The Criminal Area, by Terence Morris

[p033] The Criminal Area, by Terence Morris (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 25s.) REACTION often puts the responsibility for post-war crime on to the Welfare State. Full employment and other social reforms, it is argued, have lessened the feeling of social res-

[p034] BOOK REVIEWS ponsibility. To answer this kind of argument it is necessary to under- stand what is the kind of environment in which crime is most prevalent. Little time and money are spent in this country on research into the cause of crime. Much energy is put into the detection of crime, but its prevention is ignored. As with the health service, treatment gets all the attention that is denied to prevention. Terence Morris has made a painstaking study of criminal statistics in Croydon for the year 1952 and seen how they relate to environment. He concludes that criminals mainly live in the areas with the largest tracts of property in decline, and where the worst housing is situated. He considers that the social consequences of inadequate housing have been largely ignored and points out that housing legislation has been primarily concerned with public health. In considering class, Morris finds that delinquency occurs most frequently amongst the families of unskilled workers. Unfortunately Morris’s book is written in language not easy for the non-specialist to read. The most readable part of the book is the twelve pages of case histories. For those able io wade through technical language there are many valuable facts in this book that will help to give an understanding of the detailed relationship of crime to the environment of the criminal. DONALD VEALL Young Hungarian