BLACKMAR: PENOLOGY IN KANSAS. 165 



it is not intended to show that heredity does not have a large influ- 

 ence in the development of crime. Statistics have been prepared to 

 thoroughly substantiate the fact that heredity plays a great part in the 

 development of the criminal. 



''Of the inmates of Elmira reformatory 499, or 13.7 per cent, have 

 been of insane or epileptic heredity. Of 233 prisoners at Auburn, 

 New York, 23.03 per cent, were clearly of neurotic (insane, 

 epileptic, etc.) origin; in reality many more. Virgilio found that 195 

 out of 266 criminals were affected by diseases that are usually heredi- 

 tary. Rossi found five insane parents to seventy-one criminals, six 

 insane brothers and sisters and fourteen cases of insanity among more 

 distant relatives. Kock found morbid inheritance in 46 per cent, of 

 criminals. Marro, who has examined the matter very carefully, 

 found the proportion 77 per cent., and by taking into consideration 

 the large range of abnormal characters in the parents, the proportion 

 of criminals with bad heredity rose to 90 percent. He found that an 

 unusually large proportion of the parents had died from cerebro-spinal 

 diseases and from phthisis. Sichard examining nearly 4,000 criminals 

 in the prison of which he is director, found an insane, epileptic, 

 suicidal and alcoholic heredity in 36.8, incendiaries 32.2 per cent, 

 thieves, 28.7 sexual offenders, 23.6 percent, sharpers. Penta found 

 among the parents of 184 criminals only 4 or 5 per cent, who were 

 quite healthy."* 



Such being the awful tendency of crime to breed crime, questions 

 arising respecting the causes of crime ought to be a careful study by 

 all persons interested in criminology or penology. 



The question has often arisen, How will you find out correctly 

 about the past history of individuals? Some conclude that, because 

 prisoners are dishonest, there is no method by which you can find out 

 about their past life or early conditions. A careful study of this 

 question by men who are expert in handling criminals, has convinced 

 the public that this may be done. Possibly as much of the record of 

 the prisoner as is convenient to be obtained, should be procured by 

 the court and sent to the warden with the sentence. If it could not, 

 the warden then could ascertain through a commission the past his- 

 tory of each prisoner as he comes to him and a full record of his life, 

 condition, habits, etc. If this was not complete, it could be verified 

 from time to time or be changed from time to time, as facts developed 

 later on. Perhaps no one has succeeded any better in this line than 

 has Mr. Brockway, general superintendent of the Elmira reformatory. 

 Mr. Brockway presents the subject in the following letter : 



* Havelock EUis, The Criminal, page 93. 



