CAUSES OF CRIME

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 November 1939, Page 2

CAUSES OF CRIME

SOME ILLUSORY IDEAS COMMENTS BY JUDGE. ROLE OF HUMAN NATURE. "It is surely illusory to suggest that crime will disappear if our present economic system is swept away and the State becomes the sole owner of all property and the sole controller of the means of production and distribution of wealth. Until human nature can be changed through a long and painful period of evolution. I am afraid that society, in whatever form it is organised, will, always have the criminal to deal with as a social problem and he will crop up in all classes and not come only from the children of the poor.” This was the statement made by his Honour Mr Justice Ostler in his address to the Grand Jury at the Invercargill sessions of the Supreme Court.

"Some of you might think: ‘Why should we be bothered with eases at such anxious times and as business men. with our own concerns, why should we be called here’? Gentlemen of the jury, as part of the administration of the criminal law and as a safeguard of the liberty of the subject. the Grand Jury has been part of the law of England for nigh on 1000 years and it has not outlived its usefulness. You stand as a constitutional cheek to see that no man is put on his trial unless a prima facie case lias been made out against him.” said his Honour. NO SIMPLE PROBLEM. “It is desirable that all people in this country should take an intelligent interest in and form sound opinions on the administration of criminal law. Many sincere people hold the belief that crime is purely a medical question and that if the treatment of criminals was handed over to psychiatrists they could be cured of their tendency to crime. Judging by recent public utterances there seem to be others who consider that, although crime is partly a medical question, it is mostly an economic one and that, when our present economic system has been changed, crime will disappear and our Police Force can be disbanded. You have, no doubt, read something to that effect lately in the Press.

"I am afraid that it is not so simple a problem as all that: No doubt, a certain proportion of crime is due to mental defect or abnormality and in some of these cases, but unfortunately not in many, medical science is able to do something towards, helping such criminals to repress their criminal tendencies and to become normal, .lawabiding citizens. But. so far as our scientific knowledge at present goes, such cases are at present only a small proportion of the total number of our criminals. The great majority appear to be persons of normal intelligence. Indeed, many of them are much above normal level but their moral sense is blunted and defective. How could a change in the economic or political system of Government cure such persons of their criminal tendencies? A moment's reflection will indicate the impossibility. CRIMINAL CONDUCT. "For over 20 years Russia has enjoyed the most extreme form of socialistic Government which has so far been tried in the world. In spite of the fact that that country has the most severe criminal code in Europe; in spite of the fact that the death penalty for crime is imposed and enforced with sickening frequency, Russia has been quite unable to abolish crime. Indeed, recent history has made it plain that some of her most coldblooded and ruthless criminals have succeeded in obtaining supreme power in the State. What could be more criminal than their conduct towards Poland? They had entered into a solemn pact of non-aggression with the Poles, agreeing that in no circumstances would they make war on Poland. They waited until that State was fighting for its life against the unprovoked attack of Germany when they suddenly stabbed her in the back and, as reward for their treachery, annexed nearly half of her territory. Conduct such as that could only be conceived by criminal minds. ECONOMIC HARDSHIP. "While I admit that there is an element of' truth in the assertion that economic hardship tends to increase crime, especially crime against property, yet such crime persists in periods when there is no economic hardship, when work is plentiful and wages are high. It is surely illusory to suggest that crime will disappear if our present economic system is swept away and the State becomes the sole owner of all property and the sole controller of the means of production and distribution of wealth. “Until human nature can be changed through a long and painful period of evolution, 1 am afraid that society, in whatever form it is organised, will always have the criminal to deal with as a social problem and he will crop up in all classes and not come only from the children of the poor."