Evening star., 1935-06-09
Crime Reforms Asked.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MONTREAL, June s.-Drastic re-
forms in crime prevention and the
conduct of penal institutions were ad-
vocated by three Federal Government
officials At today's session OF the Amer
ican Public Welfare Association, which
Is meeting here In connection with the
National Conference Of Social Work.
The speakers included Sanford
Bates. director Of the Federal Bureau
of Prisons; Justin Miller. special as
sistant to the Attorney General. and
F. Lowell Bixby, assistant director OF
prisons.
Bates told the conferees the control
of crime in many communities Is still
in the horse and buggy stage. while
mechanical and scientific devices are
being sadly neglected. He made
strong plea for a national system OF
! fingerprinting.
Tells Of Control.
The time Is coming when no man,
woman or child can escape establish
ment of his or her identity-and nc
honest one will want TO escape It," he
said. There are more than 1000. .00C
sets of fingerprints in the Bureau oi
Investigation now, and not one Is the
same as the other"
He also told of the rapid strides
made by science in the control Of crime
as we'll as its prevention.
Federal criminal law will be effec-
tive only to the extent OF public senti-
ment In favor of its enforcement
Miller told the delegates. If the
people want something done badly
they will authorize Federal enforce.
ment So 1t is with the kidnaper anc
the racketeer, but If we get into field,
in which the people Of the variou,
States hold conflicting sentiments
criminal law enforcement by the Fed
eral Government probably will be un.
successful, as In the case OF prohi.
bition."
Miller said the Government mus
depend as much on the development
OF men Us on the laws. and that thl
present need Is for development o
increasingly effective personnel ir
crime prevention.
Solution of the problem Of crim'
depends on the application of scien
tific knowledge, and the control o
crime will grow only as rapidly as ou
ability to control human behavior, tn
conference was told by Bixby.
Motives Cited.
He described the motives of crim'
as those manifestations of human
behavior which We call crimes BY
their very nature, arouse emotions o
fear and anger and provoke reactions
Of revenge. Once these emotional re-
actions 10 crime are supplanted b!
intelligence, it becomes evident tha
attempting to meet the problem
through methods dictated by . desir'
for retribution hold no hope"
Bixby made q plea for rehabilita
ton Of the men who have served
prison terms. He SAID attention
should be concentrated on the mar
leaving the prison rather than th'
man going in.
Few men are ever reformed II
prison." he said. The test Of re
Mobilization comes after release. 1t i
never fair to turn q man or woman
suddenly out of the relatively non
competitive and controlled environ
ment of an institution into the highly
complex and competitive environment
offered by society. Post-institutior
aid and supervision Of highly skilled
order are needed.
Prevention of crime also Is neces'
sary, by training the youth Of th'
| land through community clinics Spe.
cial classes, clubs and leisure tim,
activities, Fairgrounds and similal
agencies of citizenship"