The times-news., 1936-02-01
ARREST RATIO
OF YOUTHS FOR
CRIME IS HIGH
u. 5. Investigation Bureau
Cleans Facts From
New Inquiry

/ WASHINGTON, Feb. /. (UP)
statistics compiled by the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation, U.
S. Department of Justice, show
that Is out of every 100 persons
arrested during 1885 were 10
years of age or younger.
The facts were gained from the
examination of 492,251 arrest
records of persons whose finger
prints were forwarded to the bu-
reau during 1885 by state and
municipal law enforcement agen-
cies.
The compilation disclosed that
during the year 1920 individuals
were arrested and charged with
robbers, 32,649 with burglary,
and 11,004 with auto theft. The
predominance of youth in those
types of crimes is shown by the
fact that 7,108 (53.5 per cent? of
those arrested and charged with
robbery; 1920 (51.1 per cent?
of those charged with burglary,
and 7,4SS $3.50 per cent? of
those charged with auto theft,
were under 20.
MANY PREVIOUSLY
ARRESTED
During 1885 approximately one
fifth of the 392,251 persons ar
rested had a record of arrests
previous to attaining their major
ity.
The fngerprints of 1,795 de-
ceased persons were submitted to
the bureau from May /, 1885, to
Jan l, 1886, in order that they
might not be buried unidentified.
Throught a search of its files
containing a total of more than
5,500,000 fingerprint cards the
bureau was able to advise coro-
ners and law enforcement agen-
cies throughout the country for
warding these fingerprints as to
the Identities of 457 of the de-
ceased. The contributors of the
666 of the 1,795 fingerprint cards
had no knowledge of the identi-
ties of the deaceased persons.
A check of the bureaus files re-
vealed the Identities of 158 of
these unknown dead persons.
They unwittingly in life had pro-
vided a means of being identified
by committing criminal offenses.
The. sos unknown deceased per-
| sons who were buried unnamed
apparently led respectable lives
and had not availed themselves of
the opportunity. of sure identifi-
cation by placing their finger
prints in the civil Identification
section of the bureau, which is
maintained separately and apart
from the criminal records. 49,.
CIVIL IDENTIFICATION .
FILE GROWS 81.
Nearly 5000 persons sent their
fngerprints to- the Federal Bu-
reau of investigation during De-
cember, 1885, to be placed in its
civil Identification file. These per-
sonal Identification records came
from such far away points as Yo-
kohoma, Honolulu, England, Puer-
to Rico and Alaska, as well as
from all section of the United
States. The value of having a
permanent and reliable means of
| identification on file is rapidly be-
cominga pparent. officials said.
All personal Identification rec
ords are filed apart from the
criminal records. The fact that
the stigma of criminality is being
divorced from fngerprints is evil
denced by the receipt in the bu-
reau on Dec. 10, 1885, OF 20 sets
of fingerprints taken at meeting
iof the Parent-teachers Assocla-
ton, Yakima, Wash. =
CIVIC GROUPS AID
Among those actively engaged
lin furthering civil identification
are the Junior Chamber OF Com
merce, San Francisco, and the
Sheriff's office in Detroit. These
organizations have submitted a
large number of personal identiti-
lcation fingerprint cards to be
| placed in the files. ,
The value of a sure means OF
identification is well illustrated in
many cases throughout the coun-
try, officials point out.
An citizens, if they so desire,
NAV have their fingerprints placed
| in the Federal Bureau of Investi-
i cations files for personal identi-
1 fication purposes in its civil iden-
| tifcation section. In this manner
they will insure their identities for
ali time, safeguarding against pos
sible accidents, catastrophes, and
attacks of amnesia. ...