Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-18
z. M. HACkN
On Factors In Causing Crime

on FaCtoFS IN CdusIna STino
MTAR injuries, industrial depression and
w addiction to drugs are three prominent
factors at the present time in causing crime,
In the opinion Of E. NJ. Hackney, chief
probation officer for the Quarter Sessions
Court, who handles the thousands Of cases
which come up in three courtrooms.
a, there are, OF course, many other causes,
Mr. Hackney admitted but the three above
mentioned are outstanding and are all par
ticuiarly pertinent at the present time, two
q them being outgrowths Of the war. The
hrst subject brought up for discussion by
Mr.. Hackney was that Of drug users. Mr..
Hackney says:
embezzlement and similar cases which have
come up here recently have been directly
traceable to drugs. In fact, the use of
narcotics n has been peculiarly prevalent in
Back in 1919 got strongly in back Of o
bill in the Legislature at Harrisburg, which
was finally passed and which imposed a
severe punishment on unscrupulous dis
pensers of drugs. 1t was these men, dis
honest druggists, bogus physicians and the
like, who sold drugs, that we desired to catch
In our efforts to break up the practice.
However, 1t Is often necessary to punish
or take some action with the drug user him
self. VIZ took It up with the Board of
Judges and came to an understanding by
which they permitted imprisonment for
often victims Of circumstance and once cured
OF the habit, they quickly slough off their
evil ways.
War Also Responsible
The war has thrown on our hands an
| other class of criminals which has given
US a serious problem to confront. These
are men who have been gassed, she'll
| Belgium that they have become mental de-
| fectives. A great many small criminals
| brought up for trial in the Quarter Sessions
| Courts here Of late have proved to be such
men, very often coming of good families.
| sometimes graduates Of universities and col.
| leges and not infrequently possessing means
| which would apparently give them no reason
| for their petty crimes. Examination of
these men often shows them to be nervous
wrecks.
THE third outstanding root of crime can
be traced to labor conditions and the col
lapse Of the artificial wartime prosperity.
The petering out OF that prosperity has
thrown many out of work, and not a few
have turned their hands to banditry.
a. I'VE 1aye th man many n unusual SUI, cases come
| preston l have obtained from the men I
have put on probation is the innate honesty
and honor Of those ] have trusted. Many
men have done well despite their false step.
| There was young man in here five
years ago, charged with the larceny Of
trinkets and cash from lockers in promi
nent Philadelphia private school I put
him on probation. and today he is connected
with a large Ohio rubber, company and is
making $500 a year. Another man, a
habitual drug user, arrested on FIVE differ =
ent occasions, who served four short sen =
tonces for small larcenies, Is now happily
married and is making $4,000 n year. Dur
ing his last stay In the Industrial Re =
formatory, at Huntington, he perfected a
system for the manufacture of automobile
tags which has saved the State thousands
| of dollars.
Thefts Of Autos as Prank
"a number Of cases with which we have
had TO deal have been the thefts Of automo
biles by youths, often In the spirit of ad
venture rather than with any desire to
realize any money from the car. Such a
case was that Of the four Detroit schooiboy:
who stole an automobile and were arrested
|. in 1t here. They said they wanted to see
hPhiladephia. 1t would be folly to beal
down too severely on this class of prisoners
Our great need in many Of these cases il
TO get the men steady employment, and t.
employers. The American Pin Co, Of
Massachusetts; the American Engineering
Co., the Midvale Steel Co., the standarc
Roller Bearing Co. and Cramps Shipyart
employ many men at our recommendation
and 1t Is a notable fact that they seldom
regret their action.
IA large number Of the men who hav,
passed through this probation department
made splendid soldiers in the war and elgh
or ten were killed on European battlefelds
They enlisted generally without hesitation
and did their duty CALAMITY. ! have a col
lection of letters from a number of then
making their reports to me from tn
ugly features Of THAR old liSs, but telling i,