South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-04-17
100000 IN j. s.
MENTALLY WRONG
.ludqe Willis M'Mahan Tells
Charity Conference Prob
lens of Court.

There are 100000 mental de-
fectives in the United States and the
number is increasing much more
rapidly than the population said
Judge Wills G.. McMahan judge OF
the Lake county circuit court al the
opening session OF the St Joseph
County Social Welfare conference at
the high school Sunday afternoon.
Preceding his talk. Miss Grace Os-
horn OF Indianapolis. who is con-
nected with the Indiana Anti-Tuber-
culOsis league. spoke on "TuDercu-
losis in st. Joseph County"
Judge McMahan's address was on
s.The Problems of the Court" in
which he told Of the many different
kinds of cases, especially those OF
children. which the courts are called
upon 10 solve. He gave statistics TO
show the effect Of mental deficiency
on the individual and the state.
so Percent Criminals Escape
The most serious problems Of the
court are those which deal with the
criminal and the child" said Judf
McMahan- Fifty percent Of the Pre-
fessional criminals escape punish
ment. That IL probably why there
Is so much crime. The offenders
feel that they will escape with a
light penalty, IL any at all. What
the professional criminal needs is
the knowledge that he must face
trial and, II he is convicted. that he
must pay the penalty.
We hear a cry that the laws
should be changed. There are only
"A few changes that are necessary
The judge should determine what
the law IS for each case. not the
jury. The jury should determine the
facts and II should be the right of
the court to allow a new trial. II the
jury attempts to interpret the law
rather than the facts. The courts
should be taken out of politics and
put upon nOn-partisan basis. With
these few changes. the recall Of
Judges would not be necessary.
Juvenile Is Problem
The hardened criminal is the out
growth OF juvenile offending. In
dealing with adult criminals. the
court has little time to determine
the mental efficiency Of the offend
ers. a speedy trial is necessary and
the court cannot go into the crimi-
nails history. But IN dealing with
the child the first question is. why
was this child brought into court?
Parents and teachers think they
have problems, but they are nothing
az compared with those the court
has TO solve. OF course. the parent
and the teacher do have problems
and they do their work well. The
judge must determine many things
to answer the question of the chiId's
appearance in court
The temptation TO have better
clothes than the parents are able &c
furnish is many times the cause OF
the chtld's first appearance in court
The child goes 10 school with other.
whose parents are wealthy enough
10 give the best Of clothes and this
makes the poorer child envious. He
listens 10 the temptations that are
put in his way by other children
who tell stories Of how easy il is tC
obtain money by stealing. forging
or other dishonest ways.
Causes Are Many.
Poverty is often the answer To
this question. OuarreIing amonl
the parents often causes a child Il
go wrong Drink. the freouentinl
OF winerOoms and poolrooms and bad
companions all contribute 10 IN,
child's first downfall Mental de.
fectveness is responsible for grea'
part OF the onenses committed %,
children Feeble minded children
should never be allowed TO live witt
others.
In an Investigation of loo faUer
women made by Massachnsett.
health department.. four were roun,
10 be prOprietorS of houses of I'M
fame. 46 were inmates and so Vver,
hayward girls. The average men
tally was that of "a 10 year oI,
child In Massachusetts an exami
nation was made % 90 women. i
was found that % percent were o.
normal mentality. 1870 We're o.
fair mentality. I 9 percent were poo
and 45 $40 We're mentally defective
Out OF the 400. 344 were injected 20,
either or both syphilis and gonor
rhea.
The problem OF fallen girls, un
der l6 years of age. is the creates
problem Of the day. They are socia
outcasts who are as much slime,
against as they have sinned. Their,
II only one place in the state wher,
they can be confined. Some of then
are in such a condition that the,
cannot be placed I'm homes witt
other children. After they becom,
over &c years, there IS not a pIac,
81 the state where they can be sent
Much Rests on Parents.
Mental detectives. however ar,
not the only ones that cause IN,