THE JUVENILE LAWS OF COLORADO The juvenile law is a good thing, but there canbe little chance for its entirely satisfactory operation unless it be accompanied by the following: A law holding parents and others responsible for delinquency and dependency of children, as such laws now exist in Colorado; a wise child labor law; a good compulsory school law; a. detention school in cities in place of the jail; the enforcement of all laws relating to children in one court before one judge, and a corps of paid and efficient officers who are sincere and earnest in their work. The best work can never be accomplished by depend ing entirely upon voluntary probation offi cers. Whatever degree of perfection may be credited to the juvenile court system of Denver, Colorado, is largely due to the fact that the law permits three paid probation officers for the city of Denver, and that these paid probation officers are not politicians and never were and never will be, and were never known to take any part in politics, but were selected because of the fact that they were educators, and heart and soul interested in the problem of the children, knowing and
understanding it, and because of a compul sory school law which permits us to keep children in school and thus out of idleness and consequent crime upon the streets. All of these things did not come at once, nor is it claimed that they are yet perfected in Colorado, but they will never come unless the fight is made. Even if the fight shall only win one at a time, and the progress has to be gradual and in the face of difficulties, disappointments, and misunderstandings, the gaining of one will merely demonstrate in time the necessity of the others, and thus convince the sceptical . The press, pulpit, schools, and all the people in Colorado, are thoroughly convinced of the wisdom of the juvenile court laws and juvenile court system as one of the most potent factors in the solution of the great problem of crime, and while the saving to citizenship is the most important thing, at the same time, nothing has saved to the state more of its wealth as well as of its men and women of to-morrow. DENVER, COL., February, 1906.
