The motive for the crime is generally a serious one and in most cases immediately precedes it. Bouley committed his crime only a few hours after receiving the news which prompted it; Bounin, Bechis, and Verano, only a few minutes; Milani, twenty-four hours, Zucca eight hours; Curti, a few days. Thus the crime is seldom premeditated, or if so, for only a short space of time, never for months or years.
Homicide forms 91% of the criminality of this group of offenders. There is a certain proportion also of infanticide, owing to the prevailing prejudice which condemns immorality more harshly when the results are evident. Arson and theft form only 2%. Such cases are however possible. A young girl, whom my father had under observation in prison, seeing her family in dire poverty, committed arson in order to get the insurance money.
In another case a woman of refinement, education, and of gentle disposition, who had fallen from prosperity into extreme want, stole in order to pay her son's school-fees. When arrested, she refused to give her name so that the lad should not be dishonoured, and her identity might never have been discovered had she not been recognised by a lawyer in court. She died of a broken heart a few days after her trial.
In order to determine the origin of actions which we call criminal, we shall be forced to hark back to a very remote period in the history of the human race. In all the epochs of which records exist, we find traces of criminal actions. In fact, if we study minutely the customs of savage peoples, past and present, we find that many acts that are now considered criminal by civilised nations were legitimate in former times, and are to-day reputed such among primitive races.
According to Pictet the Latin word _crimen_ is derived from the Sanscrit _karman_, which signifies action corresponding to _kri_ to do. This is contradicted by Vanicek who derives it from _kru_, to hear, _croemen_ (accusation). At any rate, the Sanscrit word _apaz_, which means sin, corresponds to _apas_, work (_opus_), the Latin _facinus_ derives from _facere_, and _culpa_ according to Pictet and Pott, from the Sanscrit _kalp_, to do or execute. The Latin word _fur_ (thief) which Vanicek derives from _bahr_, to carry, the Hebrew _ganav_ and the Sanscrit _sten_ only signify to put aside, to hide, to cover (_gonav_). The Greek word _peirao_ from which pirate is derived, signifies to risk; the Greek _chleptein_ to hide or steal, is derived from the Sanscrit _harp-hlap_ to hide and steal (Vanicek).