[Gutenberg 46846] • Mysteries of Police and Crime, Vol. 1 (of 3)

Excerpt from Mysteries of Police and Crime, Vol. 1: A General Survey of Wrongdoing and Its Pursuit

That we are all potential criminals is proved by the natural proclivities of the young. Criminal instincts, more or less strongly developed, are to be seen in all children. Anger, resentment, mendacity, destructiveness, acquisitiveness are evil traits exhibited by most of them, although in many happily eradicated by careful education. It is the mother's part, says Dr Nicholson, one of our best writers on criminal psychology, to encourage the gradual growth of inhibitory processes, such as prudence, reflection, and a sense of moral duty. In proportion as this development is prevented or stifled, either owing to original brain defect or by lack of proper education and training, so there is the risk of the individual lapsing into criminal-mindedness or into actual crime.

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