Evening star., 1961-05-21
Roots of Crime

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larly its recent heinous man
ifestations have stimulated
the repetition Of the cur
rently popular explanations
and apologies Of certain in
dividuals and groups. 1t is
alleged that the roots of
crime" may be found in poor
housing. broken families. lack
Of welfare funds, racial dis
elimination, failure Of society
to accept and rehabilitate
the criminal" etc. Deplor-
able as these alleged condi-
tions may be, II and where
they exist, even more deplor-
able are the results Of the
application Of these well-in-
tentioned theories which have
demonstrated their ineffect-
iveneSs in dealing with the
problem and protecting So
ciety. individuals are no
longer safe on the streets
and women are not secure
in their homes. At a time
like this, is it wise to vacil-
late and theorize? The crisis
Is upon US. Positive action
should be taken to cor
rect the situation and restore
the rule Of law and order in
our city.
May I respectfully suggest
those charged with the ad-
ministration Of justice who
may read this, that Biblical
injunction and recorded his
tory clearly inform us that
the strongest deterrent to
the perpetration Of crime is
the positive assurance Of
swift and appropriate pun
ishment?
Mark C. BOwsher
This crime wave really is
q disgrace to our civilization.
These criminals should not
be out on bail, neither should
they be entertained indefi-
nitely at the taxpayers ex-
pense, but be taken out Of
circulation Immediately and
for good.
Evidently the judges are
afraid to mete out the proper
punishment for criminals for
fear Of their own and their
families lives-and who can
blame them? Congress should
make criminal laws that bite
and can be enforced without
q lot Of red tape.
Why be so lenient with
them? AS long as they know
they can get by with most
anything-crime will prosper.
Irate Citizen.
Your May IL editorial,
Crime Marches On" could
have been more accurately
entitled Panic Marches On"
How ironic that we Ameri-
cans. who are so eagerly SELL
ing our free systems to the
emerging nations Of the
world, seem now so willing
to toss away our liberties for
that perennial mess of pot
tage, a more secure commu-
nifty.
OF course, this is not "the
Washington we used to
know" AS we have grown
into a buStling world capital,
we have acquired a hetero-
geneous population, much Of
which is rootless and un-
adapted to city ways. If we are
not the stable, quiet middling
sized Southern city Of yester-
days Washington. most Of
US, including The Star, have
prospered well from the
change. AS with most
changes. however. there is
disruption and a terrible need
for new imaginative solutions
to the accompanying prob
lens. Commissioner Tobriner
offered recently some tenta-
tive forward-looki ng
approaches, but his meaning
seems lost to your editors.
Instead. you seek that eter-
nal will-of-the-wisp: Secure
rights for decent people to
enjoy protection" AS a
subscriber to The Star, I sup
pose I qualify as a decent
person." I am afraid, how
ever, that the courts and law
enforcement agencies will
still need a more objective
test to distinguish "crimi-
mails" from decent citizens"
In most Western nations, the
various rules Of law and their
oft-frustrating subtleties
have long met this need.
Even Adolph Eichmann, ac-
cuSed Of wholesale perpe-