Criminal Sociology [20]
environment. The former could scarcely be reduced in number, whilst the latter could be considerably diminished by the penal alternatives of which I will speak later.
The following statistics of relapse are quoted from Yvernes, ``La Recidive en Europe'' (Paris, 1874):--
FRANCE--1826-74. ITALY--1870. Relapses ENGLAND--1871. SWEDEN--1871. Accused Accused Prisoners. Thieves. and brought and brought to trial. to trial. Once ... ... 38 per cent. 54 per cent. 45 per cent. 60 per cent. Twice ... 18 '' 28 '' 20 '' 30 '' Three times... 44 '' 18 '' 35 '' 10 ''
In Prussia (1878-82), 17 per cent. had relapsed once, 16 per cent. twice, 16 per cent. three times, 13 per cent. four times, 10 per cent five times, and 28 per cent. six times or oftener.[10]
[10] Starke, ``Verbrechen und Verbrecher,'' Berlin, 1884, p. 229.
At the Prisons Congress of Stockholm the following figures were given for Scotland. Out of a total of forty-nine relapsed prisoners, 16 per cent. had relapsed once, 13 per cent. twice or three times, 6 per cent. four or five times, 6 per cent. from six to ten times, 5 per cent. from ten to twenty times, 4 per cent. from twenty to fifty times, and 1 per cent. more than fifty times.
At the meeting of the Social Science Congress, held at Liverpool, in 1876, Mr. Nugent stated that upwards of 4,107 women had relapsed four times or oftener, and that many of them were classed as incorrigible, having been convicted twenty; forty, or fifty times, whilst one had been convicted 130 times.
The judicial statistics of Italy for 1887 give the following results:--
ITALY--Convicted, per cent. Relapses. Justices of Tribunals. Assizes. Peace. Once ... ... ... ... 57 42 50 Two to five times ... 34 40 40 More than five times ... 9 18 10 -------------------------------------------------------- Actual totals of relapses 27,068 16,240 1,870
I have found from my inquiries amongst 346 condemned to penal servitude and 353 prisoners from the correctional tribunals the following percentages:--
Relapsed. Convicts Imprisoned. Once ... ... 83.2 ... ... 26 Twice ... ... 12.5 ... ... 16.5 3 times ... ... 3.1 ... ... ... 14.6 4 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 10.8 5 '' ... ... 6.8 ... ... ... 6.6 6 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 5.2 7 '' ... ... 1.6 ... ... ... 7.1 8 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.8 9 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.8 10 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.3 11 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 12 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .5 13 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 14 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 1.4 15 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 20 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .5 ------------------------------------------------ Actual totals of relapses 128 212
Chronic relapse is naturally less frequent in the case of those condemned to long terms; but it is a conspicuous symptom of individual and social pathology in the two classes of born and habitual criminals.
Lombroso, in the second volume of his work on ``The Criminal,'' denies that precocity and relapse are characteristics distinguishing born and habitual from occasional criminals. But it is only a question of terms. He considers that born and habitual criminals confine themselves almost exclusively to serious crime, and occasional criminals to minor offences. And as the figures which I have given show that precocity and relapse are even more frequent for minor offences than for crimes, he thinks that they contradict instead of confirming my conclusions.
The mere seriousness of an act cannot by any means divide the categories of criminals; for homicide as well as theft, assault and battery as well as forgery, may be committed, though in different psychological
The following statistics of relapse are quoted from Yvernes, ``La Recidive en Europe'' (Paris, 1874):--
FRANCE--1826-74. ITALY--1870. Relapses ENGLAND--1871. SWEDEN--1871. Accused Accused Prisoners. Thieves. and brought and brought to trial. to trial. Once ... ... 38 per cent. 54 per cent. 45 per cent. 60 per cent. Twice ... 18 '' 28 '' 20 '' 30 '' Three times... 44 '' 18 '' 35 '' 10 ''
In Prussia (1878-82), 17 per cent. had relapsed once, 16 per cent. twice, 16 per cent. three times, 13 per cent. four times, 10 per cent five times, and 28 per cent. six times or oftener.[10]
[10] Starke, ``Verbrechen und Verbrecher,'' Berlin, 1884, p. 229.
At the Prisons Congress of Stockholm the following figures were given for Scotland. Out of a total of forty-nine relapsed prisoners, 16 per cent. had relapsed once, 13 per cent. twice or three times, 6 per cent. four or five times, 6 per cent. from six to ten times, 5 per cent. from ten to twenty times, 4 per cent. from twenty to fifty times, and 1 per cent. more than fifty times.
At the meeting of the Social Science Congress, held at Liverpool, in 1876, Mr. Nugent stated that upwards of 4,107 women had relapsed four times or oftener, and that many of them were classed as incorrigible, having been convicted twenty; forty, or fifty times, whilst one had been convicted 130 times.
The judicial statistics of Italy for 1887 give the following results:--
ITALY--Convicted, per cent. Relapses. Justices of Tribunals. Assizes. Peace. Once ... ... ... ... 57 42 50 Two to five times ... 34 40 40 More than five times ... 9 18 10 -------------------------------------------------------- Actual totals of relapses 27,068 16,240 1,870
I have found from my inquiries amongst 346 condemned to penal servitude and 353 prisoners from the correctional tribunals the following percentages:--
Relapsed. Convicts Imprisoned. Once ... ... 83.2 ... ... 26 Twice ... ... 12.5 ... ... 16.5 3 times ... ... 3.1 ... ... ... 14.6 4 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 10.8 5 '' ... ... 6.8 ... ... ... 6.6 6 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 5.2 7 '' ... ... 1.6 ... ... ... 7.1 8 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.8 9 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.8 10 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 2.3 11 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 12 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .5 13 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 14 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... 1.4 15 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .9 20 '' ... ... -- ... ... ... .5 ------------------------------------------------ Actual totals of relapses 128 212
Chronic relapse is naturally less frequent in the case of those condemned to long terms; but it is a conspicuous symptom of individual and social pathology in the two classes of born and habitual criminals.
Lombroso, in the second volume of his work on ``The Criminal,'' denies that precocity and relapse are characteristics distinguishing born and habitual from occasional criminals. But it is only a question of terms. He considers that born and habitual criminals confine themselves almost exclusively to serious crime, and occasional criminals to minor offences. And as the figures which I have given show that precocity and relapse are even more frequent for minor offences than for crimes, he thinks that they contradict instead of confirming my conclusions.
The mere seriousness of an act cannot by any means divide the categories of criminals; for homicide as well as theft, assault and battery as well as forgery, may be committed, though in different psychological