Of those criminals who begin by being occasional criminals, and end, after progressive degeneration, by exhibiting the features of the born criminals, Thomas More said, ``What is this but to make thieves for the <p 31>pleasure of hanging them?'' And it is just this class of criminals whom measures of social prevention might reduce to a minimum, for by abolishing the causes we abolish the effects. Apart from their organic and psychological characteristics, innate or acquired, there are two bio-sociological symptoms which seem to me to be common, though for distinct reasons, to born criminals and habitual criminals. I mean precocity and relapse. The occasional crime and the crime of passion do not, as a rule, occur before manhood, and rarely or never lead to relapse. Here are a few figures concerning precocity, derived from international prison statistics:-- PRISONERS UNDER 20 YEARS OF AGE. Male. Female. __________________________________________________________________ p.c. p.c. Italy (1871--6) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 8.8 6.8 France ('72-5) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 7.6 Prussia ('71-7--not over 19 years) ... ... ... 2.8 2.6 Austria ('72-5) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9.6 10.6 Hungary ('72-6) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4.2 9 England ('72-7 )--not over 24) ... ... ... ... 27.4 14.8 Scotland ('72-7) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20 7.8 Ireland ('72-7) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 3.2 Belgium ('74-5) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20.8 --- Holland ('72-7) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 22.8 3.7 Sweden ('73-7) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 19.7 17 Switzerland ('74) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6.6 7 Denmark ('74-5) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9.9 9.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------- More recent figures show that the yearly average in France, for 1876-80, out of 4,374 persons brought to trial, was 1 per cent. under sixteen years of age, and 17 per cent. between sixteen and twenty-one; <p 32>whilst in 1886 the same percentages were .60 and 14. Out of 146,217 accused before the tribunals there were 4 per cent. under sixteen, and 14 per cent. between sixteen and twenty- one. Out of 25,135 females there were 4 per cent. under sixteen, and 11 per cent. between sixteen and twenty-one; whilst in 1886 the percentages were 3 and 14 of males, 2.5 and 14 of females. In Prussia, of persons accused of crimes and offences in 1860-70, 4 per cent. were under eighteen years. In Germany, of persons condemned in 1886, 3 per cent. were between twelve and fifteen, 6 per cent. between fifteen and eighteen, and 16 per cent. between eighteen and twenty-one years.