XN000022-1973-09-26 — Page 2

Wednesday, September 26, 1973

INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT ON SOCIAL CAUSES OF CRIME

Committee Concludes No Single Factor Wholly Responsible For Crime

The provision of adequate post-primary education facilities and

effective social services will, in the long term, reduce the potential

for crime.

This is the view of the government's special sub-committee set

up to consider the social causes of crime.

The interim progress report of the committee, which is published

today, considers that children of school age who are not attending school

were more open to temptation to commit crime. This is particularly

the case within the 12-14 age group who fail to go on to secondary schools.

These children are debarred from working in factories under

existing labour legislation and their leisure renders them more susceptible

to criminal influence," the report adds.

The sub-committee also draws the government's attention to the

"important relationship" between corruption and other forms of crime.

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The report says that while the sub-committee does not endorse the

"sweeping statements" made by some of the respondents from the general

public, which it said were based on impressions rather than facts, the

sub-committee shares their view that "corruption perpetuates the existence

of vice and organised crime, erodes respect for authority and perversely

influences the minds of the young."

The sub-committee .....................

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