4.6 Eugenics as Crime Policy
One result of early investigations into the role of the brain, body, and mind in criminality was the idea that “inferior” people could be eradicated from society. Prejudice combined with poor and/or deeply biased methodologies produced research results that upheld white supremacy and patriarchal ideals. English anthropologist Francis Galton argued that “criminal nature tends to be inherited,” citing Richard Dugdale’s study of the Jukes family as justification. Galton coined the term eugenics, which refers to manipulation of the human gene pool by controlling reproduction and/or eliminating populations deemed inferior. By preventing individuals of “degenerate” stock from procreating, he believed that eugenics could reduce crime and other social ills in later generations (figure 4.11).
The eugenics movement was largely fueled by the idea that we could identify the inferior people through IQ testing. For a more modern comparison, think of standardized tests. Initially, these may appear fair since they are standard and given to everyone. However, there are a variety of factors that these tests fail to account for. For example, learning disabilities that have nothing to do with innate intelligence or critical thinking capabilities, but that impact individuals’ ability to read or respond quickly, can affect test scores. General anxiety or anxiety related to testing may also impact test scores. Furthermore, language abilities can impact test scores. If you are an American who speaks English, you probably wouldn’t score as high on an exam given in French or on an exam that you took in Ireland, where cultural differences have filtered into the English spoken there. Any time we see differences between populations in society, we have to look at the entire picture to understand those differences because they do not occur independently of culture, social structure, and legal systems (especially those meant to oppress certain groups).
The idea of eugenics grew popular throughout American society with alarming ease. It led to the passage of laws permitting forced institutionalization and sterilization of low-income individuals, particularly women. This practice was upheld in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Buck v. Bell (1927), which allowed the forced sterilization of Carrie Buck. Buck, a woman with an intellectual disability, was held in a state institution for the “feeble-minded.” Her case followed Goddard’s work on Deborah Kallikak that was described earlier in this chapter. Citing the rationale for the decision, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously stated “three generations of imbeciles are enough.” Many people at the time believed the claims of Goddard, Dugdale, Lombroso, and others about the dangerous potential of undesirable genetics and had no qualms about infringing on reproductive rights. Some of these ideas were even read by Adolf Hitler and used as justification for many of the atrocities committed by the Nazi Party.
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