SEXUAL OFFENCES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 September 1924, Page 13

SEXUAL OFFENCES.

STEADILY INCREASING.

Among the tables appearing 5 in the general statistics, but not annexed to the Prisons Department report, is one showing the number of persons sentenced in the Supreme Court for sexiialoffences.

From this it appears that offences of this nature are steadily increasing; the total number being 48 in 1920, 67 in 1921, 73 in 1922, and 81 in 1923. The returns of sexual offenders committed, from all Courts actually in custody on the 19th May, 1924, give % the somewhat disturbing total of 206| or 12.273 per cent, of the total prison: population, while if males only are considered it is found that 18.706 per cent, of .all male prisoners are sexual offehdexs. The cases vary the milder class to definite offences .involving* gross sexual pervfersion and interference With children of both sexes. Single offehce3. of this class may in some cases be attributed to temporary mental aberration or irresistible impulse occurring''■only-' once in the lifetime of the individual concerned; but, unfortunately, there is quite a number of men in the pri&onil at. the present- time who have-" been guilty of repeated, offences-of the same class extending over a. number of years. There are, in fact, men recently sentenced for sexual offences while on probation after serving terms from ten to twenty years for offences of the same class. The persistence through life of this form' of abnormality has been proved beyond question, and it has been' made perfectly clear that the unfortunates who are so cursed must be dealt with’ in some different way from those W.ho. offend against the law in other direc-' tions, says the report. Men of' this class are not criminals in the ordinary sense of the term, but in their t owii interest, and in that of the chin infinity,, they cannot be allowed at. large unless some change can be effected iii Their mental condition.