JUVENILE CRIME
A BIG PROBLEM.
LONDON, October t>
Discussing tile problem of youthful criminal gangs, Dr H. T. V. Young, medical officer of Wormwood Scrubs prison, said that investigation of a large number of cases showed that in 37 per cent the 1 environment was unsatisfactory, -and many of them showed little sign of resistance to their influence.
However, the majority of offences depended on the interaction of those external influences and certain inherited traits which brought about situations favourable to the exhibition of such traits. Among these inherited traits, the self-assertive instinct took a prominent place, and the investigation showed that in about half the cases it was finding expression in an immature manner. The fact that crimes against property accounted for 90 per cent of the offences indicated the chtnnel through which this self-assertive instinct emerged. Destitution, on the other hand, was only present in one of the cases and clearly had little influence on the general result. The urge to compete with and rival others, the fear of risking taunts, and the desire for adventure might find expression in games or club competitions, but in the absence of lawful opportunities, they could also he satisfied by acts of delinquency. with others. Although the average age was 18.2, the fact that the a-ts were of a boyish or childish nature in approximately half the total number of cases, suggested that those who committed them showed a considerable delay in the 'development of the normal 'adolescent outlook, so far as the selfassertive instinct was concerned, and that personal rivalry was -a frequent objective. This, in conjunction with the fact that in roughly one-third of the cases, acquisitiveness was estimated to he of small importance, supported the view that, in a large percentage, the cijinies were not the direct result of persistent acquisitive urges. It was consequently evident, from the investigation into the records of these cases-, that gang' delinquents as . a whole, did not spring from the social problem class.
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Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1933, Page 8
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331JUVENILE CRIME Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1933, Page 8
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