Family Desertion: Presentation and Discussion

Publication Date: May 1910

Publisher: Kohn & Pollock Inc.; Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Benjamin Tuska; Max Senior; Morris D. Waldman; A.S. Newman

Research Area: Social conditions

Keywords: Policy; Communal Organization; Marriage

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author presents his detailed study of the phenomenon of desertion and its effects on the family and the community. He examines the chief causes of desertion and factors that impact the decision to desert or to return, and considers possible remedies for desertion, especially studying the option of recourse to civil and criminal courts. Finally he shares a proposed uniform data collection worksheet to facilitate future research. The presentation is followed by three responses from Conference delegates. Some primary goals identified include handling desertions through the Juvenile Court so as to deal with it as a family problem, working towards uniform extradition statutes to facilitate legal solutions to desertion, and leveraging the Jewish and Yiddish media to publicize deserters and help locate them. The discussion that follows includes a case study of a prosecution for non-support and speculation on how to address non-compatibility as a cause of desertion through assisting reconciliation between spouses.