SEXUAL CRIMINALS.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1924, Page 1

SEXUAL CRIMINALS.

COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY.

[by TELEGRAPH —rER TRESS ASSOCIATION

WELLINGTON, May 30 1 I Evidence upon the control of men- ■ I lal defectives and sexual perverts is 1 being heard by the committee of enquiry sot tip for tho purpose. The prevalence of sexual crime in the Dominion was disclosed in a table showing tile number of sexual offendI ers under sentence in prisons as on I .May 10, 1924. The -figures were— I Carnal knowledge and attempted carnal knowledge 29 Indecent assault 108 incest and attempted incest 14 Sodomy and attempted sodomy 18 Indecent nets (] Rape and attempted rape 20 Indecent exposure ]J .Manslaughter •; 1 110 total ol 200 includes 21 prisoners who appear under more than one of tile above headings. The actual number of individual offenders thus totals 185. The number of sentenced p.isioners in custody on May 10 was 1071. therefore sexual offenders represent 1,.2i3 per cent ol the prison population or 18.705 of*the sentenced nude population. Sir Robert Stout, Chairman of ii.e I’risons Board, said there were sum-, limes brought before the Board sever-t! persons of one family, who had offended against the laws. Sir Robert summed up: “L would sav, first, that we have to re.-ogm-o tnat heredity plays a most important part ill the life of our offenders, and third, that the State has the right to prevent them from breeding.

Evidence on behalf of the Education Department was given by the Director

of Education, Mr J. Caughley. He said that it seemed inevitable that practically eyery chilli horn of even one feeble-minded parent would itself be leeble-mindcd. It should he made impossible fur any feeble-minded person to transmit, to the danger of society, •heir fcoblc-mindcducss, and he therefore suggested the registration of every leehle-minded person in New Zealand. This eottld be done confidentially, and at the present time was being done by the Department. Cases

could then be classified. It scented essential to ensure that all feebleminded girls, in particular, be thoroughly graded after the classification was complete. Dr Clark. School Medical Officer, of Napier, debit with mental deficiency tn children. One of the most regrettiible consequences of allowing defectives and the accidently-retnrded to remain tn classes for which thov were unsuit-

il was that they developed a feeling <>

inlorioril.y to their follows, because t Ik-v could not compete with them on oriiutl tonus. Tin* fooling of inferiority | inevitably dragged in its train a feeling of resentment against society. To this hatred was duo a large number of apparently motiveless crimes, such as burning down schools, ole. A new society must bo provided for such children. After training in a special class, they could he ret rimed to an ordinary class when their leeway ivas made up. (Jnfitahle perverts, etc., could go to a special farm school, while imbeciles and idiots could go to an asylum. At present the wishes of the parents were consulted too much. The etlucatuin of defectives must he free and compulsory. (litre admitted, the parents must have the power to remove them. Segregation lor the inmates of farm schools must be life long, unless sterilisation was adopted, lie felt public opinion was at present opposed to such a course. Kach special class should be under the supervision of a medical man, with a knowledge of child psychology. Questioned, witness said it did not follow that dosojciialisation was always effective. If an operation were performed, anti-social tendencies were liable to "continue, lie thought sterilisation would he approved generally, perhaps, in the near future, as a mailer of course. Professor .J. S. Tennent expressed the opinion that there was not more than one per cent of ihe school population that could unt lie satisfactorily handled in a reasonably equipped school. The public were inclined to brand as feeble-minded, those who did not conform to the ordinary educational standard, lie found that feebleminded children could be effectively treated along corlain lines; for instance. by the development of the kinesthetic ride of the ability displayed. Id brand a bov or girl as a failure in school was the simplest way of assuring the failure of that child. A pressing need in New Zealand was the establishment of pbyvrliologiral clinics lor the diagnosis of cases, and proscription according to the causes of defectiveness. Or H. Marsden, Assistant Director of Education, submitted a proposed scheme by which defective children might lie discovered in the public schools, and dealt with. He advocated mental tests, the classification of pupils, and the establishment of adjustment classes. 'lhe Committee adjourned until next -Monday.