Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/235

 CRIME AMONG THE NEGROES OF CHICAGO 221

Classifying the offenses, it is seen that 94.59 per cent, of the offenses are against property and 5.41 per cent, against the per- son ; therefore we may say that the offenses of negro criminals under twenty years of age are very largely against property. By sexes it is seen that 100 per cent, of the male offenses were against property and 89 per cent, of the female are against prop- erty. We see that 1 1 per cent, of the female offenses are against the person ; therefore we may conclude that the tendency to crime against the person is much stronger in negro females under twenty years of age than in negro males under that age.

Of the seven murder cases noted under the head of negroes classed as criminals it was seen that five were by females and two by males. The ages of the females were respectively 22, 26, 27, 30, and 34 years. The ages of the males were 29 and 31 years. The average age of females is seen to be 27.80 years. The average age of the males is 30 years. This, with what we have already seen in connection with offenses committed by persons under twenty years of age, would seem to indicate that murder is not com- mitted at as early an age as larceny, burglary, and robbery; it also appears that the females committed murder at an earlier age than the males.

Habits. The writer was unable to collect any data relative to the habits of negro criminals, beyond the fact that the opium habit is quite prevalent among them and is increasing.

Literacy and illiteracy. Of the literacy and illiteracy of the negro criminals of Chicago no data were collected. It is to be presumed, however, because of the general educational advance- ment of the negro, and the fact that the majority of them are less than twenty-five years of age, that the greater number of the negro criminals of Chicago are literate.

IS CRIME INCREASING ?

During the past twenty-five years there has been a very great increase in the proportion of negroes arrested in the city, and the numbers confined in the jail and house of correction, to the pro- portion of negroes in the city's population. The per cent, of negro arrests in the total arrests has increased slightly in the