The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-06
CURRENT SOCIAL PROBLEMS

CURRENT SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Il most in the public mind The kidnap-
ing epidemic and the prison breaks carried on
by desperate criminals have put the subject in
the headlines for weeks past. With repeal now
imminent and inevitable, We are likely to have
a still greater orgy of crime. The organized
gangsters who have made their money out of
the Illicit liquor trade now will turn their &C
tivities toward organized bank robberies, train
robberies and the like. Therefore, anything
which throws light upon scientific modes of
checking crime is public service.
Professor Robert H Gault has brought out
a Century of Progress edition of the Journal of
Criminal Law and Criminology which treats
of the evolution of criminal science in the
western world during the last century.
Here we have the story of the advances in
criminology from the whipping post to the
centralized and well-organized department of
correction in the state of Illinois which has
pretty thoroughly adopted scientific methods
of dealing with the crime problem.
Due attention is given to the progress of
the development of penal and reformatory in
stitutions and the application of psychiatry
and the social sciences to the crime problem.
One who wishes to get comprehensive and
authoritative information on the progress of
criminal science will find this volume the most
useful and up-to-date document in English.
The progress of criminal science during the
but we have failed most notably to apply this
valuable information to our actual practice in
handling criminals above the juvenile level
The procedure in the court room and the aver
age prison bears no more resemblance to real
criminal science than astrology does to astron-
omy Until we make thorough use of the best
available knowledge there is little probability
that we will catch the crooks or deal with
them effectively when apprehended
Arthur Garfield Hays has made most
valuable and striking contribution to the fur
ther exposure of that farce known as the
jury trial. This is a near burlesque even
when strong prejudices are not; involved.
When the mob spirit pervades the court room
the possibility of getting an accurate and re-
slighter The thirteenth juror, by which term
Mr.. Hays describes any prevailing prejudice,
is likely to override whatever intelligence and
poise are possessed by the twelve good men
and true"
Mr.. Hays gives us clear summary of the
more notable cases in which prejudice has
played conspicuous part in the verdcts rem
dered. Among these are the Scottsboro case,
the case of Mooney and Billings, the Sacco-
vanzetti case, Centralia, the case of Leo
Frank, and the Mitchell case.
While prejudice usually works in the way
of securing the conviction of the innocent
radical in the face of mob psychology, it some
times operates the other way round and OBJ
Structs the prosecution. Mr. Hays cites as
evidence of cases of this sort the Herrin trials
in Illinois where public sentiment was in favor
of the defendants and the case of banker
Mitchell where the jury itself was markedly
preiudiced in favor of the defendant
Mr. Hays also calls attention to cases in
which very clever criminal lawyer has been
able to overcome popular prejudice. Cogent
illustrations here are the Haywood case in
Idaho and the Sweet case in Detroit, both
won through the clever court generalship of
Clarence Darrow.
The cost of crime is probably the largest
single burden imposed upon the public as the
result of any one social problem. Chronic ILL
ness is however, a continuous charge Of no
slight proportions. In New York City alone
it is estimated that there are 10000 persons
incapacitated through chronic illness. The
cost of maintaining them, including loss OF
earning capacity, amounts to about S100,00o,00o
year
At such time as this when the city has
to make frantic efforts to get hold of few
more millions to meet running expenses and
when there is an annual drive for relief funds
amounting to about a fifth of this figure,
chronic illness is a subject which can not be
ignored by the public official any more than
it can by the social worker.
Much of this chronic illness could be pre-
vented if the cases we're caught in time by
social workers and referred to proper medical
treatment Miss Jarrett has prepared most
competent and thorough work on chronic i'll
ness in New York City, indicating the extent
of the problem, how it is being met today and
Offering constructive suggestions for future
improvement.
rnTrC ATIONr yUEEK