THE JUKES, 105 



gories, those who are not refuge boys and those who are, we find 

 that 68.88 per cent of the former are habitual criminals, while the 

 latter rise to 98.15 per cent of their number. Thus, while the 

 refuge boys furnish a little less than one-fourth of the prison popu- 

 lation for all crimes, they yield 29.41 per cent of the total number 

 of habitual criminals, or nearly one-third. It may be thought that 

 the percentage of refuge boys is too great ; but I have reason to 

 think these numbers are below the reality, because to be a refuge 

 boy is, among criminals, a term of reproach, and for this reason 

 iJiany of them deny having been inmates of a reformatory. In 

 confirmation of this there are 1 1 cases scheduled whom it is most 

 probable are house-of-refuge boys, but who have not been included 

 in the tables as such because they are not known to be of that class. 

 Comparing crimes against property and person with each other, 

 we find that while the first show 25.13 per cent of refuge boys or 

 over one-fourth, the latter show only 11.90 per cent or about 

 one-ninth of this class. Dismissing crimes against person and 

 confining ourselves to crimes against property, we find that while 

 they commit over 25 per cent of crimes against property, they 

 commit 26.37 P^^ cent of robbery, 31.24 per cent of burglary and 

 65 per cent of pocket-picking. Why do these boys commit 

 crimes against property, and of these burglary and picking pockets 

 by preference ? In the first place it seems to be owing to the 

 "congregate system," which allows abundant opportunity for 

 criminal training. In a conversation growing out of the examina- 

 tion, one of them (see schedule No. n, Table XVIII.) says : " I never 

 learned a thing in my life in prison to benefit me outside. The 

 house of refuge is the worst place a boy could be sent to." " Why 

 so ? " " Boys are worse than men ; I believe boys know more 

 mischief than men. In the house of refuge I learned to sneak- 

 thief, shop-lift, pick pockets and open a lock." " How did you get 

 the opportunity to learn all this ? " " There's plenty of chance. 

 They learn it from each other when at play." "But when you are 

 at play you are otherwise occupied t " " Boys don't always want 

 to play, and they sit off in a corner, and they get it" (criminal 

 training). This man confessed to thirty arrests besides his sixteen 



