Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-06-16
TEXAS BAD MEN

prison system are first timers"
and the Texas system is based. as
largely as an undertaking Of its
magnitude may. on the theory OF
regeneration or the prisoner
That direction viii be- follcwli
still further. in segregation Of tNa
youthful and first-time offenders.
and IN the proposed creation or 4
reformatory within the prison walls.
and In the rudimentary develop
ment Of vocational training.
The whole theory Of penology
viii 90 under more thorough scrut-
inv IL Texas as the result az the
effort already started by Gov. Dan
Moody. and supported in the legis-
lature by Rep. Frank Baldwin. to
90 away with capital punishment
entirely.
This despite the conclusions OF
DR.. Hickson that when a boy in
public schools displays certain traits
he proves he can be only a killer.
and that the only way "a suppress
him is death or permanent i'm
prisonment.'
Another of DR.. Hickson's concM-
sions. after studying 10000 choice
specimens OF criminal life. is:
Criminal Abnormal
IF your son Is normal. you can
never make a criminal out Of him"
Yet there are over $500 first
termers' in TeXa5. and Crimi-al
records OF Texas. based over the
past 20 years. show that IN this
part of the country. not much over
n out Of seven or eight mel who
serve a prison sentence Is ever sent
back for a second term out of
thoge serving a second term. a
high percentage GO back repeatedly
An exhaustive physical and pay
chistric survey Or the TEXAS penli
system. made by physicians and
mental experts. proved that a large
number OF Texas criminals we're
such not because Of inherent GRIM
inal instinct. but because they were
plainly ignorant. deficient mentally
and physically.
On the basis OF this survey.
Texas would deal with crime as n
hospital matter. as a health and
physical improvement task. rather
than the segregation for life i'm
prisonment OF a particular Grim
inal class" Mr.. Walthall pointed
out.
Here is the composite criminal as
found hy the Chicago doctor. and
termed BY Mr. Walthall the anti
thesis OF the average ran or Texas
people who are locked up for sel!!Sg
or making liquor. for forgery. drlv-
ing car while intoxicated. or re-
moving mortgaEed property. or
stealing chickens, all felony
charges.
The typical ganFster commits
murder without a n%uickeninF nj the
pulse lie Genes from a dafecG. :
family. whose members are Grim
inals. black sheep. feeble-minded
and insane.
There rs no sense n industry
In his makeup. Neither has ne
love. hate. fear or revenue. lie IN
incapable Of feeling remorse for the
most heinous crime, Is markedly
superstltious and talks much
about religion.
Tests show the typical rangsier
70 be Al the mental age between
- and 70. Just above the holdup
men and lust below the pick
pockets. lie is the dementia prae-
cox. hypOemotional type. Just as in
cane as the demontia praecox by
per-emotional type.
The typical gangster. the leader.
the thief. the yegg and aIl Grim
inals have In common feeble mind
Cd asfect4vitv. Education and in
telligence only fits them for big
ger and better criminies.
"Gangsters Of the future nov are
IN the schools. making life miser-
able for teachers AS boys they are
hailed into the juvenile court. They
never fail 10 perform. Sooner OF
later they launch into murderors
careers. They are constitutIouaIIv
incapable OF RETAINING from crime.