Mental Defectives and Sexual Offenders | Page 9

| Male, Male, |
Both illegitimate. | | Immoral and | born 1911. born 1912. | Reputed fathers | | generally
bad | | well-known bad | | character. | | characters. | | Inmate of | | | | private | | | |
reformatory. | | | +------------------+-------------------------+---------------------+ |4. Female. |
Female, Female, | Mother married a | | Indifferent, | born born | widower with three | |
married | 1908. 1912. | children. There are | | criminal, now | | three more the | | in prison. |
Female, born 1916. | result of marriage | | | | maintained by the | | | | State. |
+------------------+-------------------------+---------------------+ |5. Female. | Female, Female, |
All delicate | | Drunkard and | born born | neurotic types and | | married a | 1898. 1900. |
difficult to | | drunkard | | manage. | | although man | Female, Female, | | | of good | born
1902. born 1905. | | | education. | | | | | Female, born 1908. | |
+------------------+-------------------------+---------------------+ |6. Female. | Male, born 1910.
| | | Well-known | | | | prostitute, | | | | married member | | | | of notorious | | | | criminal | | | |
family, and | | | | himself | | | | criminal. | | |
+------------------+-------------------------+---------------------+
All these children, numbering twenty-one, were committed to the care of the State, in
most cases shortly after birth. Twelve of the children are illegitimate. The husband of
daughter No. 6 is also the father of one each of the offspring of daughters Nos. 2 and 3.
Most of the children are delicate and poorly developed, and at least six of them are
definitely tubercular. The remainder are either neurotic or erratic in their conduct and
have given a great deal of trouble in their upbringing. The total cost to the State for the
maintenance of these children may be quoted at £10,000, but of this amount £482 has
been recovered from the various men liable. It is difficult to assess the State's total
commitment. If some of the children have to be maintained until they reach the age of
twenty-one the additional cost will be £3,000. There is the probability, too, that the
offspring of these children will become charges upon the State.
Case No. 4. +--------------------+---------------------+ | Father: | Mother: | | Addicted to drink
| Drunkard and | | and degenerate. | morally deficient. | | | |
+------------------------------------+----------------+ | | Female, | | | born 1908. | |
+----------------+ | | Male, | | | born 1909. | |All these children are illegitimate |Admitted
special| |and are feeble-minded, requiring | school, 1920. | |lifelong control. Three are now
+----------------+ |inmates of mental hospitals, and | Female, | |in time the remainder of the
| born 1910. | |family at present in special +----------------+ |schools will be sent on to
mental | Male, | |hospitals. | born 1914. | | +----------------+ | | Male, | | | born 1916. | |
+----------------+ | | Female, | | | born 1917. |
+------------------------------------+----------------+ | | Male, | | | born 1918. | |All probably
feeble-minded. +----------------+ |Not yet brought under | Male, | |State control. | born
1920. | | +----------------+ | | Male, | | | born 1923. |
+------------------------------------+----------------+
An officer of the Education Department describes the home as "one of the dirtiest and

most squalid homes I have seen." The cost (including past, present, and approximate
future maintenance) to the State for the upkeep of this family is estimated at £10,000.
Nothing has been paid by the parents towards the support of these children. In all
probability, the remaining members of the family will be brought under State control at a
probable cost of £4,500.
Case No. 5. +--------------------------------------------------+ | Father: | Mother: | | Drunken
waster; | Feeble-minded helpless | | subnormal; | invalid. Died shortly | | frequently in gaol.
| after children committed | | | to care of State. | | | |
+--------------------------------------------------+ |Male, born 1904. | |Tubercular. Partly |
|self-supporting. | +------------------------+ |Female, born 1907. | |Tubercular. Suffers |
|from epileptic seizures.| |Inmate mental hospital. | |Lifelong custody. |
+------------------------+ |Male, born 1909. | |Subnormal. May in | |time become partly |
|self-supporting | |under favourable | |conditions. | +------------------------+ |Male, born
1911. | |Mentally deficient. | |Case for lifelong | |control. | +------------------------+ |Male,
born 1913. | |Mentally deficient. | |Lifelong custodial | |case. | +------------------------+
|Female, born 1914. | |Feeble-minded and | |badly nourished. Case | |for permanent |
|segregation. | +------------------------+ |Male, born 1916. | |Very backward. May | |become
partly | |self-supporting | |under favourable | |conditions. | +------------------------+
In 1916 the whole