Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/232

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218 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OP SOCIOLOGY

been noted, that the negro population of Chicago is made up of negroes from all parts of the United States. The largest number of criminals are from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri. It is from these states, as has already been stated, that the largest number of negroes in Chicago has come.

OFFENSES.

Offenses of negro persons under the head of general arrests. Comparing offenses for May and January with offenses of total arrests, we see that the proportionate number of negroes arrested for assault and burglary is less than the proportionate number of total arrests for these offenses ; that for larceny and vagrancy the proportionate number of negroes arrested is about the same as the proportionate number of total arrests for these offenses ; and that the proportionate number of negroes arrested for disor derly conduct and robbery is greater than the proportionate total arrests for these offenses.

Classification of offenses. Eighty per cent, of offenses were against society ; 74 per cent, of the offenses against society were offenses against public peace ; 1 1 per cent, of the offenses were against property, and 7 per cent, against the person.

Offenses of negro persons classed as criminals. The three offenses of larceny, burglary, and robbery predominate ; the largest num- ber of persons, as would be expected, committed larceny ; 42 per cent, of all offenses were larceny; 16 per cent, of all persons committed or attempted burglary, and 18 per cent, committed or attempted robbery. From the Census Reports on Crime for 1890 it is seen that 28 per cent, of all negro persons then con- fined in prison had been committed for larceny, 1 1 per cent, for burglary, and 2.38 per cent, for robbery.

Offenses by sex. Burglary, it appears, is an offense commit- ted almost entirely by the males ; also that the tendency to commit larceny and robbery is greater among the females than among the males. Fifty-eight per cent, of the total offenses committed by the females were of larceny, against 26 per cent, of the males for this same offense ; 24 per cent, of the females committed robbery, against 12 per cent, of the males for this