CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19990, 5 November 1927, Page 6

CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Not for the first time, Chief Justice Taft of the United States is endeavouring to arouse the public conscience in his country to the need for drastic reform in the administration of justice. That the conduct of its Courts is a reproache to the U.S.A, is well enough known. Even the citizens of the States themselves have no confidence in their own Courts, and have little hesitation in openly asserting that, more often than not, justice is bought and sold. The procedure of the United States Courts, particularly its encouragement of the raising of technicalities, facilitates the escape of almost any criminal who has a few dollars -with which to fee a hair-splitting counsel. The system of election of judges and officials and their consequent subservience to the political and commercial influences which make them, too often render verdicts a foregone conclusion. The result is that in many instances the wrong men get into gaol, while, on the other hand, an immense amount of crime goes unpunished. Matters have reached the stage where the law is held in contempt, for no country with an efficient system of justice could ever show such a crime record as the United States. Last year there were 11,000 murders in the United States. Comparative statistics show that the United States murder rate, proportionate to population is, twice that of Italy, four times those of South Africa and Australia, and eight times those of New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Spain and Norway, surely a discreditable pre-eminence. Add to this the fact that the record of other kinds of erime is in like proportion, and the feeble and ineffective administration of justice can be realised. As already said, this is not the first occasion on which Chief Justice Taft has endeavoured to stir public opinion to an endeavour to effect reform. As long ago as 1908 he said that the United States had the world’s highest criminal rate, that this was due to the bad administration of the criminal law, which he characterised as “a disgrace to civilisation,” and that “the trial of a criminal seems a game of chance with all the chances in favour of the criminal, and, if he escape, he has the sympathy of a ‘sporting’ public.” Other eminent American judges have passed similar remarks. Less than six months ago, Mr Justice Kavanagh, of the U.S. Supreme Court, said: “If a man deliberates whether he shall kill another, he ktiows that the chances are three to one that he will never be arrested, twelve to one that he will never be convicted, and more than a hundred to one that he will not die for his crime. ’ ’ According to a current cable message in reference to Chief Justice Taft’s latest statement on the subject, a sum equal to £2.000,000,000 sterling constitutes the yearly crime bill of the United States. Surely, honest instead of corrupt “justice” would be cheaper!