Mental Defectives and Sexual Offenders | Page 9

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 of this family was committed to the care of the State, and at least six of them will be lifelong cases. The cost to the State, computed up to twenty-one years in each case, is approximately ￡8,500, but the additional future cost may easily be estimated at ￡5,000, making in all the sum of ￡13,500. The father was ordered to pay at the rate of 15s. a week, but the amount recovered from him to date is only ￡156.
Case No. 6. +---------------------+-----------------------+ | Father: | Mother: | | Subnormal. Was a | Has always been | | watersider, so | addicted to periodic | | dirty in habits | fits of insanity. | | that watersiders | Has been in mental | | complained. A | hospital on several