Juvenile delinquency (1955)

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 227 Ciiralt, superintendent of the Department of Public Welfare in North Carolina. There is John Doyle who is the probation officer in Minne- sota. There is Mr. E. W. Brewer who is the case work supervisor of the Superior Court, Kinjjs County, There is a Joseph Homer, probation officer in the Juvenile Court of Allegheny County in Pitts- burgh. Now, we don't pretend that we are experts ourselves Chairman Kefauver, Well, Mr. Jacobs, I don't know what all of these men have said, but I have read the writings of some of them, and you don't quite correctly represent the writings of some of them in saying that they say there is no relationship. They say that they don't think it is particularly important or not primary or'not a lead- ing relationship, but some of them do give some significance to porno- graphic literature and horror and crime comics. Mr. Jacobs. Well, Senator, Mr. Glock, for example, states: On close examination the ervidence which has been accumulated in the report is not conclusive. We are still groping to learn just what effects exposure to the mass media do have on our children. Chairman Kefauver, Well, but you said that he said there wasn't anything to it. He says he doesn't know. Mr. Jacobs. No, as a matter of fact, he says there isn't; he doesn't have any evidence to indicate that there is any relationship. Chairman Kefauver. I don't want to argue the point, except I feel like several of those who say they just don't know yet; they haven't made up their minds. That's inconsequential. "Wliat is your point here? Mr. Jacobs. Well, the point is that since we don't know whether there is any direct linkage between juvenile delinquency and the effect of comic books or the effect of films, it seems to us that to blame comic books or films for juvenile delinquency, that that is stretching it, with all good intentions, too far, because the effects of such blame will be perhaps to lead to censorship of either films or of comic books. I think the thing that troubles many a great deal, is that this implies almost a total breakdown of the home relationship and of the church and of society. If our children are unable to stand up to the impact of comic books or films without becoming prone to supposedly obscene acts that would be related to this, this would seem to indicate that all of the influence of the home and the church and the school has gone for naught. We like to think that the children in our society are able to withstand any of this. Chairman Kefauver. Mr. Jacobs, apparently you haven't followed the work of this subcommittee very closely. Personally, censorship is repugnant to me, governmental censorship. I hope that in all phases of mass media connnunication and information that there will always be such a restraint and such a handling of their responsibility that there will never be Government censorship, I would certainly hate to see Government censorship of movies, even of comic books, I am not in favor of it. I would hate to see Government censorsliip of any- thing. But the point is, actually what we are doing is helping to pre- vent censorship. V^e are not advocating censorship, but censorship will come in a lot of these things eventually unless the industry and the people who are responsible do something about it themselves. So if you are interested in censorship, I think you ought to join with us