The Cause of the Crime Wave

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

John Turner White’s address analyzes the sharp rise in crime in Missouri over the last six or seven years, criticizing theories built on insufficient facts or attention to isolated cases. He reviews the Missouri Crime Survey as an expert fact-finding effort and explains why blame focused mainly on criminal procedure and court shortcomings fails to account for why a crime wave emerged only recently. White argues that a more fundamental condition or force must be identified—something that changed motives or environment rather than human nature itself.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

The Cause of the Crime Wave

I. Concerning the remarkable increase of crime

97-84161-25White,John Turner The cause of the crimewave [Columbia] [1927] COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION # BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED·EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 308ZBox 498White,John Turner,1854-The cause of the crine wave,by John TurnerWhite … Address delivered before the Mis-souri state ber associetion,at Columbia,Mo.,September 30,1927. 192729 p.(9*28O。上 Roproductions may not be made without pemission from Columbia University Lbranies. ## RESTBICTIONS ON USE: # TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: mmREDUCTION BATIO: /2:/ IMAGE PLACEMENT:IA IIAIB IIB INITIALS: 1 DATE FILMED: 8-12-97 26761 ## TRACKING\#: 107 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. | | THE CAUSE OF THE
CRIME WAVE
BY
JOHN TURNER WHITE
afrw Grt afMir
308
Z
3ex
498
Addren dliuredbyfirethe
MIS9OURI STATE BAR ASS0CIATI05
at
Columbia,Mo.,September 30,1927 | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | IN EXPLANATION The within address of John Turner White,Justice of the Supreme Court of Misouri,wasdelivered by him on September 30,1927,beforethe Missouri State Bar Association at its an-nual meeting then in session at Columbia,Mig-souri.The address made such a profound im-pression upon the members of the Bar that aresolution was at once unanimously adoptedanthorizing and directing the Secretary of theAssociation to have printed and distributed 20,000 copies of the same. Many prominent lawyers of the State are ofthe opinion that this address contains the mostaceurate and complete analysis of the presenterime wave that has ever been given. After reading the enelosed,please pass iton to someone else. CLARENCB A.BABNBS,President,Mexico,Missouri. JAMBB A.PoTTEB,Secretary,Jefferson City,Missouri # The Cause of the Crime Wave I. CoNCEBNINo the remarkable inerease of crime in the lastsix or seven yeare,there has been much futile diseussion;much generalization from insufficient facts,and in the ab-sence of facts,much dissertation upon specifie cases whichsignify nothing,and little or no attempt to get at sufficientinformation upon which to base a legitimate deduetion. The Missouri Crime Survey,the result of which has beenpublished by the Asociation for Criminal Justiceis thefrst work of its kind ever undertaken in this eountry orany other.With no attempt to support a theory,itgathered the facts,with thoroughness and aceuraey andwith the aid of expert skill. Too much ean not be said in eommendation of this ex-traordinary work,or of the high purpose of the gentle-men who undertook and carried it through.Yet the Sur-vey is incomplete because limited in the time covered,andto only a part of the State.It is also limited by insuffi-cient records on some important features.Though ineom-plete,it lights up many obseure corners in the field of handling crime.It furnishes some surprises.Some of the ob-trusive phenomena which have been fruitful of most com-ment are found to be insignificant factors in the mainproblem regarding the general failure of legal processesto suppress erime.Above all,it furnishes ground to be-lieve we have found the prime cause of the inerease oferime in recent years. An adequate cause of the present erime wave must befound in some condition which did not exist,or in someforee which did not operate in former times;some changein motive or environment.Human nature has not changedin half a generation.We are not a throwback:civilized habits are not a thin veneer now suddenly shaken off,sothat we have assumed our ancestral predatory character. Theories in plenty have been advanced to account forthe phenomenon.Not unnaturally the first impulse was totake a surface indication and blame the administration ofthe laws;crime was rampant because it was not punished.It was not punished because the l

FAQs

What does White claim is necessary to explain the present crime wave?

He says an adequate cause must be found in some condition or force that did not exist or did not operate in earlier times—some change in motive or environment.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia