The AICP's program to aid New York's indigent children was similar in design to its program for adults: they were characterized by type, and each child was detailed to an appropriate venue – reformatories, school, and placement in good homes – depending on their moral character. The organization was instrumental in putting truancy laws in place to effect this program, empowering the police and other agencies to arrest or detain vagrant children between the ages of five and fourteen for evaluation and placement.
