Mechanics', operatives', and laborers' advocate., 1837-01-16
EDUCATION AND CRIME.
BY BOUVIER.


 Experience teaches that crimes are more frequent ly committed by persons who have been neglected, than by these who have received even an imperfect education. In my last report says the intelligent and experie ced warden of the Eastern Penitentia- ry, in report he made to the Board of Inspectors ill 1884, "I allude to the. want of common school learning which prevailed so generally among con- vcts. On more minute examination of this sub- iect find that the whole number received into this Penitentiary, from the opening, viz: two hundred and nineteen, that fortytwo could neither read nor write, ffty-nine could read but not write and one hundred aad eighteen could read and write; of the latter class one had been educated at university one had good English education, a tolerable Latin and French scholar, and understands English Dutch and Hebrew, besides these there are not more than seven who have had good education, and not more than two others who could read and write toleraby leaving ght who could read or write indif- ferently; many of these, as well as most of those who could read only were not able to read sen tence without spelling the words. By the last re- port of the Board of Inspectors of that prison to the Legislature it appears that of five hundred and fif ty-four prisoners who had been admitted in that prison on the first day of January of tine present year, two hundred and seventy-one could read and write, one hundred and forty-seven could read but imperfectly, and could not write, and one hundred and thirty could neither read nor write. The result ot the Philadelphia county prison IS still more unta vorabe. The whole number ofconvicts which had been received on the ninth day ofthe present month"; was four hundred and thirty-sX; of these the pro- portion who could read and write was about one eighth, who could read but not write, two eighths who could neither read nor write, five eighths. Of eight hundred and forty two convicts who had in 1884 been admitted at the Sing Sing prison in the State of New York, only fifty had received any thng like an education; the remainder seven hun dred and ninety-two had been lamentably neglected in this respect Of six hundred and seventy con- victs committed to the Auburn State prison, eleven had been educated in college or academy, two hundred and four had received common education, and the rest had been generally neglected. In the Connecticut State Prison, only eight ill the hundred of convicts, when received, could read, write and cypher The same causes operate in other coun- tries as well as in our own. In France, where sta tlstical tables are kept by the Government with great care it seems that o four thousand three hun dred and nineteen persons convicted of crimes a. galnst persons and property, during the five years from 1928 to 1882 inclusive, only sixty -four had re- celved degree of instruction beyond reading and writing, and 1t IS probable that many of these had not been properly educated in other respects. In Prussia, since the school system of education has gone into operation in that countrya the same time that there has been an increase of population there has been decrease of indictments against juvenile offenders. These facts ifany proof were wanting, are sufficient to establish the truth of the proverb train up child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."