Chapter XI 

 The Habitual Criminal 



THERE are three things which make a person likely to 

 commit a crime. These are, in the first place, a bad 

 home; in the second place, subsequent temptation; and, 

 lastly, bad natural quaUties. We are bound to mitigate 

 all these causes to the best of our abilities. 



Endeavours to wipe out the effects of harmful early 

 surroundings, or to lessen temptation later in life, do not 

 come within the scope of eugenics. This makes them none 

 the less important ; but it is a reason why they should not 

 be discussed in a book on that subject. 



It is true, no doubt, that it is practically impossible to 

 disentangle the effects of these three causes of crime. It 

 has been said on good authority that the son of a criminal 

 is ten times as hkely to commit a crime as is the son of 

 honest parents. But with our present knowledge we cannot 

 divide out this result and say that so much is due to bad 

 early environment, so much to meeting the devil in the path 

 of life, and so much to bad inborn predispositions. We 

 may conclude, however, from such facts as this that if 

 criminals had fewer children there would be less crime in the 

 coming generation. 



The following is the way in which criminals are separated 

 out from the rest of the community. A lad who has a very 

 bad home, or very bad natural quahties, or both, will go 

 astray under almost all conditions. Another lad, with a 

 better home or with better quahties, will commit his 

 first breach of the law only if actually tempted ; if shown 

 by a relative, for example, when hard up how he can benefit 

 himseK at little risk by pilfering. It is the strength of all 



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