Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/159

Rh that answer because 1 believe the more undesirable crime is shown, the more ugly crime isshown, the less attractive it is.

You can't show stories of detective work, you cant show stories of erime in a pretty state. or im a delicate state, because then I believe that if would be attractive, It would perhaps invite a susceptible mind,

Mr. . But must vou show, Mr. Friedman, the knife coming out of a baek of a bloody body, or a child drowning his stepmother In quicksand

Mr. . Frankly, I am not familiar with that particular context, but that is the scene of rhe crime; you either hide the crime from public view or von show the scene of the ertme., If you have crime storiesand I honestly do not know, and 1 say that because this investigative bedy. thts houorable snbeoramittee of the Senate, is trying to arrive now at facts that perhaps Tam also trying to arrive at because of what L have heardhave these crime stories any impact on juvenile delinquency?

The. That is the issue.

Mr. . That is the issue.

From what T hive heard, because there is a question, T would also like fo have that question answered.

But from the evidence that T have heard before this committee, from the very vociferous wiinesses who appeared yesterday, the publisher ef a hook, from the evidence that T heard yesterday, he had 3,000 cases before him ina peviod of perhaps 5 to 6 vears, and 1f T remember his evidence correctly, he could not point to a staigle mstance in which he said that the particular juvenile was caused to become a delinquent becanse he read any particular kind of comic Inagazines,

Mr. . Were you here all day yesterday, Mr. Friedman?

Mr. . No, sir.

Mr. . Let me add one thing to your statement. As I recall Dr, Wertham's testimony, it related to the fact he could not find one single case that he could point to as having been caused by a erime comic, but he was testifying to the effect that it had a positive effect. Dut in the morning sir. we had Dr. Peck. of the Children's Court, here, who did testify that on an emolionally disturbed child these crime and horror comics would have wn effect,

Mr. . Counselor, I Uhink you will agree wiih me that every coneeivable action takenthe time of day, the weatherhas some sort of reaction, some sort of an tupresston om an emotionally dis- turbed child, and also on a normal child.

I also read the testimony. I believe, of vour Mr. Clendenen. I am sorry I was noi here to hear his testimony. He also asserted he could not find any particular juvenile that was led to delinquency by the comic books thal. he came in contact with,

1 also heard the testimony, if I may, of the gentleman who was here this morning, and that. gentleman to a period of his associations, years th contact with the comie beolrs, and his study of thousands and thousands of children, tm his association wilh Warwick, has neyer come In contact with oue individual

Mr. . Are you not engaging in semantics. Mr. Friedman?

Mr. . I am not. I am trying to be honest in your answers.