A study of the case histories of 100 young, adult criminals in Israel shows that 26 were practically illiterate, 72 did not complete more than five grades of schooling, while no more than half knew how to read or write the country’s language, Hebrew. The report was given here today at the United Nations Conference on Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders by Dr. Zvi Hermon, Israel Commissioner of Prisone.
The Israel prison official found that extreme poverty does not seem to be the chief factor behind the criminality of the sample of 100 studied. At least 75 of the offenders came from homes where the economic situation of the families was “at least adequate.” However, lack of education or illiteracy seemed an important factor contributing to ward asocial behavior, according to Dr. Hermon. He found further that, of the 100 offenders studied, at least 58 had been delinquents at as early an age as 14.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
