Camille Kelley
Encyclopedia
Camille McGee Kelley She wrote three books regarding handling problem children in the juvenile court system: "Kellygrams", "A Friend in Court", and "Delinquent Angels".
Camille Kelley was the Juvenile Court Judge in Shelby County, Tennessee from 1920 to 1950. Known as the "Little Irish Judge", she never wore a robe in court, opting for colorful dresses, jewels and always a flower pinned to her shoulder. She was quoted as saying "Robes would scare the children to death. They're not so timid when they appear before me and see that I am wearing a flower".
Her formula in dealing with delinquents was simple: "We try the boy, not his offense. We seek to take away from him nothing but his mistakes." She was often quoted as saying that juvenile justice should be tempered with a sympathetic understanding of human problems. Shortly after she retired, she said favorable results were obtained in 85-90% of the 50,000 cases that she had handled.
Hallmark Productions was producing a movie based on her book, "Delinquent Angels," but suspended production after her resignation from the bench in November 1950, in a storm of controversy and charges after the results of a special investigation ordered by Governor Gordon Browning of the State of Tennessee was released.
The investigation surrounded illegal adoptions-for-profit by Miss Georgia Tann
and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. It charged that approximately 20% of the illegal adoptions at the home were funneled through Kelley's court, where she would remove parental rights and provide Tann with documents to place the children as she deemed appropriate.
Judge Kelley was never prosecuted for any crimes associated with the home. She died at her sons home, after complications due to a stroke.
Camille Kelley was the Juvenile Court Judge in Shelby County, Tennessee from 1920 to 1950. Known as the "Little Irish Judge", she never wore a robe in court, opting for colorful dresses, jewels and always a flower pinned to her shoulder. She was quoted as saying "Robes would scare the children to death. They're not so timid when they appear before me and see that I am wearing a flower".
Her formula in dealing with delinquents was simple: "We try the boy, not his offense. We seek to take away from him nothing but his mistakes." She was often quoted as saying that juvenile justice should be tempered with a sympathetic understanding of human problems. Shortly after she retired, she said favorable results were obtained in 85-90% of the 50,000 cases that she had handled.
Hallmark Productions was producing a movie based on her book, "Delinquent Angels," but suspended production after her resignation from the bench in November 1950, in a storm of controversy and charges after the results of a special investigation ordered by Governor Gordon Browning of the State of Tennessee was released.
The investigation surrounded illegal adoptions-for-profit by Miss Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann, born Beulah George Tann , operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee. Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s until a state investigation closed the institution in 1950...
and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. It charged that approximately 20% of the illegal adoptions at the home were funneled through Kelley's court, where she would remove parental rights and provide Tann with documents to place the children as she deemed appropriate.
Judge Kelley was never prosecuted for any crimes associated with the home. She died at her sons home, after complications due to a stroke.
Sources
- Report to Governor Gordon Browning on Shelby County Branch, Tennessee Children's Home Society. 1951, [Nashville] : State of Tennessee, Dept. of Public Welfare.
External Links
- Grave Camille Kelley Burial Site