Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 32 | Issue 6 Article 7 1942 Current Notes Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation Current Notes, 32 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 646 (1941-1942) This Note is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. CURRENT NOTES To Curb Crime During War-In order N. Pfeiffer, former President, National to meet the threat of increased crime under Probation Association; Morris Ploscowe, war conditions, the Society for the Pre- Chief Clerk, New York City Special Ses- vention of Crime, one of New York's oldest sions Court; Prof. Walter C. Reckless, Ohio agencies in this field, is establishing itself State University; Prof. Edwin H. Suther- as a national organization. land, Indiana University; Judge Joseph N. A National Advisory Council, composed Ulman, Supreme Bench of Baltimore; and of the nation's leaders in criminology and Miriam Van Waters, Superintendent, crime prevention, is being set up. All sec- Massachusetts Reformatory for Women. tions of the country will be represented. Also G. Howland Shaw, Assistant Secre- At the same time the Society announced tary of State and President, American that, in addition to its new policy of con- Prison Association; Prof. Norman S. Hay- tinuous surveys and investigations of the ner, of the State University of Washington; crime situation, a program has been Kenyon J. Scudder, of the State Institu- adopted for disseminating information to tion for Men, Chino, Calif., and Leonard the American public on current crime W. Mayo, Dean, Western Reserve Uni- problems and how they can be checked. versity. The main instrument for distribution of The Crime News and Feature Service' information will be the new "Crime News will be edited by the nation's outstanding and Feature Service" which is to be pub- criminologists. The Society has appointed lished monthly from the Society's New the following men to the Editorial Board York headquarters, and distributed to 1,000 supervising the new publication: newspapers, as well as to magazine writers, Chairman, Austin H. MacCormick, Di- columnists, radio commentators, etc. rector, Osborne Association, and former Among those who have already accepted Commissioner of Correction, New York invitations to serve on the National Ad- City; Sanford Bates, Commissioner of Pa- visory Council are: role, New York State; Paul Blanshard, Miss Henrietta Additon, Superintendent, Director, Society for the Prevention of Westfield Farm for Women; Miss Carol Crime; James V. Bennett, Director, U. S. Bates, Executive Secretary, Missouri Wel- Bureau of Prisons; Sheldon Glueck, Pro- fare League; Prof. L. J. Carr, Director, fessor of Criminal Law and Criminology, Michigan Child Guidance Institute; Prof. Harvard University; Leonard V. Harrison, Ernest W. Burgess, University of Chicago; Director, Committee on Youth and Justice, Edward R. Cass, General Secretary, Amer- Community Service Society; Hal Hazel- ican Prison Association; Charles L. Chute, rigg, former Adviser on Professional Rela- Director, National Probation Association; tions Criminal-Justice, American Law Marshall Field, Publisher; Prof. Robert H. Institute; Edwin J. Lukas, Research Asso- Gault, Editor, "Journal of Criminal Law ciate, Society for the Prevention of Crime; and Criminology"; Edwin Gill, Commis- Justine Wise Polier, Judge, Domestic Rela- sioner of Parole, North Carolina; Bishop tions Court, New York City; Thorsten Charles L. Gilbert, Episcopal Church, New Sellin, Professor of Sociology, University York; Dr. Bernard Glueck, Psychiatrist; of Pennsylvania; Clifford R. Shaw, Super- Irving W. Halpern, Chief Probation Officer, intendent, Metropolitan Delinquent Divi- New York City Court of General Sessions; sion, Illinois Department of Public Wel- Judge Richara Hartshorne, Newark Court fare; Frederic M. Thrasher, Sociologist and of Common Pleas; Dr. William Healy, Professor of Education, New York Uni- Director, Judge Baker Guidance Center; versity. Fred K. Hoehler, Director, American Pub- Mr. Blanshard will act as Managing lic Welfare Association; Lewis E. Lawes, Editor of the new service, and Mr. Hazel- former Warden, Sing Sing Prison; Timothy rigg as Editorial Associate. The first [ 646] CURRENT NOTES issue was distributed to 1,000 newspapers prison an able-bodied youth who is capable in February. It contained an editorial on of war production the nation loses at least youthful offenders by Mrs. Roosevelt and $2500 a year. an article on crime in war time by Prof. We must protect ourselves from the dan- Sheldon Glueck of Harvard. The purpose gerous criminal, young or old, and the sta- of this monthly service is to popularize tistics of the Department of Justice show and disseminate scientific knowledge about that many of our worst criminals are young, crime prevention. It is strictly a non-profit 19 being the peak age for all crimes. But enterprise. many of the crimes of adolescence are The Society for the Prevention of Crime, crimes of exuberance and restlessness. founded in 1878, has had a long, and in Fifty years ago a boy on a farm could years past, dramatic career in the eradica- stretch hfs muscles by jumping on a horse tion of crime. In 1892, under the militant -and if the horse belonged to a neighbor Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst, it went all-out instead of himself he wasn't taken to jail against a corrupt city administration, mak- for the offense. If mischief called loudly ing sensational first-hand investigations of he stole an apple-and still went-to Sunday police corruption under Tammany Hall. school. This inquiry resulted in the official state Today in our great cities the grandson investigation of the Lexow Committee. The of that farm boy may take a "joy-ride" in city administration was overthrown and a stolen car, and come before a court the police department revamped. charged with a felony. In such cases the crime should not be measured in terms of In more recent years, the Society played the value of the car. Morally there are no a leading part in revealing the underworld $500 and $1000 crimes. The whole circum- connections of politicians and the break- stances and the character of the boy should down of law enforcement that finally led be considered. Usually common sense and to the appointment of Thomas E. Dewey as understanding in dealing with such a boy Special Prosecutor in New York City in pay good dividends. 1935. For five years New York City has been Last year the Society was reorganized, trying an experiment, an Adolescents' emerging with a new board and Director, Court for special handling of boys of 16, Paul Blanshard, former Commissioner of 17 and 18 charged with crimes. In that Accounts of New York City.-(From Crime court the better boys are sifted out and News and Feature Service.) placed on probation, eventually escaping with no criminal record on the court's complete the probation period Dollars and Youth-It saves money to books if they save youth. satisfactorily. A recent study of this court compared Recent studies show that it costs the com- the later criminal records of 500 New York munity $500 to $700 a year to keep a youth- boys, some of whom had been treated in the ful offender in prison, not counting this way and some by the ordinary criminal cost of building correctional insti- original processes of adult courts. The study, which but that good probation can be tutions, covered the five-year period after the provided for less than $75. original arrest, showed thaf boys who had Every time.a boy is sent to prison who committed the same types of crimes had a could be saved by good probation and better chance of rehabilitation if they were psychiatric care, it costs society an initial handled in this special court, apart from outlay of more than $500 a year, and in older criminals. addition the community loses what that Of the boys handled as adult criminals, boy would produce in the nation's war 29 per cent were convicted again in New effort. No one can tell how much war pro- York City within five years; of the boys duction a youthful offender could accom- given this special treatment without the plish but certainly $2000 a year is a modest stigma of a criminal record only 15 per cent estimate of the average. were later convicted.-(Crime News and That means that every time we send to Feature Service.) CURRENT NOTES Prisons and Parole in War Time-The the government, are unable as yet to make following is an abstract of an address by their contribution. A strong committee Austin H. MacCormick, Executive Director, sponsored by the American Prison Asso- The Osborne Associations, Inc., in New ciation and backed by other organizations York City, at the Chicago Temple, Sunday is now working with government officials evening, March 1, 1942. The program was to try to develop a plar under which this given under the auspices of the Central reservoir of man power and machine power Howard Association of Chicago. can be tapped. War, as the experience of England has Under the law, federal prisons are able already shown, is almost certain to increase to produce goods for other government de- the amount of juvenile delinquency in partments, and even before we entered the America and therefore eventually to in- war the large federal penitentiaries had crease the amount of adult crime. But war increased their production of valuable de- has already brought some results, and will fense materials enormously. At Atlanta, probably bring still more, on the credit the prisoners themselves prepared huge side of the crime ledger to balance the posters to hang in all the shops with the debits.