A Plea for the Criminal

How society treats people convicted of crimes is the question at the heart of this appeal by James Leslie Allan Kayll. Writing against punishment driven by vengeance, Kayll argues that understanding an offender's circumstances and capacity for change serves the community better. He distinguishes several kinds of offenders and treats their reform as a task requiring education, sympathy and careful study. The book also replies directly to Dr. Chapple's The Fertility of the Unfit.

Kayll examines the competing claims of heredity and environment, questioning whether family background can reliably predict a child's future conduct. His discussion places particular weight on home conditions and the possibility of improving them. Readers interested in the history of prison reform will find a sustained argument about society's responsibilities towards vulnerable people, together with classifications and assumptions that reflect the criminological thinking of its period.