MENTAL DEFECTIVES

Hokitika Guardian, 3 February 1925, Page 4

MENTAL DEFECTIVES

REPORT OF COMMISSION

EUGENICS BOARD PROPOSED

WELLINGTON, February 2.

The committee of inquiry into mental defective and sexual offenders, appointed to investigate and report upon the necessity of special care and treatment of such cases, has furnished a valuable and comprehensive report to the Minister of Health.

The commission, of which the Hon. W. H. Triggs is chairman, recommends the appointment of a eugenics hoard to deal with the problem of the feeble minded. The first step towards the formation of the hoard should he the appointment of a thoroughly trained and experienced psychiatrist. The board should lie invested with power to examine all cases notified, and after due investigation, to place on the register, such persons as in its judgment come within the definition in the" Mental Deficiency Act, of feebleminded persons, afflicted with epilepsy, associated with automatism or other conditions rendering them, especially liable to dangerous, immoral or otherwise anti-social manifestations; and in the case ol juvenile epileptics, mere, frequency of fits renderinn them unsuitable for attendance at" ordinarv schools, moral imbeciles, as defined‘in the English Mental Deficiency Act, and persons discharged from mental hospitals. It should lie the function of the hoard to order or recommend to the Minister the segre gation, supervision or treatment of tie different classes. Gases receiving adequate care in their homes could not, of course, he interfered with. Tn regard to the order of reference dealing with the tratment of mental degenerates, and persons charged with sexual offences, the committee recommends : . (1) That the Crimes Act he amended to provide for the passing of indeterminate sentence upon persons convicted of sexual offences, Hie Courts to be niveu full discretion as to whether the sentence shall he definite or indeterminate. (•1) That the Prisons Board he vested with the same power of recommendation for release on probation, of him discharge, or prisoners under >"determinate sentence, as they now have i„ ,-egiml to all other prisoners. (s)’That a psychiatrist he appointed to advise the Prisons Department as to the classification and treatment, auc that he he available to the Courts for examination before sentence ot sexual offenders, or offenders wlio are thought to be irresponsible on account ol mental defect. (!) That the Prisons Board be advised by the Eugenic Board m regard to the release on probation or final discharge of all sexual offenders nr feeble-minded offenders, coming under its jurisdiction. (5) The committee feels that the information at present available in re „ard to sterilisation and de-sexuahsa-tion of sexual offenders is quite inadequate to permit <’f i,n<l hn: '' judgment as to the value oi the procedure. They recommended, therefore, that the whole question he remitted for careful investigation lo the Eugenie Board, which it is proposed should he set up.