten-
tion home and the children's home at Kendall. The sheriff's oflice prepared a
statement on juvenile procedure that was issued to each deputy as general order
No. 5.
6. No program exists for the training of police ofiicers in the use and availabil-
ity of community resources. A few of the police departments referred cases to
social agencies but generally the primary referral was to the juvenile court. The
Welfare Planning Council of Dade County prepared a small directory for police
officers, listing agencies to contact about health and welfare problems. Each
police officer was to receive one of these directories. These were distributed
without any accompanying explanations as to the rules and regulations of agen-
cies listed. Their value and use is not known.
Juvenile Procedure
Conclusions
(Based upon data in appendix I)
1. This statement on juvenile procedure is included as an example of a sound
approach by law enforcement officers to the delinquent child and was prepared for
deputy sheriffs when the juvenile division was discontinued. It attempts to
clarify the responsibility of the deputy when confronted with a juvenile who has
violated the law. The first part stresses the role of tlie deputy in his rela-
tionship with the child. Part 2 outlines the formal plan involved in the disposi-
tion of juvenile violations. This was the first attempt to give deputies a guide
in their dealings with children. Data obtained from Federal Security Agency
Manual, Techniques of Law Enforcement in the Treatment of Juveniles and the
Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency.
The Chairman. Now we have the great honor of having the mayor
of this fair city.
Mayor, I greet you again. Will you take the stand and tell us what
you think we ought to do to help you out down there ?
STATEMENT OP HON. ABE ARONOVITZ, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, ELA.
Mayor Aronovitz. First I would like to say, Senator, that on behalf
of the city, we certainly wish to extend a welcome to you and your
associates and to express our thanks. We want you to know there is
absolutely no resentment on the part of anybody in our city govern-
ment with respect to your seeking information, as there may have
been on other occasions when other senatorial committees have come
to make investigations here.
We think that in this manner the subject can become of great value
by virtue of this itself being an educational program, which is so
essential and vital. Because while there may be delinquent children,
there also are delinquent parents, and perhaps if they can imbibe
some of the spirit of the information obtained through such
investigation
The Chairman. I call it adult delinquency.
Mayor Arono\ttz. I have often said, and I repeat again, that I am
just a country lawyer who originated out of a little place south of
here called Key West. I don't have any claim to any scientific knowl-
edge on this subject. I just happened to have, I think, the good com-
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 103-
monsense as chairman of this committee, Mrs. Whiteside, who is thor-
ouo;hly competent in the scientific line.
But there are 2 or 3 thoughts that I would like to express in a country
lawyer style.
The Chairmax. Well, I am just a country lawyer, too. Mayor.
Mayor Aronovitz. One, I think there should be a more aggressive
determination on the part of men elected to public office to think on
a day-to-day basis with respect to their activities and duties and how
they affect the children of our community ; our country, for that matter.
You can't expect children to grow up to be the kind of citizens we
like to see them be if we have a city full of reckless and illegal opera-
tion of juke joints, barrooms, nightclubs, gambling joints, prostitution,
immorality, and a failure to aggressively do something about it.
So in one way or another, I think there should be a revival of the
oldtime spirit on the part of public officials on the local level. The
problems that we have today
The Chairman. Don't excuse the national level, either.
Mayor Aronovitz. The problems which we have today are the out-
growth of the failures and neglect of the performance of duty in the
years of 20 and 30 years ago.
I am glad to say that in the past year or so there has been a much
healthier approach to the solution of those problems. But the rem-
nants of the principles that were established some 10 or 15 or 20 years
ago are still with us, and all of it is founded upon the greed of some
human beings to take advantage of other human beings, and irrespec-
tive of the byproduct that it will produce with respect to our children.
And I have got sense enough to know that if a person is sick of mind
or physically ill that is not a subject for harassment. And I am talk-
ing more particularly with regard to what I am told I should say are
deviates, otherwise on occasion referred to as perverts.
We have accumulated, in one way and another, up to about a month
or two ago, about seven or eight thousand perverts, which was amazing
and astounding to our decent church-going and church-loving people.
But they did not come to Miami and the Greater Miami area merely
because they wanted to sojourn amongst us. They came, in one way
and another, because they were welcomed here and enticed here.
Giving our chief of police the best of credit for having good inten-
tions, he repeatedly announced that we ought to congregate them, those
who are here, in a few places, where the police could observe and watch
them. Unfortunately, that appeared in magazines published by per-
vert organizations and operated as a welcome.
Unfortunately, too, some of the bar owners, being a part of this
greedy faction that I am talking about, violated all kinds of laws in
the books. They even, I am told, invited certain types of people, who
went out in our city as roamers to entice other young people to get into
Cadillac automobiles, to take them out for a good time, and to take
advantage financially of their conditions.
The lowest form of humanity, in my book, is a man or a group of
men who will take advantage of other people's human suffering in
order to make money out of it.
One of the byproducts of that situation is the fact that the informa-
tion became available to the high-school students, and so, within the
percentage of either delinquents or predelinquents, that was an easy
104 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
way for them to find out where tliey could get money freely. And
growing up in Miami in an entertainment way is a very expensive
proposition. So their eyes would light upon these places where the
chief of police said it was all right for them to congregate. Some per-
haps participated; some watched these people as they went out into
our highways and our parks and feigned being a deviate themselves in
order to take advantage financially of the people who came out.
And the net result w^as a number of murders. I don't think there
was any direct relationship in rapes to the perversion, but it certainly
afforded an opportunity for the people who got money in that way to
go into these juke joints and meet on occasion in some cases even mar-
ried young women whose husbands were away and in other cases
young people, which led them on to a course where the opportunity
presented itself for them to commit these rapes.
In the last month or 6 weeks, w^e have put on a drive to change all
that, and I think it has been materially improved. But it points uj)
the lesson that, of course, it is clear to everyone, that to not welcome
a pervert in Miami or to in one way or another have a pervert leave
here — that doesn't extinguish that individual, and we still have the
perverts somewliere in the United States. And the problem is groAV-
ing greater and more distressing and more frustrating.
I know we have Federal laws that deal with the transportation of
female individuals for immoral purposes, but I have often wondered
why there should not be some more specific law prohibiting the trans-
portation of males for immoral purposes. Because to the parents
there is destruction to their whole lives when the child is a male as
well as a female.
I have often wondered, in respect to Federal operation and Federal
responsibility, why we wait until someone becomes a deviate, which
leads to him becoming a dope addict often, and we provide for hos-
pitals and institutions for these dope addicts, when w^e consider the
great, tremendous possibilities for medical treatment, for mental
treatment, for educational treatment, if the Federal Govei'nment
would indulge not in socialism but in the same responsibilities dealing
with these dope addicts.
I recently was up in Washington, where I attended the President's
called conference of the mayors and listened attentively to a great
massive program of spending $53 billion on a national highway pro-
gram. And I thought of the days when I grew up in Key West, and
the meager money that was spent on schoolhouses in which tlie rain
came in through the roof and we had to call off school when tlie rain
came in. And then I considered $54 billion and all the billions that are
going over to Europe. And now we are about to embark on a pro-
gram of billions for Asia.
I am convinced, in my country lawyer style, tliat somewhere there
is something wrong if we can't find just one little lonely billion dol-
lars to save our own children.
So, with all the emphasis at my command, I urge the Federal Gov-
ernment to stop when they consider the spending of all these billions
of dollars and find some way of taking care of these perverts and these
deviates and these people who are ill of mind.
If I have been aggressive with regard to that problem, it has not
been to harass, as has been misunderstood by many people, the people
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 105
who are distressed and disturbed, but to harass the low forms of human
beings and to chase them out so far as it is within my capability, and
to bring all the force at my command against a chief of police who,
to say the least, was misunderstanding the situation.
Now, in addition to that, I have in past years been the so-called
investigator for one of our judges. Judge Vincent Giblin, with respect
to divorces and the fraud that is practiced upon the courts here. And
that has a relationship to this problem, in that people think that they
can migrate to Nevada and to Florida. Perhaps in Nevada they have
become so obtuse to the price that they will eventually pay that they
do not see the problem. But we hope that we see it here. And I think
there is a definite relationship when a man can get on the train or a
plane and come to ISIiami and register at a hotel and then go floating
around the country leaving a wife and 2 or 3 or 4 children, coming
back and paying a lawyer and saying, "Well, I am a bona fide resident
of Florida.'" And he eventually either gets his divorce and picks some
other blonde or some other woman and marries her, and perhaps the
wife follows down here with the 2 or 3 children, or perhaps he stays
here. And out of that sour sort of relationship, out of that frustration
in that family, we inherit some of the problems that affect juvenile
activities.
I have often, as I have read some of the United States Supreme
Court decisions, read about the problem of divorces in one State, of
residents in one State and remarriage in another, and without any
doubt I am of course too insignificant a human being to attempt to im-
pinge upon the judgment of the Court. But there is so much con-
fusion and so much contribution toward delinquency as the result of
the conduct of human beings under those circumstances, that I am
amazed beyond words that nobody has — perhaps they have tried — that
nobody has forcefully gone after trying to get a unified divorce law,
so that lawyers themselves, who have reached the saturation point,
as I believe many of them have in Miami, Fla., forgetting their high
responsibility as lawyers, but only ask enough information out of the
client that comes in to give them in their own minds the right to pursue
getting a divorce even though they know it is fraudulent, and, even
further than that, condemn and criticize the judge who led the move-
ment to try to bring about some sort of moral stability to the
community.
So, recapitulating, I urge a law to stop the transj^ortation of males
for immoral purposes, so that we can reach into some of these bar
people, who have no morals, no principles. And unfortunately, we are
doing business with Government, and we have respected individuals
that make up the governmental unit. And no matter how hard you
try, and no matter how much you try to bring commonsense, there are
always little pressures and interests and so on, so that you can't bring
about fully the results, although I am quite frank to say I think there
is a much healthier approach, as I previously stated.
And the second thing about it : Waking up somebody.
I often even in my sleep think maybe I could get somewhere in that
place they call Washington and say, "My gracious, here is something
that you can do for children. Why not take some of that money and
build these institutions, where, when the child shows tendencies along
that line, we can give it the proper education ?"
106 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
All these things that we have been talking about or that I have heard
talked about here are of essential and great value.
And one other thing. This is a localized problem. We spend mil-
lions of dollars for buildings, highways, bridges, subways, or plaiming
to do it, and I regret immensely to say it, but I say this only because
it affords me an opportunity to highlight the problem. We spend
millions of dollars in the operation of our police department. We
have a little group called the juvenile department in our police deoart-
ment. And at the head of that group is a very fine man. He has lived
here a great number of years. 1 don't know how old he is. If he is
less than 80, 1 would be surprised. And I have a great deal of respect
for age, and I certainly sympathize with a man who is sick. He has
had no training whatsoever.
No attention has been paid to the bringing up of the young people
in a more scientific way. And when I mention that among my fellow
officials, I don't even get an answer, Senator. It is almost unbeliev-
able. But I understand that when I don't get an answer, it is some-
body on the outside that is pulling little strings. And when we can
get away from that sort of government, we are going to get the kind
of government that the people demand.
The only difficulty is that being a tourist community, the world is
going too fast, our country is going too fast, everybody is rumiing,
everybody is in a hurry, nobody has got time to sit down and talk
about the very guts of problems.
So I thank you for this opportunity of having brought my views to
you. I think we should have more money devoted to hospitals, laws
to stop the transporting of males, and immorality and all the other
.things I have talked about.
^The Chairman. Mayor, in our visits over the country, we have had
over 500 witnesses appear before us, and I have yet to hear one witness
who has exhibited the idealism and the courage you have exhibited
here today. [Applause.]
Mayor Aronovitz. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Would it surprise you to know that when I was
trying to get this resolution through the Senate of the United States
I met with great obstacles, because we were going to spend $200,000
on children ?
And we feel, we of the subcommittee feel, that that is the best in-
vestment that we have made in the 83d Congress.
As you say, we have spent millions on battleships, millions on air-
planes, millions abroad, and yet we have inadequate schools around
the country. It is a sad commentary.
One more thing, and I will stop. With the fine courage and ideal-
ism which I have seen here before me today, I think that Miami is in
for some really wholesome times.
Mayor Aronovitz. Senator, thank you very much.
Let me say one thing more. There is one thing I have tried to do
down there in that courthouse. I appreciate your words, and I am
not running for reelection. I am in about the same category as you
arc. I am just trying to do the best I can in the days remaining in
my term, and to make every day count. But the day of any half-
baked crook, racketeer, go-between, or anything, having any influence
down there, as far as I am concerned, is over. That is a day of the
JUVENILE DELmQUENCY 107
past. And if we can arouse other people, as an example to come
on and do a job, I haven't the least doubt that a substantial majority
of our children are good children. There is nothing inherently bad
in Miami children. But within that percentage which are the delin-
quents, there is a high percentage of grave crime incident to them,
and it would be a miracle, with the conditions that have existed over
the past years, and the failures of men in public office, to do what
they ought to do — I say a miracle, that those children, any of them,
can grow up and be good citizens.
But it is not a matter of frustration. It is a matter of getting the
people both in the National Congress, on a State level, and on a city
level, throughout this country, to get hold of this thing, and find out
that the real enemy we have to worry about is what is going to happen
to our children if we don't pay attention.
The Chairman. You are absolutely right.
That reminds me of one more thing. In San Diego, this subcom-
mittee started to interfere a little bit with some of the travelers across
the border into Tijuana, which needs a wholesome cleaning out if any
place does. And we were told almost immediately through the grape-
vine that we had better stay out of Tijuana, because we were inter-
fering with an economic unity between those two communities — which
illustrates what you say about your divorce laws and the other thing-s
that you have mentioned, as selfishness, just plain brutal selfishness.
Thank you very much. Mayor.
Mayor Aroxovitz. I appreciate this opportunity of being here.
The Chairman. Will counsel call the next witness ?
Mr. BoBO. Miss Harney ?
The Chairman. Would you mind being sworn ? Do you swear that
the testimony you are about to give before this subcommittee of a com-
mittee of the Senate of the United States will be the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truh, so help you God ?
Miss Harney. I do.
The Chairman. Miss Harney, would you state your full name and
address and association for the record, please ?
TESTIMONY OF CLAUDIA HARNEY, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY,
CATHOLIC CHARITIES BUREAU, MIAMI, FLA.
Miss Harney. My name is Claudia Harney. My address is 1751
Southwest 23d Street, Miami, and I am executive secretary of Catholic
Charities Bureau, Miami.
The Chairman. All right. Counsel.
Mr. BoBO. Miss Harney, several years ago I believe your agency.
Catholic Charities, discovered and investigated a black market baby
racket in Miami. I wonder if you would tell the subcommittee some-
thing about the conduct of that investigation and the results which
were accomplished.
Miss Harney. Yes. I will be glad to do so.
In 1949, our agency discovered a black market in babies which was
operated here in Miami by a New York lawyer and his associates.
Actually, the New York lawyer and a woman associate were the prin-
cipal characters involved.
108 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
The man procured children in Miami by advertising in local news-
papers to the effect that he wished a child for adoption, giving a phone
number or box number through which he could be reached.
Expectant mothers who answered the advertisements were told
that he wanted a child for a couple who were dear friends of his.
He actually set himself up in business here in JNIiami Beach, had a
full time secretary, who carried on his work while he was in New York.
Though he spent a great deal of his time here, he and other New
York associates flew from New York to Miami very often.
Our agency learned much of his activities through girls who
answered his advertisements; and then, after talking with the man
and realizing that he was actually buying and selling babies, were so
concerned that they reported the situation to us, in the hopes, as they
said, that we might be able to do something about it.
We learned that the babies that the New York lawyer obtained here
were placed for at least a short period of time in a local nursery, until
they were flown north, either by one of the racketeers or a carrier,
that they would fly down here from New York, or in a few instances
the northern couples to whom the children were to be placed came here
directly, picked up the child, and immediately returned back, flew
back, to the north, with the baby.
The setup here, as we found it, that is, the setup of the racketeers,
actually was quite a luxurious one. They stayed at expensive Miami
Beach hotels and used rental cars a great deal and made a great many
long-distance phone calls.
Though this actually was an inhuman and vicious thing, the selling
of babies for a high price, the man here when threatened with ex-
posure, said that he knew he could not be prosecuted in Miami, as
there were no laws here to prevent him from actually doing what he
was doing, and unfortunately that was true in Florida at the time.
We gathered specific information involving many children and
turned over this information to the office of the district attorney in
New York, New York County, Frank Hogan's office to be specific.
We did this because we realized that the New York laws were involved
and there was nothing that we could do about the situation in Florida.
On tlie basis of the information that we turned over to the New
York district attorney's office, that office was able to trace some of the
children from Miami that were actually placed in New York County.
Tlie black market, as it existed here, was exposed very efi^ectively
by the Miami Herald, and at that time the racketeers were arrested in
New York. They were arrested for a violation of the Social Welfare
Code, for engaging in the unauthorized placement of children.
All of the information was presented by the New York district attor-
ney's office to a New York grand jury. The racketeers were indicted,
they went to trial, and they were convicted. And in passing sentence
upon them, the New York judge who passed sentence described this
traffic in babies as a nauseating and revolting situation.
Mr. BoBO. You had certain community action result from this ex-
pose, Miss Harney ?
And is it your opinion today that there is no longer any black market
baby operation, going on in Miami on an interstate basis?
Miss Harney. Well, I would say that a black market as it existed,
the type of black market that I just described, no longer exists.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 109
Mr. BoBO. I understand that there are three licensed agencies in the
Miami area that handle placements of children for adoption.
Miss Harney, Yes, that is right.
Mr. Bqbo. Could you tell me how many cases these agencies handled,
and how many cases are placed privately, giving a comparison between
the two ?
Miss Harney. Yes. I have some figures here for the 2-year period
1951-53. The total number of adoptions in Dade County was 901. Of
this 901, 391 were relative adoption placements, that is, adoptions of
children by a relative ; 299 were independent or nonagency adoptions ;
and 211 children were placed for adoption through the licensed child-
placing agencies.
Mr. BoBO. Would you know of any reason why so many more babies
are handled privately instead of using the available licensed agencies ?
Miss Harney. Well, there are many reasons for that, and one, of
course, is the fact that there are only private agencies placing children
for adoption in the State of Florida.
The private agencies are actually young. They are very small.
They are very limited in the amount of work that they can do from
the standpoint of lack of funds. Lack of funds, of course, means lack
of staff and lack of facilities. And I feel that if the agencies were
able to be of more service, able to offer more service to unmarried
mothers, and to children in need of adoption placements, many more
placements would actually be coming through licensed child-placing
agencies.
And in that respect, I would like to say that I feel that the State de-
partment of public welfare in Florida should enter the placement field.
I would like to see that public agency, the State agency, actually plac-
ing children for adoption on a statewide level, and in that way the
social agencies would be able to offer much more in the way of service
to umnarried mothers, and children, in need of adoption placement.
Mr. BoBO. Has it come to your attention, in the Miami area. Miss
Harney — and I am sure you are very interested in this ; it has come to
our attention in a number of areas — where to avoid the adoption pro-
cedure a number of doctors are putting the unmarried mothers into the
hospital under the name of the married mother, the baby being born
under the name of those who would be the adopted parents ?
Miss Harney. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. That is all done without any study of the background
of the problem by any State agency ?
Miss Harney. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. In that way, there would never be any way of checking
back to see the child's origin ?
Miss Harney. No. Actually, the birth record is falsified in that
instance, and the child is actually registered not in the name of the
actual mother but in that of the adopting parents as their child.
Mr. BoBO. Do you feel in this field of adoptions there is any way in
which the Federal Government could help, either by legislation or
funds to aid the States ?
Miss Harney. Yes. I would like very much to see the Federal
Government appropriate funds, offer funds, to the State of Florida,
as I suggested, possibly through the State department of public wel-
56980—55 8
110 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
fare, for services to unmarried mothers and children in need of adop-
tion placement.
And I also feel that the Federal Government could help in this way
by passing Federal legislation and making it unlawful for a child to
be moved from one State to another for the purposes of adoption
without the approval of the State department of public welfare in
the State involved.
Mr. BoBO. Are you satisfied on a personal basis, from your study
of this problem, with the adoption laws of the State of Florida as now
written ?
Miss Harney. No, sir, I am not.
Mr. BoBO. It would be possible, then, for the State of Florida also
to strengthen its adoption laws and probably cut down some of this
transportation of babies in interstate commerce ?
Miss Harney. Yes, sir. But I do feel that legislation is meaning-
less unless the licensed child-placing agencies are actually able to offer
more service to unmarried mothers and to children in need of
adoption.
The Chairman. Miss Harney, there are three placement agencies
here in Miami ?
Miss Harney. Three placement agencies.
The Chairman. They do not have children there? They are not
nursing homes or anything of that sort ?
Miss Harney. The children are usually in foster homes.
The Chairman. I visualized three institutions.
Miss Harney. No. The agencies have only a very small study home
or receiving home for children. Most of the children are placed in
foster homes. Infants are taken from the hospital when they are
taken under the care of the agency and placed in foster homes on a
temporary basis.
Mr. BoBO. But you are convinced from your experience that what
we need most from the Federal level would be satisfactory Federal
laws to prevent the interstate shipment ?
Miss Harney. That would be one way in which I feel the Federal
Government could help. And the other, as I said, is by appropriating
funds to the State of Florida. Because a lack of funds is actually
a basic problem in this area. All of the licensed child-placing agen-
cies face that problem, and the State welfare department would cer-
tainly face that problem if they were to enter the placement field.
And that is my recommendation.
The Chairman. The Chair made a strong mental note on that
situation.
All right, Miss Harney. Thank you very much.
Miss Harney. Thank you.
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Louise Pope and Mrs. Dorothy Gearin.
The Chairman. If you are going to testify together, will you be
sworn together ?
Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give before this
subcommittee of a committee of the United States Senate will be the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God ?
Mrs. Gearin. I do.
Mrs. Pope. I do.
The Chairman. Now, if you will, respectively state your names and
addresses for the record.
JUVENILE DELINQUEXCY 111
TESTIMONY OF MRS. DOROTHY GEARIN AND MRS. LOUISE POPE,
JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, MIAMI, FLA.
Mrs. Gearin. My name is Mrs. Dorothy Geariii. I live at 11130
Northeast 10th Avenue, and I am a medical social worker for Jackson
Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Pope. Mrs. Louise Pope, 5801 Southeast 50th Terrace. I am
social service director at the Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The Chairman. All right, Counsel.
Mr. BoBO. Mrs. Pope, I believe as social-service director of the Jack-
son Memorial Hospital, you would come into contact with a number
of cases involving aid to dependent children ?
Mrs. Pope. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. Do you have any ideas as to how the aid to dependent
children law might be strengthened or might be helped through legis-
lation or by way of appropriation ?
Mrs. Pope. I will state that the ADC problem is one of our greatest
problems. They come to Miami from every State in the Union. They
have trouble and leave their destination and come to Miami. Then
they come on medical problems. When they are in the hospital, the
mother is in the hospital, and then Dade County must take care of all
their medical needs. And then the mother must work, because the aid
is so small. Then, all the children do not have the proper facilities
to be cared for.
If something could be worked out where these mothers with 5 and 6
children wouldn't ramble all over the United States, if Federal funds
could be set up to make better provision, with an educational program
to follow, she probably wouldn't continue to get in trouble again year
after year.
Mr. BoBO. We have heard, as we have gone around the country,
much testimony on the ADC, and I want to assure you that the staff
of this committee is studying that problem and will see if something
can't be done that will be more satisfactory.
Mrs. Gearin, you work with the unmarried mothers at the Jackson
Memorial Hospital ?
Mrs. Gearin. That is right. Part of my work is trying to assist
them with their plans and problems. And I have been doing that
work since February of 1951. And I have checked my figures, and
we have noticed that although we handle only a small percentage of
the unmarried mothers in our county, the proportion between the
babies going out through private doctors from our hospital and the
agencies shows that the private doctors have been increasing in the
past.
In 1951, there were only 20 private doctor adoptions and 66 that
went to agencies. In 1952, 25 private, 86 that went to agencies. In
1953, 33 from private doctors, 65 to agencies. In 1954, 45 from private
doctors. And in December 1953, we started a more intensive survey.
In 1 week we had 7 unmarried mothers in the hospital at 1 time. Only
2 of these mothers had contacts, actual contacts, with agencies. The
other five were working with private doctors regarding adoptions.
We have found some almost unbelievable situations that have ex-
isted, and we have come in contact with them in working with these
girls.
112 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
I would like to tell about some of the situations. We have had a
single girl, aged 17, coming from Jacksonville. She was living with a
widowed mother and a grandmother. The girl had told her mother
that she was pregnant, and the mother discussed this situation with
an aunt and uncle to the patient. They were childless and planned to
adopt the baby.
The patient was planning to come to Miami to have the baby, and
the aunt and uncle were coming down when she was ready for dis-
charge and were to go back and go through the regular adoption
channels.
When the patient visited Miami, she visited this friend and she con-
vinced her that was all wrong, that she should go to a private doctor
and he would take care of her hospitalization and possibly pay her.
She discussed that matter with her mother, and the mother said, "If
that is what you want, you go ahead with it."
Well, when the girl came into the hospital she was very much upset.
I interviewed her, and we learned that she was using an incorrect
name, that she was under age, and that she did have a mother in Jack-
sonville. She was very disturbed, and she told us of the change in
her plans, that she had talked with her aunt and uncle, and then
when she came to Miami she arranged this private adoption. She was
not sure which plan she should go through with.
We suggested that she talk with her mother before she did anything.
And the patient agreed to call her mother that evening and discuss
the situation with her.
Well, before the girl could call the mother, the mother called her
and said, "Don't sign anything. I am coming to Miami, and we are
taking the baby back to Jacksonville." And when the mother got
here, we learned that she had received a telephone call from Miami
from a doctor or a friend of the doctor's, saying that the baby was
clubfooted, that she would have to send them $250 more before they
could go through with any adoption.
The mother called an orthopedic man in Jacksonville, and he said it
should only cost a hundred dollars to fix the baby's foot. And the
mother thought and decided she would get down here and take care of
that medical need of the baby and possibly keep the baby or give it to
the aunt and uncle.
The doctor was very upset with the mother and the girl's mother.
And there was a court hearing on it, and the judge awarded the baby
to the natural mother, and the girl and her mother took the baby back
to Jacksonville. But the lawyer and doctor felt that their fee should
be paid. They were exorbitant, and the judge told both the girl and
the mother that it was not necessary, but they felt that they should
pay them and did pay them.
The baby went to Jacksonville and was later adopted by the aunt
and uncle of the girl.
Mr. BoBO. Has this been a very recent case ?
Mrs. Gearin". That is within the last year. All of these are within
the last year. Before that I didn't keep notes on them. Because th«
the situation has grown some. We could see it growing, and these
situations have been getting worse.
The Chairman. You say in the last year ?
Mrs. Gearin, I mean 1953-54.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 113
We had a single girl of 23 who delivered on December IS of last
year. The patient refused to give any information whatsoever on
admission except that a lawyer was handling her case. She was very
disturbed. We talked first with the lawyer and learned that she had
come to jNliami from California with the plan to give her baby up for
adoption. She went to a private hospital. They gave her a list of
doctors she could contact to arrange these private adoptions.
The girl talked with the first doctor and was dissatisfied, so she went
to a second doctor and saw him 2 or 3 times. And she wasn't quite sure
that he was the doctor she wanted. But in the meantime, she began to
have trouble. She went to tlie doctor and said that she thought that she
was about ready to deliver a baby, but she was only about (> or 7 months
pregnant. The doctor did not even examine her. He told her that she
should walk or exercise. She did this. She left the doctor's oflice,
and she walked, she told me, from 10 in the morning until 2 or 3 in the
afternoon — no, 10 that night. And then she went home and went to
her room, and she began to have labor pains. She became very hysteri-
cal and called and tried to get the doctor. She got the doctor's nurse
through the telephone service, and she was told tliat she should go back
to bed, that the baby wasn't due for at least 2 months, and not to worry.
She began to get panicky and called a cab and came over to Jackson.
The doctor was furious with her for not going to the hospital he
wanted her to go to and because she delivered prematurely.
The patient wanted to continue to work wnth her lawyer. There
was a very good relationship there, and the baby did later go out for
adoption. But the relationship between the doctor and the girl was
so bad that the doctor would not even discharge her from the hospital.
Our staff doctors had to discharge her from the hospital. And, inci-
dentally, the couple adopting the baby were from out of State, and
the first doctor charged the girl $250 and the second doctor charged
the girl $250, and I don't know what the lawyer's fees were, but I know
that the adopting couple had a very large bill to pay.
Mr. BoBO. In other words, regardless of the effect that it might
have upon the mother or what condition it might place the child in,
to make a fee of $250 to $1,000 they will do anything in the world.
Mrs. Gearin. That is right. They have no interest in the girl's
feelings or her part in the plan. All they are interested in is to get
the baby.
Mr. BoBO. That seems to be a very prevalent situation, not only here
but elsewhere.
Mrs. Gearust. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. Would you have any suggestion as to how it might be
possible, through Federal legislation or through State legislation, that
some of this might be stemmed ?
Mrs. Gearin. Well, I think there is a need for Federal legislation.
Just what can be done, I don't know. I do know that the doctors feel
that the law is such that they can arrange these adoptions. In fact,
they have arranged adoptions for married women that are having
marital difficulties. And when those married women changed their
minds, it created quite a bit of trouble in the hospital.
Mr. BoBO. Among any of the doctors that you might have known
by personal experience, that have handled these cases, have they ever
114 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
been reprimanded or censured by any organization for their activities
in this particular market?
Mrs. Gearin. That I don't know, I do know that the head of the
hos]:)ital has. Some doctors have made excellent arrangements and
excellent plans, but some of them have been very bad.
Mr. BoBO. I think that is all I have.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for your appearance here
this afternoon. The committee is deeply grateful to you.
Judge Beckham. Mr. Chairman, on that point, 1 or 2 corrective
pieces of information might be added.
Since those girls had that experience, a new law has been passed in
Florida preventing the sale of babies — and that is now a statute in our
lawbook — and providing that reasonable attorneys' fees and medical
fees may be charged. Some of us interested in it even opposed that,
without fixing the amount of the fee, feeling it still could be avoided.
But it is against the law now to practice some of the more chronic baby
rackets under the Florida statute. And our court has cooperated with
the hospital and investigated many of these cases, and I wish to verify
what has been said from the hospital on many of these cases.
As to corrective legislation on the adoption racket, I think that all
adoptions should be required to go through a licensed adoption agency
unless it is between your relatives, particular relatives of the family.
Then you would curb a lot of this.
I agree with Miss Harney that the State welfare might go into it
and solve many problems, all over the State, where they don't have
local licensed agencies. But as judge of a court watching this thing
for several years, I think that all adoptions should preferably go
through licensed agencies, except where near relatives are involved.
The Chairjiax. Thank you. Judge. And thank you for your
patience here today. It has been nice to have you with us.
Judge Beckham. There is one more point. We didn't talk about
the regulation of firearms today.
One of the big things that we have
Mr. BoBO. Judge, may I interrupt you just one moment?
On that particular area of firearms, we have done quite an extensive
investigation. That is the reason why we didn't go into it in the
Miami area before.
Judge Beckham. Of course, we think that there should be regula-
tion as to shipping and buying them in interstate commerce. They
should be licensed just like an automobile.
The Chairman. We think so, too.
Now would the ladies come forward, please? You all are going
to testify together, I take it ?
Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give before this
subcommittee of a committee of the Senate of the United States will
be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truh, so help you
God?
Miss SlTEWART. I do.
Miss Davis. I do.
Mr. BoBO. Will you ladies state your names ?
The Chairman. Each in turn.
Mr. BoBO. And your official occupation and local address?
I
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 115
TESTIMONY OF MISS GRACE H. STEWART, JACKSONVILLE, FLA.,
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, STATE DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC WELFARE; AND MISS FRANCES DAVIS, NEPTUNE BEACH,
FLA., DIRECTOR OF CHILD WELFARE, STATE DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC WELFARE
Miss Stewart. Grace H. Stewart, Jacksonville, Fla., director of
public assistance for the State department of public welfare.
Miss Davis. Frances Davis, director of child welfare, for the State
department of public welfare, home address: Neptune Beach, Fla.
Mr. BoBO. Thank you. I have a number of questions that I would
like to ask you as representatives of the State department of welfare,
and I will let you ladies answer them, either one who wishes to do so.
Would you give us a definition of the term "black market" as it
applies in the State of Florida as the ladies of the welfare department
see it ?
Miss DA^^s. As we see it, and use it, we mean it to apply to situa-
tions where people place children for profit, not situations where
people place children and get no actual profit.
It does seem important that there be clarity on what is meant by
the black market.
Mr. BoBO. You mean where a mother just gives her child away to
someone without any official approval or otherwise ? You don't con-
sider that as being black market? I think the distinction is good
there.
Does the State department of welfare have any relation to children
being adopted who were not placed by agencies ?
Miss Davis. Since 1943, the department has had responsibility by
law for the investigation of all petitions for the adoption of children
who have not been placed by agencies. During that time, we have
made investigations involving 6,420 children, who have been placed
in nonrelative homes and not by an agency.
We have almost complete information about those adoptions and
about those children in terms of who made the placements and what
the situation was involving the placement.
Mr. BoBO. That is, on all placements not made through the agencies,
the State welfare department has investigated, and you know the
background as to who they go to and the background of the child, and
so forth ?
Miss Davis. That is true.
Mr. BoBO. Would you say that independent adoptions, adoptions
being handled outside of agencies, are increasing in the State of
Florida ?
Miss DA^^s. They are increasing, and if it would be possible to
enter for the record this chart, you will find that it shows since 1943
the number of placements by agencies and the number of independ-
ent placements.
In the State this past year, there were 270 children for whom peti-
tions were filed, who had been placed by agencies. There were 931
who had been placed independently.
The Chairman. That chart will be appropriately marked and will
be inserted in the record at this point in your testimony.
116
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
(The chart referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 7," and is as
follows :)
Independent adoptions are increasing
I I Independent non-relotive odoptions
r-
700
-
600
-
500
-
400
-
300
'
379
300
200
-
100
-
H
L
1
1944
State of Florida
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE
1953 1954
Miss Davis. This map shows where these placements have taken
place in the State. This is Dade County. The pins represent the
source of the placement. The black pins are the placements made by
licensed child placing agencies. The green ones are the placements
made by attorneys and other individuals. The red ones are the place-
ments made by doctors. And the yellow ones are the placements
made by the child's own parents.
The Chairman. I wonder if that chart can be made available for
the subcommittee files.
Miss Davis. We would be very glad for it to be. I am very con-
scious of time, too, so that whatever part of this information you feel
could go into the record or your files, it would be fine.
Mr. BoBO. There are just a few things I would like to have brought
out, and I would appreciate it if you would submit what you have
there for inclusion in the record at the completion of your testimony.
The Chairman. Without objection, that will be the order.
Mr. BoBO. There is one question I would like to ask.
Plas it come to the attention of the State welfare department that
adoptive parents are paying fees for the adoption of children from
unwed mothers ?
Miss Davis. It has, and we have fairly complete information on
the fees paid in all the independent adoptions. That information
during the past year could also be made available to the committee.
The medical expenses of the mother have been paid this past year in
45 percent of the independent adoptions by the adopting petitioners.
The maintenance for the girl has been paid in 10 percent.
JUVENILE DELEMQUENCY 117
We have not, however, lost sight of the fact and we are very con-
scious of the fact that it is hard to determine whether the fees are
normal fees. There is some indication that in a few instances they
are high. We do not have, however, any evidence that there is any
organized' attempt or any practice, actually, of trying to make money.
Mr. BoBo. I see. Do runaway children also come within the interest
of your department ?
Miss Davis. Yes.
Mr. BoBO. At what time does your department give any services to
runaway children in the State of Florida ?
Miss Da\is. Since January 1952, we have tried to make use of the
Federal child- welfare funds in trying to provide services for runaway
children. We have also used State fimds. As you know, the Federal
limit is 16 years. We have used State funds for children under 16,
as well as State funds for children between 16 and 18, who run away
from one community in Florida to the other.
I would like to point out in the begimiing that our program is a small
program. However, I think that the experiences under it should be a
part of the record, because Florida is one of the States that has made
an honest attempt to try to develop a service, even though it is small
now.
Mr. BoBO. I wish you would make that a part of our record.
The Chairman. That will be the order.
Mr. BoBo. Do you think that the age limit as is now provided under
the Federal law, up through the age of 15, to the age of 16, should be
amended to include older youngsters ?
Miss Davis. I think so, but with an "if" ; and the "if" being that if
the appropriation, if the grants to the States from which the service
is paid, is increased accordingly.
As you know, the funds used for runaway children are a part of our
general grant for child-welfare services. And only if there can be an
increase in grants to the States for child welfare can States be expected
to increase this program and to make it something that reaches more
children.
For example, under the title of the Social Security Act providing
for grants to States for child-welfare services, there is authorization
for a $10 million grant. This past year the actual appropriation is
$7,228,900. Florida's share of that comes to $134,643, and that is the
total money that we have with which to try to provide and develop
social services for children in the State, and it is from that same amount
that funds for runaway children are taken.
Mr. BoBO. Hardly a drop in the bucket, is it ?
Miss Davis. For the record also, I w^ould like to say that, as you
know, this title in the Social Security Act places high priority on use
of funds in rural areas, which is something of a handicap to States,
and if it could be-an appropriation that was more an across-the-board
one for general social services, where the children are who need them,
it would be well.
Mr. BoBO. Miss Stewart, you also work in the State department of
public welfare and are very familiar with and help administer the
ADC program ?
118 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Miss Stewart. That is right.
Mr. BoBO. In the State of Florida, do you feel that enougjh is given
to a mother so that she can adequately maintain a home and maintain
her children under the ADC program as it is ?
Miss Stewart. If she is entirely dependent on an ADC grant and
has no other resources, no, I do not think it is enough.
Mr. BoBO. Do you think that provision should be made whereby
more contributions should be made by the State and by the Federal
Government to increase these allotments'? And I ask that question,
too, because, as you I am sure are familiar with, there is quite a con-
certed drive on by a number of people today to cut out ADC alto-
gether. They say it is misspent, that they are getting too much, that
the mothers take it and drink it up, and so forth.
Do you think that there is adequate supervision over the spending
of ADC funds by the mothers for the dependent children ?
Miss Stewart. There are quite a few questions you have asked me,
there.
Mr. BoBO. You just take them as you see fit.
Miss Stewart. In the first place, I would certainly feel that we need
more money for ADC in terms of the size of grants. Most States, and
certainly Florida, only give up to Federal matching. For instance,
the Federal matching is only $30 for the first child and $30 for a
caretaker, and then $21 for each additional child. So that Florida,
as many other States, only gives that much, up to Federal matching,
which means that a mother with one child, at most, if there is a care-
taker, can get $60, usually $30, and a women with 2 children $31, which
is certainly not enough. However, in Florida there is a limit of $81,
which is the most any ADC family can get.
I would like to see, first, that $81 removed from the Florida law.
Then particularly I would like to see the Federal laws amended, or
whatever has to be done, so that there could be matching funds for
administration for services in the ADC program. At present the
staffs are so short, as in every other agency, that where a family comes
in and ADC is not the answer, and where tliere are other services
needed, the Federal matching does not include the other services either
in ADC or without it. It has to be on a financial basis, if they get
the actual financial assistance.
I would like to see more emphasis given to matching on the service
basis.
Then, on your question in regard to supervision: I presume you
mean what some States have as to criteria on suitability of the home.
I would definitely not like to see a Federal regulation on suitability
of the home. That does not mean I don't want children to live in
suitable homes, but where it is put on that basis, and that is a fact of
eligibility, as soon as the home is found to be unsuitable, then the
child, in addition to living in an unsuitable home, has to go without
any food or clothing, and any little amount that is given there is
taken away.
^Vliat I think should be done is to have enough money for adequate
numbers of staff and training of staff and getting well-trained staff, so
that they could help in strengthening those families and help the
mothers in how to be better mothers. And when it was found that it
was not ])ossible for that to be done and there was no hope for it, then
go on and do something about giving the children other resources.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 119
Just to cut off the money from them — ^you have got the children and
you don't want to drown them or starve them. So that it would be a
matter of making some other plan and knowing the family and having
welfare services and the ADC program helping the mother and
strengthening the family and doing something for the children. And
in that way I think the grants would be used better.
Mr. BoBO. In other words, we need a little bit more aid in addition
to money.
Miss Stewart. Definitely. We need services, yes. And with the
present staff we have, the number of them, we cannot do it. It is man-
datory that we review ADC cases once every 6 months. If you only
see a family once every 6 months for a couple of hours to establish
eligibility, you cannot help them with their other problems.
The Chairman. That is true pretty much all over the country.
Miss Stew^art. That is true ; yes, sir.
Mr. BoBO. Do either of you ladies have anything you would like to
add to the testimony which you have already given i
Miss Davis. I would like to add, coining back to adoption placement
for a minute, that I think it should be pointed out that the umnarried
mother, the minor unmarried mother, placing her child for adoption,
is only a part of the problem. In Florida last year, of the children
placed independently, only 20 percent of them were children of mothers
who were unmarried and under 21. Forty-five percent had been born
to mothers who were between 21 and 30. Sixteen percent had been
born to mothers over 30.
I would like also to express the conviction of our department that
this is something that cannot be controlled by legislation, and I would
like to submit for the record a study that has been made by the depart-
ment of efforts and laws from other States in relation to placement for
children.
The Chairman. You have that privilege. The record will be kept
open until you can get that up to Washington. Or do you have it here ?
Miss Davis. It is here.
The Chairman. All right. That will be made an exhibit.
(The material was a study by the Florida State Welfare Board on
laws relating to placement of children for adoption and the experi-
ences of States in control of independent adoption placements. It
was marked "Exhibit Xo. 8," and is on file with the subcommittee.)
Miss DA\^s. I would also like to say that we feel that getting at the
problem really has to do with something that was said earlier this
afternoon, providing services for mothers, both social services as well
as medical care, and in doing something toward making available adop-
tion placement services much more than they are now. We feel that ac-
tually there can be harm done in placing emphasis on black market and
an emotional kind of approach to it, and we would hope that the efforts
in the national level in the Children's Bureau could be on helping States
find solutions to the problems of lack of services and lack of adoption
placement services.
We would also like to see that there would be a concerted effort on
the national level to develop a uniform kind of statistical information
regarding adoption placements.
120 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
You see, in Florida, we know where every one of these children was
born. We have no way of knowing about the children, the babies born
in Florida, and removed from the State for subsequent adoption. But
if all States had similar kinds of uniform information, then we would
know where the babies are born who are being adopted.
We have had, I think, pretty good luck in trying to return children
promptly, returning now to the problem of runaways, and with assur-
ance that not only has legal authorization been secured in terms of
residence, but at least there is a plan for the children at the other end.
And in the evidence that will be entered into the record, m Dade
County it is shown that where there has been a handful of children,
the average time between the date the child was referred to the de-
partment and the date the child was returned was 12.9 days.
We would like to see on the national level that there be activity
toward developing uniform methods of handling runaways between
the States, because one of the bottlenecks is all the different ways that
the States are handling them. . i ^ i i- ^ 4.
We would like to see prepared on the national level a directory, at
least at this point, showing how each State handles it.
We would like to see an educational program to encourage law-
enforcement officers to help spot runaways earlier as they go through
the smaller communities, and encouragement of States to work toward
the elimination of residence requirements for services and assistance.
So that, hopefully, without being too idealistic, at some point services
could be made available to children where and when they need them ;
and there could be Federal leadership in helping States simplify this
authorization-to-return process and procedure.
I am saying all of this knowing that this would involve an increased
appropriation for the Children's Bureau for their own administra-
tive staff in trying to help the States. -, -,• J,
The Chairman. The subcommittee wishes to thank you ladies for
your presence here today and tell you that I am sure my colleagues
will enjoy reading your testimony and be well educated thereby.
Miss Stewart. Thank you.
(The information submitted by Miss Stewart and Miss Davis was
marked "Exhibits Nos. 9a, b, c, and d," and are as follows:)
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
121
Exhibit No. 9a
COUNTY OF CHILD'S BIRTH
NON-RELATIVE INDEPENDENT ADOPTIONS
CHILD UNDER I MONTH WHEN PLACED
MOTHER UNMARRIED UNDER 21 - UNMARRIED OVER 21 OR MARRIED
90 100 no 120 130 140
179
l53l
mf 143
mm 122
J 2'
16
16
Jl.
10
rild_9
HB 9
■ Is
It
1952-53
Br^
^B- 102 -UNMARRIED MOTHERS UNDER 21
5
1 1-398- MARRIED MOTHERS OR UNMARRIED OVER 21
K '
500-TOTAL
ar^
1 3
[ 3
I 3
r 3
_2
2
1 2
2
EIz
lo
0
1
1
1
Jl
Exhibit No. 9b
Adoptions of unrelated children in Florida, 1943-5^
Year
Children placed by adop-
tion agencies
Children placed independ-
ently
Total place-
ments
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
1043-44
45
90
122
139
156
226
266
280
251
239
13
19
19
18
20
29
34
32
28
25
300
379
515
649
623
555
523
588
651
706
87
81
81
82
80
71
66
68
72
75
345
1944-45
469
1945-46..
637
1946-47
788
1947-48
779
1948-49
981
1949-50
789
19.50-51. —
868
1951-52. _
902
1952-53.
945
Total
1,814
270
25
22
5,489
931
75
78
7,303
1,201
1953-54
Total
2,084
6,420
8,504
122 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Licensed child placing agency adoption petitions, 1948-53
Year
Children's
Home
Society
Catholic
Charities
Bureau
Tampa
Children's
Home
Children's Service
Bureau
Jewish
Welfare
Society
Total
Miami
St. Peters-
burg
1948-49
162
177
197
140
115
149
12
43
41
59
82
68
36
42
32
25
I
6
9
9
9
226
1949-50
266
1950-51
280
1951-52
1
1
3
251
1952-53
239
1953-54
16
270
Exhibit No. 9c
Services for runaway children, Florida State Department of Public Welfare,
Jan. 1, 1952-Nov. 30, 1954
Total children referred to department (178 boys, 61 girls) 239
Returned to another State 158
Returned to Florida 15
Returned within State 55
Remained in Florida 1
Remained in New Florida community 3
Ran away before plan completed 7
Age range, 8 to 17 years ; 158 children were either 14 or 15.
Referred by —
Juvenile courts 154 I Social agencies 50
Police 25 I Other 10
Time between date child referred to department and date child
returned to another State : children Percent
Less than 4 days 56 35
4 to 8 days 48 30
9 to 13 days 27 17
14 to 18 days 8 5
19 to 23 days 6 4
24 to 28 days 3 2
30 days and over 10 7
Children came from 29 States :
Alabama 21
New York 21
Georgia 16
Michigan 10
North Carolina 9
Pennsylvania 9
Ohio 7
Tennessee 6
Illinois 6
New Jersey 5
Indiana 5
Massachusetts 5
Less than 5 children came from each of 17 other States.
Children returned to Florida from 7 States : North Carolina, Texas, California,
Connecticut, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia.
JI'VEXILE DELINQUENCY 123
Exhibit No. 9d
Runaway children returned to another State by the Department of Public
Welfare, Dade County
Children Percent
Time between date child referred to department and date other
State authorized return :
Less than 1 day _ _ _ _ _ l 3
1 day :::::::::::::::: 5 14
2 days 2 3
4 days I_III"III 3 9
5 days 3 9
6 to 10 days _ _ _ Z~ 10 28
11 to 20 days ~~_ ~_ ~__~ _~ _~~~~_ "5 14
21 to 30 days Z_I_III_IZ 8 9
Over 30 days Z_I II__ 4 11
Total. "^ ^
Average, lO.o days. = =
Time between date other State authorized return and date child
returned :
Less than 1 day _ 4 2j
1 day 1-_"_:::::_::::::::: ? 20
2 days 8 23
3 days g 17
4 days 5 24
5 days Z 3 9
6 to 10 days ZZZ_ 2 6
Total "^ ^
Average, 2.4 days.
Total time between date child referred to department and date
child returned :
2 days 1 3
3 days ZZZZZ 3 9
4 days ZZ_ZZZ_ZZZZ_ZZ 1 3
5 days ZZZZZ 2 6
6 to 10 days _____ ~ Z~Z~Z 16 46
11 to 20 days _ _ _ __ Z~ ~ 4 11
21 to 30 days ZZZ__Z_ZZZZ 4 11
Over 30 days Z__Z_ZZZZ_ZZ *4 11
Total ~^ ^
Average, 12.9 days.
11 child held over 30 days at request of FBI. Returned after trial of man who brought
Der to Dade County.
The Chairman. I am about to adjourn this hearing, but before I
do, I want to thank all who have testified here today for their fine-con-
tribution to this record.
As I stated at the opening of the hearing, we are here primarily as
factfinders, to shed light on Miami's various delinquency problems
through the testimony of the experts in the field.
We shall weigh, each of us I am sure, this testimony, and evaluate
it, and relate it to the substantial findings of our own staff investi-
gators.
Of course, some of the revelations— about pornography, for in-
stance—may be of considerable value to local enforcement officials in
erasing from the Greater Miami scene one facet of the overall delin-
quency problem.
124 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
A heavy burden on existing facilities to cope with youth problems
has been shown to be the spiraling population growth of this com-
munity, as in some other great communities. The citizens and offi-
cials of this city alone can determine the extent of expansion of such
facilities. Perhaps there should be a realistic appraisal of this condi-
tion and long-range plans to meet it. I have no doubt that that may
be so, for I know it is so in other communities throughout the country.
We hope that our visit in Miami will not only stimulate interest in
consolidating the fight against juvenile delinquency bvit will pinpoint
the various areas that require quick attention.
Again, I want to extend the thanks of the subcommittee, all of my
colleagues on the subcommittee, and the staff, to all who cooperated
with us, especially the press, radio, and television, and I assure you all
that the transcript of this hearing will receive strict attention in the
immediate future.
I now adjourn the meeting subject to the call of the Chair.
(Wliereupon, at 5 : 25 p. m., the hearing was adjourned, subject to
the call of the Chair.)
X
I^^^H.?,^„':^^L)C LIBRARY
3 9999 06350 383 i