PRISONS REPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1932, Page 3

PRISONS REPORT

FOR PAST YEAR. Comment on th© inefficacy of short terms of imprisonment as a deteri-ent to. crime is contained in the annual report of the.. Controller-General of Prisons, Mr B. L. Dullard, which was presented to Parliament. After explaining, that this applied particularly to young, offenders, Mr D>allard said short terms did no more than dull the edge pf initial repugnance to the idea of imprisonment. A short term did, not permit of a, sufficient time to put into, effect any system of practical training , ?nd, discipline. . Mr Dullard stated that at the lieginning of the year that were 1509 persons in custody and at the. end o| f the year 167. Tire daily average in custody was 1567, as compared with a daily average pf 1569 during the previous . year. The total committals to prison last year, namely 5340, exceeded those of the previous year by 431. '“This increase,” lie said, "may be , regarded as symptomatic of He times, for it is the experience, both here and abroad 1 , that industrial depressions show their reflex in the criminal statistics.” PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS | ■ Of-.the, .total number, of 3203 distant persons received during the year, said Mr Dullard j 1963 offenders had been previously eonviidted. In '.connection with the?e, in 247 cases the former convictions, had been met by way of fine; in 396 eases probation had been granted; in 46 eases the offender on a previous occasion had been committed to an- industrial school; in 90 cases Borstal detention had been ordered; in ,225 -'cades reformative detention had been prescribed; and in 1430 cases.. simple imprisonment -or hard labour had been imposed. Theee figures gave some indication of the intractable material dealt with, some of the criminals having graduated 1 through successively from one form of sentence ,to andther. ■ • “The extent of really serious crime in the Dominion,” Mr Dnllard continued, “may be guaged from the fact that, out of, a total of 3203 individuals

dealt.with, only 659 prisoners, or 20 per cent., received sentences of twelve months otr over. Approximately onethird of tlx© total sentences imposed were for terms of less than one mopth; over half were for less than three months, and nearly threequarters for less than- six months. These, figures show that the proportion of grave offences is not large, but in addition to 1 this they demonstrate that the prison, population in the Dominion is mainly comnrsed of petty iecidivists who are /repeatedly in and out of prison.

“The foregoing statistics also show that, these short terms of imprisonment are quite ineffective as, a means of deterring this class of offender from crime. This applies particularly to young offenders in whose eases short terms do no more than dull the edge of the; initial repugnance to the idea of imprisonment, and thereby lessen its- deterrent effect, besides rhich a short term does not permit of a sufficient time to put into effect anv system of practical training and discipline/. HABITUAL OFFENDERS. . “A more effective means of protecting society from the menace of those who are habitually coming in conflict with, the law would be to utilise the existing statutory provisions for declaring. such persons to be ‘habitual offenders.’ This would undoubtedly he a greater deterrent than the method of treatment, and would save the . expense of repeatedly bringing them before the courts. It would tend to rid the larger towns of a stage army of vagrants and petty criminals who to-day over-crowd our city prisons. The adoption of this course would enable the department to transfer this class pf offender to farm camps or other suitable institutions, as at present, .on account of the short sentences .involved, tl ; cost of transfer is not justified.

“A 1 {particularly disquieting figure of the tables,” said Mr Dallard, “is the heavy increase in the committals of Maoris, particularly young Maoris, the number having almost trebled during the past ten years. Experience shows that in prison tine Maoris are most amenable to discipline and are usually particularly good workers, but the records of the majority of those imprisoned show that their appeal - ance before the courts is attributable mainly to Haziness and lack of discipline, combined with moral laxity arising from id liners about hotels, paa, and questionable places of amusement.”