Criminality and economic conditionsBonger, Willem Adriaan
General
Criminality and economic conditions
Bonger, Willem Adriaan
Crime -- Economic aspects
Let us take up now the exposition of Chapter I of “Socialismo e
criminalità.” Turati, in his “Il delitto e la questione sociale” has
made the following objections to Professor Ferri’s theses. Professor
Ferri distinguishes five categories of criminals: insane criminals,
incorrigible born-criminals, habitual criminals, criminals from
passion, and occasional criminals. In the first two categories
individual factors play a very important rôle; however, according to
Professor Ferri’s investigations these two groups include but 20% to
25% of the whole number of criminals, and deducting the insane, only
10% remain. Since criminals form only the minority of the population,
and physical factors have only a slight influence, it follows that
these factors influence rather the form than the cause of the crime.
The three factors work nearly all the time. It is clear, therefore,
that the two other factors alone will not be strong enough to produce
crime at a time when the social factor is eliminated, as has been
proved by the socialistic colony at New Lanark, which preserved an
exemplary morality for four years. Then, without taking account of the
crimes that are the consequence of viciousness of life or of the
abnormal economic condition, the authors of great crimes (except
technical and professional ones) are less numerous among the well-to-do
than among the lower classes, where the anthropological elements are
nearly the same. And if the different classes show anthropological
differences, this is not because these differences are innate in
individuals on account of being born in the lower classes, but because
they are produced and brought about by poverty, bad education, etc. The
true causes of crime are consequently social conditions, and in the
last analysis economic conditions.
Professor Ferri’s argument against what has just been said may be
summed up as follows: Will there be no social atmosphere in a
socialistic state? Or rather, will this atmosphere be so perfect that
the germ of the smallest social factor of crime will be absent? Do we
suppose that when poverty is suppressed, jealousy will disappear at the
same time? If legal marriage is abolished will that prevent an ugly man
from violating or killing a beautiful woman who refuses to accept him?
It may be objected that in this case the man is not an habitual or an
occasional criminal, but a born-criminal, or an insane criminal, or a
criminal from passion. Well and good, but then in this future state we
shall still be far removed from an earthly paradise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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