Juvenile Court of Barcelona
| Published date | 01 January 1947 |
| Date | 01 January 1947 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455054700500711 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
94
JUVENILE
COURT
OF
BARCELONA
(The
booklets,
etc.,
referred
to
below
have
been
trans-
lated
from
Spanish
and
summarised
by
W.
N.
Goodwin,
probation
officers,
Gosport,
to
whom
we
tender
our
sincere
thanks.)
The
Juvenile
Court
of
Barcelona
has
sent
to
N.A.P.O.
a
number
of
interesting
booklets
relating
to
its
work
among
the
children
of
this
large
industrial
city.
Of
chief
interest
to
us
is
a
report
by
Don
Ramon
Albo
Marti,
President
of
the
Court,
covering
the
years
1939
and
1940,
a
period
following
shortly
on
the
Civil
War
which
caused
so
much
suffering
among
the
whole
population
of
Spain.
An
extraordinary
increase
in
the
number
of
juveniles
charged
is
noted
and
repeated
reference
made
to
the
general
neglect
of
those
remedial
measures
for
juvenile
offenders
during
the
rule
of
the
Republic
and
later
of
the
Anarchists,
measures
in
which
the
court
had
previously
taken
a
very
great
interest.
High
tribute
is
paid
to
the
work
carried
out
by
the
Provincial
Society
for
the
Protection
of
Children
which
some
years
previously
had
made
a
big
drive
to
remove
and
care
for
all
children
found
to
be
morally
abandoned.
Among
those
children
dealt
with
as
being
in
need
of
care
and
protection
it
has
been
observed
that,
with
the
father
having
either
disappeared
during
the
war
or
being
in
prison,
the
mother
has
formed
an
irregular
union
with
another
man
whom
she
is
unable
to
marry
owing
to
lack
of
proof
of
her
husband’s
death.
The
war
and &dquo;
red
rule &dquo;
have
caused
a
great
deteriora-
tion
in
moral
standards
and
in
religious
instruction,
this
being
reflected
in
the
greatly
increased
number
of
sexual
offences
and
of
children
charged
by
their
own
parents.
During
1939
the
percentage
of
juveniles
making
a
second
appearance
at
Court
was
32.2,
but
this
had
decreased
to
22.3
during
1940,
and
the
author
believes
that,
as
the
remedial
measures
taken
by
the
Court
begin
to
show
effect,
this
number
will
decrease
still
further,
as
had
in
fact
happened
before
the
upheaval
of
civil
war.
Don
Ramon
is
of
the
opinion
that
in
the
case
of
a
second
appearance
at
Court
it
is
almost
always
necessary
to
place
the
offender
in
an
institution,
partly
to
prevent
innocent
children
being -
contaminated,
and
partly
because
it
is
felt
that
both
offences
have
been
caused
by
the
same
set
of
environmental
conditions.
Because
of this
belief,
the
Court
is
striving
to
provide
more
schools
of
a
reformatory
character.
In
classifying
offenders,
attention
is
drawn
to
the
sharp
increase
shown
between
the
ages
of
11
and
12,
an
increase
continuing
steadily
up
to
the
age
of
15
after
which
age
it
decreased.
Only
1
in
7
of
the
offenders
charged
was
a
girl,
probably
owing
to
the
much
greater
liberty
allowed
to
girls
and
also
to
prostitution
and
abortion
among
females
often
taking
the
place
of
dis-
honesty
among
males.
In
this
respect,
the
great
increase
in.
these
practices
during
recent
years
is
deplored.
Abortion,
which
was
legalised
during
the
Republic,
has
now
again
been
made
illegal,
but
the
report
regrets
the
great
number
of
girls
over
the
age
of
16
who
cannot
be
removed
from
prostitution
or
the
dangers
of
falling
into
it,
owing
to
the
Court
lacking
powers
to
deal
with
that
age
group.
The
hope
is
expressed,
however,
that
in
future
it
will
be
possible
to
take
action
in
that
type
of
case.
On
appearing
at
Court,
juveniles
are
asked
what
type
of
work
they
prefer,
apart
from
any
special
psychological
tests
which
may
be
made,
and
the
Court
has
been
grati-
fied
at
the
increase
in
numbers
of
those
who
state
their
preference
for
work
on
the
land.
Farm
Schools
are
pro-
vided,
as
well
as
schools
where
a
training
in
engineering
and
mechanical
subjects
is
given,
this
training
being
followed
by
a
period
in
workshops
in
the
city
while
still.
under
the
control
of
the
Court,
and
every
effort
is
made
to
assist
them
in
their
chosen
careers.
While
only
a
small
number
expressed
a
desire
for
work
in
the
coastal
trades,
the
establishment
of
a
school
for
training
fisher-
men
is
under
consideration
by
the
Court.
Of
the
1,337
juveniles
under
the
care
of
the
Court,
451
are
in
institutions,
399
are
on
probation,
487
are
under
supervision.
Of
the
451
institution
cases,
130
were
so
placed
as
being
in
need
of
care
and
protection,
the
re-
maining
321
requiring
reformatory
training,
the
Court
believing
that
reformation
can
be
more
~efficiently
carried
out
in
an
institution,
while
making
great
use
of
foster-
homes
in
the
case
of
those
placed
under
supervision.
Incidentally,
a
much
longer
period
is
deemed
advisable
in
supervision
cases
where
the
cause
is
often
due
to
lack
of
care
by
the
parents
than
in
probation
cases
in
which
the
offender’s
conduct
usually
improves
more
or
less
rapidly.
Great
importance
is
attached
to
the
making
of
social
investigation,
the
social
factors
being
divided
into
two
orders
-
family
and
outside.
Incomplete
or
deficient
homes
form
the
most
important
of
all
the
causes
con-
nected
with
the
family
and
very
great
increase
in
immorality
has
been
observed..
Poverty
is
another
important
factor
and
it
is
not
surprising
to
read
that
during
the
general
shortage
of
food-stuffs
42
per
cent.
of
all
offenders
charged
had
stolen
this
sort
of
goods.
Venereal
disease
and
tuberculosis
have
been
noted
in
the
family
histories
of
a
large
number
of
those
dealt
with.
Outside
the
home,
truancy,
with
consequent
wandering
about
the
streets,
bad
companionship
and
an
alarming
lack
of
religious
teaching
and
knowledge,
are
among
the
main
factors,
while
the
report
is
gravely
concerned
with
the
bad
influence
of
the
cinema,
particu-
larly
in
its
glorification
of
sex
and
display
of
obscenity.
Whilst
the
social
investigation
is
considered
of
greater
importance,
psychological
and
psychiatric
examinations
are
also
deemed
essential,
and
still
further
development
along
these
lines
is
fore-shadowed,
including
the
provi-
sion of
an
Observation
Centre,
both
for
observation
purposes
and
also
for
treatment
of
suitable
cases.
The
equipment
at
present
at
the
Court’s
disposal,
however,
appears
to
be
very
complete.
Very
bad
mental
cases
are
referred
to
the
appropriate
authority,
usually
before
appearing
before
Court,
and
for
that
reason
do
not
appear
in
the
Court
records.
No
claim
to
have
discovered
or
appreciated
all
the
causes
of
juvenile
delinquency
is
made,
but
it
is
con-
sidered
that
it
has
been
amply
proved
that
what
is
needed
is
not
harsh
punishment
and
repression,
but
the
tender
care
of
society
realising
its
own
mistakes,
how
children
have
been
bewildered
with
lies,
brutalised
by
vice
and
made
desperate
with
unjust
provocation,
and,
having
appreciated
all
this,
should
now
hold
out
a
friendly
hand
to
raise
and
cure
these
unfortunates
and
guide
them
towards
a
better
to-morrow
and
happier
destinies.
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