YOUTHFUL CRIMINALS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2620, 16 August 1923, Page 4

YOUTHFUL CRIMINALS

INCREASE AMONG EUROPEANS AND MAORIS.

A significant warning about the increase in crime among juveniles and a suggestion that an authoritative social welfare movement is needed to check it, are features of the annual report of the ControllerGeneral of Prisons, presented to Parliament. A total of 340 New Zealand-boi’n prisoners between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five were received during 1922—an increase of 126 or 58 per cent, on the figures for 1921. Crime among youthful Maoris appears to be on the increase. Twentynine Maoris under the age of twenty years were received during the past year as against ten during 1921.’ EXAMPLE OF AMERICA.

Discussing the. matter, the Con-troller-General, Mr C. E. Matthews says:

“The general increase in the prison population is, no doubt, symtohi'atic of the times, but when it is realised that the bulk of that increase during the past two years has been in the more juvenile class of offenders only, the position that has arisen is regrettable to the last degree. It is time indeed that this phase of criminality received some definite study on the part of some person, or set of persons, specially suited and specially employed for this important class of research work. It is a question of cause and effect. Until the origin of a disease is discovered it is impossible to apply an effective remedy. In some of the States of America there are Social-welfare Departments with properly qualified staffs to deal with every phase of social-reform work.

CO-ORDINATION OF EFFORT. “While New Zealand is not yet sufficiently populous to warrant heavy expenditure in this direction, there is ample room for a co-or-dination of effort. A properly organised Social-welfare Department, combining the activities of some half-dozen departments and private organisations that are now dealing with various phases of the subject, would not necessarily lead to much additional expenditure, but if such a department were established under efficient leadership there would be little difficulty in providing a special research branch to investigate the root cause of crime and poverty, and to provide formulae at least for amelioration. At present there is no authority to Whom members of the public may appeal when matters affecting the social welfare of the community come under their notice. “NOBODY’S BUSINESS.” “It is ‘nobody’s business,’ least of all the business of the Prisons Department; but with such evidence before'us of the result of the general -neglect of the primary principles of social reform we feel that it is at least our ‘business’ to draw public attention to the matter. In this connection I feel impelled to repeat the concluding paragraph of my last year’s remarks regarding the criminal statistics: ‘ln crime as in disease: “prevention is better than cure.” Preventive measures must naturally be applied before the disease has developed. In crime, as in disease, the application of a cure is a doubtful, difficult, and lengthy process. The percentage of complete recoveries in the case of confirmed criminals is probably as small as in the case of sufferers from malignant disease who have received no medical attention until the disease has become well established.’ ” MINISTER’S THEORY.

The Mihister of Justice (Hon. C. J. Parr), ►replying to remarks on the matter in the House of Representatives recently, said that, in the absence of an investigation by a social welfare officer, such as was suggested-in the report,'he could not state definitely what were the causes leading'to the increase of juvenile crime.- ;, He was aware, however, that a number of the crimes were petty thefts, such as of cigarettes,

and of offences against employers. He was inclined to attribute the lapse to the want of parental control in the years succeeding the war, and to the somewhat nervous temperament of youths and their desire for more pleasure.