Negrón Muñoz v. Lugo
Negrón Muñoz v. Lugo
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The essential facts alleged in the petition for habeas corpus presented to ns in this case are as follows:
It is alleged that the Juvenile Court of Bayamón abused its discretion, and that its order in the case in question is void and ineffective on the two following grounds:
“(a) Because the order of the Hon. Juvenile Court for the Judicial District of Bayamón, P. R., directing the confinement of minor Celedorio Rivera in the Industrial Reform School of Maya-gtiez, Puerto Rico, thus depriving said minor’s father of his patria potestas without his consent, constituted an arbitrary, unreasonable, and unlawful exercise of the parens patriae authority.
*865 “ (6) Because the order for the confinement of said minor in the Industrial Reform School of Mayagiiez, Puerto Rico, is detrimental to his welfare, and said minor should be under his father’s custody so long as the latter fulfills his duty towards him and so long as said minor does not become a social menace, instead of being under the custody of the head of the Industrial Reform School of Mayagiiez, Puerto Rico.”
A further general allegation is made that everything above stated has been done in violation of Sections 25 and 33 of the Juvenile Court Act and of Sections 152, 153, and 166 of the Civil Code now in force, as well as in contravention of the public policy as laid down by the juvenile courts and by the principles and standards of modern penal science concerning the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency. In the prayer we are requested not only to set aside the order made by the Juvenile Court of Bayamón, but also to order the delivery of the minor into the custody of his father Victor Benitez during good behavior.
Lastly, several grounds are advanced for invoking the original jurisdiction of this court, on which we do not deem it necessary to dwell in view of the conclusion reached by us to the effect that the petition fails to state facts sufficient to justify the issuance of the writ sought.
In the first place, it appears that it was the District Attorney of Bayamón who, acting as Probation Officer for the Juvenile Court, and after investigating the facts, placed the minor Celedonio Rivera under the custody of his parents, under certain conditions. Such action on the part of said officer without the intervention of-the judge of the juvenile court is not authorized by Act, No. 37 “To establish a system of juvenile courts; to provide for the care of neglected and delinquent children; and to provide for the' disposition of all cases of juvenile delinquency, and for other' purposes,” approved March 11, 1915 (Session Laws, p. 71). It is provided by section 5 of said act that “the fiscals of the district courts and judges of the municipal courts shall
In none of the above provisions do we find any power conferred on the probation officer to commit permanently any child who has violated the law to the custody of his parents without the intervention of the court. On the contrary, section 20 acknowledges such power in the court when providing that:
“The court may continue the hearing of any case to any date, and may in the meantime commit the child to the care of a probation officer, or of some other person of good repute, or to a public or private institution for the care of children; or the court may allow the child to remain in its own home, if it has one, or may commit the said child to be cared for in the home of some family willing to take it, subject, in any such case, to the friendly supervision and visitation of the probation officer, in such form as the court may determine.”
So that the action of the district attorney of the lower court in committing the minor to the care of his parents did not constitute a final disposition of the case, and the calling of the case for trial before the juvenile court was done pursuant to the exercise of its powers. [3] The allegation to
Section 33 of. said act, as amended by Act No. 10 of April 6, 1916 (Session Laws, p. 43), partly provides as follows:
“This Act shall be liberally construed to the end that its purposes may be carried out, such purposes being the protection and welfare of the child, and affording children the means of reforming, of receiving an education and of becoming law-abiding citizens.
“The proceedings and judgments determined herein shall only imply the exercise of an eminent patria potestas by The People of Porto Rico over children, against whom no criminal precedent shall be established.”
When applying the above provisions, juvenile courts do not have to get the consent of the parents in order to deprive them, temporarily, of the custody of their children. The order made implies the exercise of a superior parental authority by the People of Puerto Rico which is above that of the parents. Sections 152, 153, and 166 of the Civil Code, cited in the petition, which deal with the patria potestas of parents and with the cases where the courts might deprive them of it, are not applicable to the facts of the case at bar. The lower court, after a trial and in the exercise of its discretion, held that the welfare of the child Celedonio Rivera demanded that he be confined in the Mayagüez Industrial Reform School. Orders of this sort are not reviewable in a habeas corpios proceeding initiated in this court, for section 18 of the law provides that an appeal shall be allowed to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from the final order or judgment entered by the juvenile court against any party, and such appeal may be taken on behalf of the child by its parents, guardian or custodian, or by any relative of such child within the third degree of consanguinity.
For the reasons stated the writ sought must be denied.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.