Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-14

that between % and so per cent of
the convicted criminals Throughout
the country are hereditarily feeble
minded.
THE significance Of this fact is les
sened when one realizes that only the
less intelligent criminals are caught.
But feeble mindedness is still an inn
portant matter to be considered. Many
criminals carry an hereditary neu-,
rotic faint which makes them newt
ably problem cases. Glandular disor-
ders, which are hereditary, also play
an important part in crime"
Needs Moral Checks.
Prof. Bagby, in discussing crime
from the point of view of the GRIM
inals nervous systen:..: pointed out
that many crimes are committed un-
der the influence of drugs. alcohol in
state of mental and physical eX-
haustion or in delirium.
THE lack of moral training Is an
extremely important cause OF crime,
he said Morality serves the pur-
pose Of a check on anti-social tend
encies which crop up in all Of us
from time to time. If the individual
has not been taught the proper moral
checks he commits a crime. Prohl-
hition has caused a break in morality
that has led to much criminal actlV-
ity. Teaching crime to children,
either accidentally or deliberately. Is
entirely too general"
Prof. Bagby indicated two other de-
fects in the training Of citizens which
help lead to crime. One is the lack
of vocational training, which leaves
men subject to severe economic fiuc-
tuations.
Economic Discomfort.
The trained worker is always sure
of a regular salary and is contented.
The unframed man experiences pc
RODS in which he has too much
money and other periods in which he
has too little money. When the
latter occurs he is dissatisfied. since
he remembers the period when he en-
joyed himself more.
The effect of this is discomfort,
Illustration and finally crime. This
occurs very frequently, according to
Prof Bagby, in cases where men on
purely automatic jobs spend their
time day dreaming. The effects of
radical propaganda, combined with
this day-dreaming, create fantasies OF
hostility against the so-called CAPT.
talist class and result in criminal &C.
tivity.
"One extremely important factor"
Prof Bagby said, lis the cultivated
disrespect for the police and courts
The newspapers and movies, as re-
suit of jokes, cartoons and stories ex-
posing police inefficiency, remove from
the minds Of many fear of the police.
Bars "Crime Wave" Talk.
"All the talk about crime waves,
which never really exist, has direct
effect on increasing crime. When a
few crimes occur and the criminals
escape, the newspapers print big stor-
les. When the police turn some un-
usually clever trick in apprehending a
man it is ignored. The criminal should
be made to know that he will be
caught. There should be no talk of
crime waves to encourage further
crime"
The immediate situation surround
ing a crime deserves a great deal of
study, according to Prof. Bagby. He
pointed out that occasionally crimes
resulting from extreme provocation
are treated unjustly. On the other
hand, because of inadequate policing
or other factors, the opportunity for
crime is often given and crime oc-
ours which would never have hap
pened If the difficulties in the way had
been greater
Questioned regarding the RESPONSE
bility Of criminals, Prof. Bagby re-
piled that 1.-The criminal is never to be
regarded as responsible for his crime"
No Individual Blame.
1.-THE crime" he said, lis the result
of his heredity, his training, his nerv-
Gus condition and the immediate sit
uation. There is no free choice about
crime from the point of view of the
psychologist.
by this ! do not mean to say that
criminals are not to be punished.
mean they are not to be punished out
Of revenge or because they are respon-
sible.
"They should be punished in every
case when it is to society's advantage
to punish them The Loeb-Leopold
case is an example Of crime where
the punishment of the criminals would
have a. tremendous social value. From
that aspect alone they should have
been hanged.
But where it will do society no
good to punish a man, as in the case
of a crime committed under the stress
of unusual emotional conditions, pun
ishment is foolish. If another man
gets into the same situation in the
same emotional condition he will COM
NIT the same crime regardless OF how
manv men have been punished before
him.
punishment is apparently doing no
good. The number of second, third,
fourth and even tenth offenders would
seem to indicate this. If the criminal