Evening star., 1948-02-11
Sex Crime and Criminals
Psychatriss Point Out That Punishment Alone Will Not
Reduce Sex Grimes; Treatment Also Needed
By A. J..Sbero

Reduce Sex OrImeS;
By A. j..
(Mr. Spero, Washington attorney, is a
member of the Bar Associations Mental
Health Committee. He has Dritten series
of articles on the problems represented in
seq ofenses and ser criminals, of tDfich this
Is the second.)
The adherence manifested by society to-
wards the sex offender is not echoed by the
psychiatrist. To the psychiatrist, the ofenses
which arouse the public to Indignation are an
indication of illness in the same way that
running nose is an indication Of bad cold.
He approaches the sex variant with the SYM
pafhy and understanding born of the knowl-
edge that the causes of such behavior, can be
determined, that the activities in many cases
are involuntary, and that If treated properly
these criminals, with their cooperation can
be cured and restored to society Thus, the
criminals and the crimes in the group broadly
labeled sex crimes are radically different from
the usual crimes perpetrated against persons
or property, in the opinion of the psychiatrist,
and should be approached differently. Punish
ment alone, it is emphasized, will not reduce
the sex crime rate. Treatment must be an
essential part of any approach to the problem,
If that approach Is to be effective.
LII ulSCuSSulS tlc pSyCiAdIIlC dSpcCGS Ol IIle
problem with DR.. Benjamin Karpman, an
authority in the field, practicing in the District
and attached to st. Elizabeths Hospital, he
explained the situation in which the sex var
liant finds himself by the following analogy:
Suppose, DR.. Karpman said, your child has
bad case Of adenoids. Unable to breathe
through his nose, his mouth Is constantly open
producing an expression Of stupidity. Dis
tressed by his appearance, you beat him or
lock him up In his room to force him to
breathe properly. All to no avail. The instant,
however, that his difficulty is properly dag
nosed. and an operation is performed removing
the adenoids, the child breathes normally
through the noStrils.
Thus with sex variants, punishment in it.
self will not cause them in many cases to dis
card their antisocial activity. But, If desirous
OF determining the cause of his behavior the
pervert subjects himself to proper treatment,
permanent cure may be effected, restoring
him to a society in which he can conform to
the accepted sex mores without the need to
find sexual qualification by departing from
these accepted practices.
Types of Sex Offenses.
The deviations from the accepted practices
which are of most concern in terms of their
effect on society, exhibitionsm and the moles-
tation Of children, are but a small part of the
large number Of such sexual deviations recog-
nized by the psychiatrist. To name but few OF
these practices, there are: Fagellation, homo
sexuality, transvestism, nasochisn, sadism and
fetishism
Two factors concerning these variants, If
once appreciated, would 60 long way toward
dispelling many of the misconceptions sur
rounding the problem. The first factor to be
,L1rr& 11I t. u.
ders are performed for the very same reason
that the normal human being will engage In
the heterosexual activities indorsed by our
society. The sex variant will expose himself
or wear women's clothing, or beat another, or
impose pain upon himself, or commit sodomy,
as a means toward sexual qualification.
K The second factor relates to the kind of
person who commits such offenses. What is
his background and history? Is there par
ticular environment which changes these
individuals so that they become offenders?
For one fact may be stated almost categor-
tcally-in the overwhelming majority of the
cases, the offender Is not born as such. It is
frequently some factor in his formative years
that produces deviation from the accepted
sexual norm
An interesting profile Of the average sex
offender is provided in the Report Of Mayors
Committee for the Study of Sex Offenses" for
the City of New York. The report states that
"the average offender is less than 30 years
old. More often than not, he is white, native
born, and permanent resident Of this city.
He is usually unmarried literate, and has had
elementary education. When employed, and
a goodly proportion of such offenders are it
is apt to be in an Anskilled occupation. Eco
nonlically, he is in the loW-income group and,
when unemployed, depends upon his kin or is
a recipient of public relief. Ordinarily, he
resides with his kin, but when he does not
do SO, he lives in furnished room or low
priced hotel Z" +"
"The environment in which he and many
like him mature and move, cannot, Of course,
be detailed in statistical table Invari-
ably these build up into a background of
social disorder. 1t often begins in broken
home. It continues throughout an unsuper-
! vised childhood, when instead of being given
key to correct conduct, some offenders are
given key to the street. There they acquire
their first and faulty knowledge of sex.
Seldom If at all, did parent or school instruct
them in the proper meaning Of sex Z"
1.-THE interest in sex so inauspiciously begun
in childhood is accentuated by adolescence and
street companionships. It remains the most
sustained and as evidenced by his crimes the
most predominant interest in their lives =
"The moral atmosphere in which offenders
live, similarly has some bearing on their
behavior Religio-ethical considerations, par
ticularly as motivating force, have had little,
If any, influence upon their lives. A majority
claim afiliation with major religious groups,
but usually it is such in name only. The essen
tial thing about most offenders is the absence
of a constructive cast in their careers
"The foremost fact is that sex offenders
form no set type, physically or mentally.
Usually they are OF average intelligence. Many
sex delinquents, however, manifest all the ear
marks Of personal inferiority and inadequacy
AS rule there is nothing british about them
externally The sex offender is not bulging-
eyed, disheveled creature, more ape than man.
The reverse is more the typical picture, if there