Crime, Punishment, and Psychiatry.
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A Review of [The Crime of Punishment] by Karl Menninger, whose basic thesis is that psychiatry has more functional value within the criminological system than has been hitherto realized. Menninger's suggested reforms for our system include (1) trials which determine the facts of a crime; (2) sentences of indeterminate character, to be decided by penologists on the basis of each prisoner's reaction to treatment; (3) diagnostic centers for the criminally inclined; (4) industrial schools for delinquent minors; and (5) greatly extended pre-release and post-release programs. The reviewer regrets lack of expansion of these proposals and also finds inconsistent Menninger's support of automatic, predetermined penalties with his appeal for more selective treatment of prisoners. He also questions whether granting greater autonomy to psychiatrists in treating prisoners will necessarily better the system. Despite these reservations, the author feels this book may eventually be a "classic in its field."
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