The Detroit times., 1915-10-20
Test Criminals Minds
g. H. HpDINcToN BRUCE.
Author OF The Riddle OF Personality
Psychology and Parenthood." etc

recent experiment by the state OF Massa-
ehusetts has furnished strong argument TO
! those who believe "a | do that in the interests
OF society thorough psychological examination
should be made Of every person convicted OF
crime
AS things stand. juvenile delinquents are thus
tested In many states But in the case OF adult
criminals the rule is to make mental tests only
when the crime committed has been one inyolv-
ing the death penalty or some unusually long
term Of Imprisonment
Yet the TACT is that many criminals are so
conditioned by durable or incuraole mental d.
fects that, IA the -bsence OF careful diagnosis
and proper treatment. 1T Is VIRTUALLY M
POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BECOME USEFLL l.,
OR EVEN SAFE, MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.
Imprisonment has no deterrent effect on such
criminals for The reason that their minds are
too undeveloped TO allow them 70 control
adequately their desires and their passions.
Freed from restraint and having received dur
ling restraint no minddeveloping treatment
APPROPRIATE TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL
NEEDS, they soon fall back into a criminal
Ilfe
No more convincing proof OF the truth of
these statements could be found than In the
results q the experiment undertaken IN Massa-
chusetts. This consisted IN the application Of
physiological tests 20 the inmates of the state
prison al Charlestovn
OF the first hundred criminals IL this prison
Examined by Or x ". Stearns, assistant 20
the state board o. lunscy. no fewer than forty.
seven gave indications 81 Unborn or acquired
mental deficiency. Subsequent testing ~ these
lforty-seven by G.. :. Rosy. psychologist and
special investigator for the board. resulted In
the case Of TWENTYTHREE, In a definite
diagnosis Of eebie-mindedness.
Commenting on this in statement 20 Bos
ton newspaper Or. L. Vernon Briggs, prom
inent member Of the state board 81 insanity
Justly pointed out:
III these feeble-minded cases had been recoz
nized before they we're committed 20 prison. th'
repeated crimes 81 which many OF them have
been guilty would have been avoided the OK
luenRe 81 trial and other expenses would have
lbeen saved and The suffering caused by thol
terminal acts would also have been saved.
For instance, one. OF he prisoners examine,
Is 40 years % age. He was sentenced for break
ing and entering The examination of his men
ttal condition revealed that mentally he IS littl
? more than II years old
This man has served terms In Elmira
: Holmsbury. Deer Island. BlackweIls Island
Rhode Island state prison. Syracuse; Paris
France. and Holloway prison England Ate
the expiration or BIS several terms this man
mentally under Il years of age. has been turne,
loose into society 20 commit other crimes"
At the time ~ writing. Investigator Rossy
has not reported his findings for the entir,
Iprison But since ho has made no suocia
In alphabetical order, the results OF this pre-
llmlnary survey will doubtless be repeated
MANY additional cases O! ieeblemindedresi
win be brought 70 light and many cases o
other types OF mental deficiency calling 10
Especial educative treatment as indispensable :,
moral well 20 mental health.
Surely. as a matter OF justice TO wron gdoer
themselves. and for the safety OF the com
be the beginning OF habitual testing OF Grim
mails In every prison In the country-and o
terminals awaiting sentence for the crimes 70
: (which they have been convicted.