At the meeting of the Social Science Congress, held at Liverpool, in 1876, Mr. Nugent stated that upwards of 4,107 women had relapsed four times or oftener, and that many of them were classed as incorrigible, having been convicted twenty; forty, or fifty times, whilst one had been convicted 130 times.
The judicial statistics of Italy for 1887 give the following results:—
<p 37>
ITALY—Convicted, per cent.
Relapses.
Justices of Tribunals. Assizes.
Peace.
Once … … … … 57 42 50
Two to five times … 34 40 40
More than five times … 9 18 10
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Actual totals of relapses 27,068 16,240 1,870
I have found from my inquiries amongst 346 condemned to penal servitude and 353 prisoners from the correctional tribunals the following percentages:—
Relapsed. Convicts Imprisoned. Once … … 83.2 … … 26 Twice … … 12.5 … … 16.5 3 times … … 3.1 … … … 14.6 4 '' … … — … … … 10.8 5 '' … … 6.8 … … … 6.6 6 '' … … — … … … 5.2 7 '' … … 1.6 … … … 7.1 8 '' … … — … … … 2.8 9 '' … … — … … … 2.8 10 '' … … — … … … 2.3 11 '' … … — … … … .9 12 '' … … — … … … .5 13 '' … … — … … … .9 14 '' … … — … … … 1.4 15 '' … … — … … … .9 20 '' … … — … … … .5 ———————————————————————— Actual totals of relapses 128 212
Chronic relapse is naturally less frequent in the case of those condemned to long terms; but it is a conspicuous symptom of individual and social pathology in the two classes of born and habitual criminals. <p 38>
Lombroso, in the second volume of his work on ``The Criminal,'' denies that precocity and relapse are characteristics distinguishing born and habitual from occasional criminals. But it is only a question of terms. He considers that born and habitual criminals confine themselves almost exclusively to serious crime, and occasional criminals to minor offences. And as the figures which I have given show that precocity and relapse are even more frequent for minor offences than for crimes, he thinks that they contradict instead of confirming my conclusions.
The mere seriousness of an act cannot by any means divide the categories of criminals; for homicide as well as theft, assault and battery as well as forgery, may be committed, though in different psychological and social conditions, as easily by born and habitual criminals as by occasional criminals and criminals of passion.
Moreover, the figures which I have given show that precocity and relapse are more frequent in the forms of criminality which, apart from their gravity, are the common practices of born and habitual criminals, such as murder, homicide, robbery, rape, &c., whilst they are far more uncommon, even if they can be said to be observed at all, in the case of the crimes and offences usually committed by occasional criminals, such as infanticide, and certain of the offences mentioned above.
It remains to say something of the occasional criminals, and the criminals of passion. <p 39>