CRIME IN AMERICA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3129, 7 August 1922, Page 7

CRIME IN AMERICA.

SCANDAL OF THE CRIMINAL LAW. The reality of tlie crime wave in the United 1 States cannot be truthfully die* nied, though there are some who profees to see nothing exceptional! in it. Thoughtful men, however, recognise its seriousness, and are ready to lay much of the blame upon the administration of the law. This was brought out lately when there was a. meeting of eminent American jurists in New York, under the auspices of the American Bar Association, in an effort to devise reforms in the criminal procedure of the country for the betterment of the admittedly deplorable crime conditions. Judges from all parts of the country present declared that there were never so many criminals as to-day, and that it is dishonest to claim otherwise. Speakers very generally emphasised the essential need for a drastic revision of the American criminal law if the vast crime wave now sweeping over the country is to be curbed. The view was expressed and freely endorsed that the great danger lies in the inclination of women’s organisations and lenient judges to coddle criminate, in the unfairness of “trials by tjje newspapers.” and in the disposition of the judges' to permit politics to sway justice. Mr John Goff, a former justice of the Supreme Court, dec!aired that crime in the streets of New York was more prevalent than it had been in by-gone days on the wild Western plains. It was a war upon society, he said, which was being aided by the tendency of recent legislation to favor the criminal. Prison discipline had been relaxed', he said, until the criminal was* treated in an apologetic way as if society had wronged him, and the cardinal fault of the present situation was „thp lack of promptness and finality in the administration of the criminal law and the difficulty of obtaining juries unopposed to the death penalty. Mr Henry Taft, Vice-President of the Bar Association, in urging theHrict enforcement of the criminal law, complained that the American newspapers do not report trials fairly and: impar-, tlally. ai* do the London newspapers. In Amricn, Mr Taft said, it was possible to predict which side would win a trial merely by following the newspaper accounts, which over-emphasised the human appeal in the case and often omitted important facts. He accused many State. Governors of virtual gaol-break-ing because of the tendency to issue wholesale pardons on the. eve of their relinquishing office. The laxity in the administration of the law has boon illustrated by Judge McAdco, the Chief City Magistrate of Now York. He pointed out that since the abolition of coroners, deaths are no longer investigated in open court but chieily by the District Attorney and the district physician. This, he said, was often unsatisfactory to the relatives of the deceased and resulted in the possible quashing of some criminal cases. At a climax to his contentions he mentioned that at the time there were about 1000 homicide cases on file now at the District Attorney’s office which have never been in court. As a cure for this position. Judge McAdoo advocated the establishment of a homicide court for the airing of all cases of death.' whether accidental or premeditated. One judge has arisen who has no sympathy with prison reform and the coddling of criminals. In sentencing a man to imprisonment for manslaughter Justice Martin, of New York, blamed prison reformers for crime waves and ridiculed them for their desire to turn gaols into “places of entertainment.’ “I believe so-called crime waves have to some extent conic from prison reform.” said Justice Martin. ‘lt is nonsense. The people are now reaping a harvest from prison reform. Inking people to Sing Sing and giving them tennis games and moving pictures and all kinds of pleasures that an ordinary poor man that is robbed on the streets could not hope for is ridiculous. And if they (prison reformers) are going to start " an automobile school at Sing Sine; if thev are going to teach .these crooks how to run an automobile and to make a clean getaway by making them expert in their operation, there will bo crime and plenty of it And the people themselves will ho to blame. ,lo Justice’Martin continued: “The idea of having baseball games at Sing Sing and bringing in a high school team to plav with the crooks is nonsense. Tt has became so ridiculous it is laughable. Those prisoners should be taujit to do an honest day s work instead of bein'-- taught idleness and laziness, so thaiTwhen they get out of gaol they will know how to go straight. , - “T venture to say that il two tlnn*,. were done—the prisons made real prisons and the sale and the advert sing of (irearms stopped. tlu'Shu.m law enforced so that no one shall ■ • ft weapon—that half the crime within New York city would end within a M’ai. There is no doubt about it in m. mind.” ft mav he added that the law enforcement Committee of the Bar Association has suggested a nun bar of alterations in criminal court P'ocednro Every reform strikes at some weakness in the law winch attorneys can use to win acquittals' for the giiilt> or else to delay conviction. Commenting thereon the Detroit H rec P this compliment to England.— Hut It question whether the proposed reforms bear too heavily upon the awused need not he left to theory and 1 ahstrart argument, for every suggestion made bv the committee .s lmrrowed fon English practice. In England the iig to appeal is more hunted than here. the rules of evidence a.c more liberal, the judges comment upon the facts, and cases are revetted on! when the court has reason to think that injustice lias been done. \ , i iniccnt men are railroaded to gaol u<ki that svstem is a qiuwtmn ol fact w nun a discerning .man might determine _by a stud'v of British courts; and rn t connection it is interesting to note that Chief Justice Taft ha.s informed J j sident that he intends to visit England soon and observe the British system at . close quarters'.’