Chapter

I. WHAT IS CRIME?
II. PURPOSE OF PUNISHMENT
III. RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIME
IV. ENVIRONMENT
V. ADJUSTING HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT
VI. PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT
VII. THE CRIMINAL
VIII. THE FEMALE CRIMINAL
IX. THE JUVENILE CRIMINAL
X. HOMICIDE
XI. SEX CRIMES
XII. ROBBERY AND BURGLARY
XIII. MAN AS A PREDATORY ANIMAL
XIV. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY
XV. ATTITUDE OF THE CRIMINAL
XVI. THE LAW AND THE CRIMINAL
XVII. REPEALING LAWS
XVIII. IS CRIME INCREASING?
XIX. MEDICAL EXPERTS
XX. PUNISHMENT
XXI. EFFECT OF PUNISHMENT ON OTHERS
XXII. EVOLUTION OF PUNISHMENT
XXIII. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
XXIV. STIGMATA OF THE CRIMINAL
XXV. THE GOOD IN CRIMINALS
XXVI. THE DEFECTIVE AND INSANE
XXVII. SOCIAL CONTROL
XXVIII. INDUSTRIALISM AND CRIME
XXIX. WAR AND CRIME
XXX. CIVILIZATION AND CRIME
XXXI. THE CONVICT
XXXII. ISOLATION AND STERILIZATION
XXXIII. CRIME, DISEASE AND ACCIDENT
XXXIV. LUCK AND CHANCE
XXXV. PARDONS AND PAROLES
XXXVI. REMEDIES

INDEX

CRIME

ITS CAUSE AND TREATMENT

I

WHAT IS CRIME?

There can be no sane discussion of "crime" and "criminals" without an
investigation of the meaning of the words. A large majority of men, even
among the educated, speak of a "criminal" as if the word had a clearly
defined meaning and as if men were divided by a plain and distinct line
into the criminal and the virtuous. As a matter of fact, there is no
such division, and from the nature of things, there never can be such a
line.

Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by the law of the land,
and one which is considered sufficiently serious to warrant providing
penalties for its commission. It does not necessarily follow that this
act is either good or bad; the punishment follows for the violation of
the law and not necessarily for any moral transgression. No doubt most
of the things forbidden by the penal code are such as are injurious to
the organized society of the time and place, and are usually of such a
character as for a long period of time, and in most countries, have
been classed as criminal. But even then it does not always follow that
the violator of the law is not a person of higher type than the majority
who are directly and indirectly responsible for the law.

It is apparent that a thing is not necessarily bad because it is
forbidden by th