The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-07-02
CHANGED ATTITUDE
TOWARD CRIMINALS
The Public is Beginning to Real
ize That the Indiscriminate
Melting out of Punishment is
Wrong Method.
Chicago Tribune


Our conception of the criminal is
changing. When man, first Of.
fender, is brought before the bar,
where his future, his entire life,
hangs in balance, we hesitate. In
stead of accepting the evidence of
guilt without question and melting
out punishment accordingly, we
have learned to look for causes. We
are beginning to proceed upon the
theory that no man would willingly
thrust a knife into his own back
and that is what committing crime
and being sent to the Jail or the gal
lows for it means. We inquire,
therefore. why did he do it? Was
he misled by improper surround
ings? Was it want and poverty
that forced him to criminal ways?
Or was it perhaps, natural disad-
vantages? Is his brain defective?
Is it his suffering from injury or
disease which makes him irresponsi-
BILE, and consequently a subject for
the hospital. the sanitarium, or in
sane asylum instead of the reforma-
tory, the prison. or the gallows?
Old Theory is Dead.
In this new attitude toward the
criminal we are not alone. Most of
the advanced nations of the world
have adopted it. The old theory
that the criminal is special type,
is of a race apart, has given away
before scientific research. Envir-
onment-bad environment-pov
and disease are coming to be accept
ed pretty widely as the chief sources
of crime. Thus, often too great EN-.
| phasis on environment has been as
sailed from many quarters. Among
those disproving of such overstrain-
ing of the environment theory and
neglecting heredity and other infu-
ences entirely, is the noted Italian
student of the subject, Baron Raj
faele Carofalo, whose monumental
work on Criminology" has just
been published in English.
| Nevertheless, this view is gaining
ground and, even according to Bar
on Carofalo, has already done much
good, for it has acted as a check on
the tendency to impose haphazard
sentences on criminals sort of
sentences which are characterized as
leap in the dark" and harm both
the criminal and society.
| To Study the Abnormal.
In furtherance of this more ra-
tional attitude toward crime and
criminals, bill has been introduced
in congress, calling upon the depart
ment of justice to establish bureau
for the study of abnormal classes"
and for the collection of sociology
cal data, especially such as may be
found in institutions for the criminal
pauper, and defective classes"
Such bureau will DO good SER
vice. 1t will be mistake, however.
to leave the study of criminals to
the federal government. The most
that such a federal bureau should be
expected to do, is to act as co-or-
dinating agency. The material to
be CO. ordinated, however, must come
from various cities and states in the
country. The criminal should be
studied not after sentence has been
passed upon him and he has been
confined in an institution, but at the
time he is tried. The result of such
study should determine his sentence.
Chicago is Doing it.
Chicago is doing it now. 1t has
established psychopathic labora-
tory, which will serve as the NUM-
cipal court. The criminal. especial
ly the youthful criminal, will be ia
ken to this laboratory and his physi
cal and mental condition will be
thoroughly looked into before he is
placed on trial. If the boy is found
to be defective, a moron" tLis find
ing will put an entirely different
construction upon his acts. Chica-
go's psychOpathic laboratory is the
first in the United States. but it
should not be the last Every COM
munity should study its own GRIM