POLICE COURT SENTENCES.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 565, 1 November 1871, Page 2

POLICE COURT SENTENCES.

A g-eeat number of people who either have nothing to do, or are labouring under the impression that by constant attendance at the Police Court they will become acquainted with the principles of Colonial Law, must have observed the immense disproportion*. between the amounts ol fine inflicted by ihe Kesid.-nt Magistrates, and those inQio'ed by the Justices of Peace for identical crimes Now, it must not be forgotten that our Resi d«nt Magistrate is ii ol some thirty years' experience in the punishment o! criminals, while many of our loral mngistrutea have but recently commenced the work of adjudicating upon proceedings of a criminal character, except in so far as the. might havu been engaged as jurors in some frupr«iu« C^urt business. The logical inference clearly is, thafc the R.M. is, in the majority of cases, right in his judgements, while the low Justices of t!ie Peace who hitve h-ul tie courage to take the work al the Police Oilier since two Magistrates were cast in damages on account of the Bay ol Islands Coil Mining Company, are wro 'g. The Re.-ideut Magistrate has rejeatedly expressed a strong opinion that small tines and short p riods of i'liprison inent are worse than useles.*, and tlwt the latter combined witli Hie ease enjoyed by those sentenced to hard labor, prompts nmny lazy vagrants to commit petty crimes for the expresss purpose ol being sent for a period to a place where there is plenty to eat and very little to do. His opinion may be right, and we are rather inclined to think it is. On looking over the files of the English papers, we find that crimes of a similar class have lately been punished infinitely more severely than has been done even by our Resident Magistrate. This ought to be a lesson to our newly fledged Justices, for experience in Eug land is great in these matters ; and in opposition to a proper administration of justice, there has, for some time, been a sickly namby-pamby feeling which lias led to the pampering of criminals and the objecting to anything which may appear like punishment —reformation being the only end aimed at. How fear rformation has ever been effected within the walls of a gaol, can hardly be known ; but if we refer even to the Police reports of this city, we cannot fail to be struck with the number of names which recur periodically, thus showing that the treatment to which they have been subjected has had -neither deterrent nor reforming effect. On the whole, we are convinced that Captain Beckham is right; and even for the secondary consideration of saving the country the expense of re-apprehending and re-con-viction, there cannot be a question that in every glaring case of wrong doing, the full amount of pains and penulties should be inflicted.