Deficiency and Delinquency: An Interpretation of Mental TestingMiner, James Burt
Science
Deficiency and Delinquency: An Interpretation of Mental Testing
Miner, James Burt
Children with mental disabilities; Juvenile delinquents; Mentally ill offenders; Psychological tests
The principle is apparently in conflict with the rule advocated by Dr.
Wallin. Referring to the mental levels reached by individuals, he says:
“We cannot consider X-, XI-, or XII-year-old criminals as feeble-minded
because they happen to be criminals and refuse to consider X-, XI-, and
XII-year-old housewives, farmers, laborers and merchants as
feeble-minded simply because they are law abiding and successful”
(_214_, p. 707). At another place he insists “that the rule must work
both ways” (_215_, p. 74). Logically it would seem at first that it was
a poor rule which did not work both ways. Further consideration will
show, I believe, that there has been a confusion of feeble-mindedness
with tested deficiency. If all the feeble-minded tested deficient
intellectually then the tested level should determine whether or not
they were feeble-minded. This, however, is not a correct psychological
description of the facts. I prefer, therefore, to allow for those in a
defined narrow range of weak intellects to be classed as deficient
provided their weakness also manifests itself pronouncedly in the
conative sphere.
The principle that all mental deficients need not show the same low
degree of intellectual ability is clearly recognized in perhaps the most
important legal enactment on deficiency which has been passed in recent
years, the British Mental Deficiency Act of 1913. It states regarding
“moral imbeciles” that they are persons “who from an early age display
some permanent mental defect coupled with strong vicious or criminal
propensities on which punishment has had little or no deterrent effect.”
It specifically distinguishes them from the group of feeble-minded which
require guardianship because of inability to care for themselves.
-----
Footnote 3:
In Great Britain the term is restricted to those above the imbecile
group.
CHAPTER III. THE PERCENTAGE DEFINITION OF INTELLECTUAL DEFICIENCY
A. THE DEFINITION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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