The daily monitor leader., 1945-11-16
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .

has risen 10 per cent-assault
and larceny. which rose, respec-
lively, 31.2 per cent and 90 per
cent. Robbery and auto theft, on
the other hand, went down over
40 per cent.
Comparing the record for the
first half of 1945 with the first
half of 1914, however, shows an
increase in every type of crime
except involuntary manslaugh-
ter, such as deaths in auto acci-
dents. Removal of gas rationing
restrictions in the last four
months of the year naturally
may be expected to show an In
crease in this category, too.
Murders were up 4 per cent
to 1870 in the six months period.
Rape was up 8 per cent to 318l,
an all-time high. Robbery, as
sault and burglary were up 10,
/, and IL per cent.
CRIME INCREASES AMONG
TEEN-AGERS
AS the crime rate has gone up,
the criminal age has gone down.
This trend, to which FBI Drec-
tor j. Edgar Hoover repeatedly
has called attention in discussing
juvenile delinquency, can be
traced directly to wartime con-
ditions. It was not expected,
however, because the armed
services took in large numbers
of men in the 18 to 2l-age group.
That ordinarily would be ex-
pected to reduce the number OF
crimes committed by those un-
der 21.
The surprise came in that IT.
year olds promptly moved in and
took over the place in criminal
records formerly occupied by
older youths. This new reduc-
ton in age level of offenders
points up the possibility of a
still greater teen age crime
problem than before the war.
FBI examination of some 27O,-
900 arrest records shows one out
of every five arrested was under
21, and the 17-year-old offender
topped the list with $4,000 ar
rests. There were nearly $4,000
arrests of youths under 16 years
of age, 1000 being IA and under,
Offenses for which some $4,000
youths of under FL were arrested
in the first half of the year were
predominantly crimes against
property robbery, burglary
larceny and auto theft. Nearly
40 per cent of all arrests in these
categories were of young men
and women under 21.
MORE WOMEN RUN
AFOUL OF LAW
There was an 8 per cent in
crease, to 1000, in the number
of women's arrests records ex-
amined by the FBI in the first
half of 1945. This is one arrest
in every six. The age pattern Of
arrested women differs from that
of the men, most women crimi.
nails being from ID to %, each ol
these years showing a fairly ever
distribution of from $500 to 5000
arrests. As compared with the
first half of last year, 1945 i!
showing a 60 per cent increase
in arrests of women for robbery
their most common offense.
For both men and women, it /!
the repeater that causes the mos
trouble, indicating the lack o.
any satisfactory corrective. o.
all the arrest records examined
over half show previous arrests
This trend is true even among
the teen-agers. Fifteen per cen
of the 15-year olds arrested hao
previous criminal records, tht
figure rising to AZ per cent o.
those 20 years old. This merely
accentuates the juvenile prob
lem.
Sociologists can argue them
selves blue in the face as to thu
contributing causes of today
crime trends. One of the mos
logical reasons seems to be tina
the number of police officer
has gone down by 8 per cen
from 1912 to 1945. The fewel
the cops. the greater the crime
wave.