Juvenile Court Judges Journal 29

Juvenile Offenders - A Local Prohleni By HON. EDMUSD D. MASOS, Assistant Director

Federal Burrarr of Investigntion Faslzington, D. C.

There is no magic solution to the handling of juvenile problems and you juvenile court judges know it. .Juvenile offenders constitute a strictly local problem and this problem rests in your laps as judges of the juvenile court.

We of the FBI are glad to have the oppor- tunity to meet with you. Such forums provide a means for acquainting you with FBI juriddiction and work and permit us t o learn of your prob- lems, We are all in the law enforcement profes- sion and it is important we understand each other as a means of establishing harmonious relationships.

Director J. Edgar Hoover is most appreciative fo r the wonder- ful cooperation the FBI has received through the Juvenile Court of Allegheny County. Judge Schramm has graciously come to F B I headquarters on numerous occasions to lecture at our various schools, He is a member of the visiting faculty of the FBI National Academy, and regularly appears before each session of police of- ficials from various parts of the country. We have come to look upon Judge Schramm as a member of the FBI family, and we re- gard him fondly as a man who has made a n international reputation in juvenile work.

I t would be well for you to note the close liaison which the Juve- nile Court of Allegheny County has with law enforcement agencies of the area. I speak for the F B I when I point out t ha t smooth rela- tionships contribute greatly to the work of the FBI in this area, and i t seems that the juvenile court here and the F B I have set a n example of how two agencies can get along well with each other. Inspector McKnight, in representing the juvenile court, is always anxious to assist law enforcement in solving its problems, and he has been very helpful to our Pittsburgh Field Office. In short, Judge Schramm sees to i t t ha t the court and law enforcement work together as a team in the community interest.

A similar spirit is reflected in many other phases of law en- forcement work. During the past year the FBI had the privilege of assisting local law enforcement agencies in various parts of the country in conducting more than 2,100 individual police schools. Judge Schramm indirectly has helped inspire this program for some of the instructors have been men who were taught by him in our Washington classes. The field police schools conducted by the FBI involve diverse topics, but many of the schools have been devoted to juvenile matters. Officers have been taught courtroom de- meanor and the fundamentals of properly serving as a witness.

30 Juvenile Court Judges Jouranl

Classes have been conducted in order to assure local officers guar- antee the rights of juvenile offenders. There a re many aspects of this program of training law enforcement, but the key to i t is that the police are anxious to improve their abilities and thus render more valuable community service. They want t o serve as members of the law enforcement team. You may be sure .that the FBI will

Judge Schrarnrn, Mr. Mason, M r . McKnigh t r e v i e w the reports

take note of your views and observations during this Institute in order that pertinent parts may be incorporated in future schools. Through the interchange of ideas we all help each other to render higher-quality service, and the FBI is most appreciative for the op- portunity to participate in the second session of the Pennsylvania Mason Juvenile Court Institute.

Note : Wal ter H. Beckham, senior first vice-president, writes the next meeting of the International Association of Juvenile Court Judges will be held in Brussels, July 14 to 18, 1958. Those inter- ested in securing further information from time to time may ad- dress : Association Internationale, Des Juges Des Enfants, Palais De Justice, Bruxelles (Belgique) .