JUVENILE CRIME.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2640, 2 October 1923, Page 1

JUVENILE CRIME.

Much attention has been given recently fo the prevalence of juvenile crime, as evidenced bv the appearance of children and youths before the Courts on charges of various degrees of gravity (says the Auckland “Herald"). The general impression of observers* has been that the number of juvenile offenders is increasing, according to some opinions, at an alarmingly rapid 7 ale. Conclusions of this importance should not he made upon casual observation, without reference to of her factors, such as the growth of the population, and they may be modified by the official justice statistics for 1022 issued by the Government Statistician. The section dealing -with juvenile offenders, those under the age of 16 years, shows that 1,254 eases were before Magistrate’s Courts during the year as compared with 1,101 in 1021. Not only was the number of charges the lowest for many years, but the number of convictions, including those in which the offenders were discharged after magisterial admonition, without entry of conviction, was only 1,145, as compared with the average of 1,447 in the previous five years. Again, for the first, time for a long period, there was no case of a juvenile offender'being committed to the Snpreme Court for trial or sentence. These comparisons indicate that juvenile crime is actually decreasing, and this is confirmed by examining the proportions of offenders to the tolal population. Thus in 1915 and 1916 the number of children charged with offences was equivalent to 15 per 10,000 of population, rhe rate was 14 in the next two years, and 15 in 1919. But in 1920 it fell to 13, in 1921 to 11, and in 1922 to 10. In respect of crime among youthful offenders the Controller-General of Prisons has stated that they “continue to increase,” the reference being to New Zealand-horn prisoners between the ages of 15 and 25 years received in the prisons. Last year there were 340 of this class as against 214 in the previous year, and 226 in 1920. Certainly these numbers are high, but except the first of them not exceptionally So for in the last 20 years they have, often been exceeded though (he population was then smaller. If the statistics of New Zealand-horn prisoners arc examined it will he found that in the live years 1903-7, 1,469 were under the. age of 25 years, or 33 per cent, of the lota I prison receptions; in 1908-12 the number was 1,395 or 26 per cent.; iu 1913-17, it was 1,092 or 20 per cent.; while the last five years show a total of 1,116 or 26 per cent., the same proportion as in pre-war period. It is certainly distressing that an average of 200 young New Zealanders should he committed to prison every year hut it does not help to discover a solution of tlie problem nor to enhance tli,c reputation of the Dominion io proclaim in general terms, as lias often been done, that juvenile crime i-. increasing at an alarming rate when tlie records prove that there are, both absolutely and relatively, fewer jifvenile offenders and fewer youthful criminals Ilian there were as recently as 15 and 20 years ago.

Mr TT. S. Alpe, formerly of Wanganui, now a residon I of Wellington •is training to walk from New Plynn.nlh to Wellington, collecting for funds to help the Japanese. The money collected in each town will he spent in the town on produce, which will he sent, to Wellington, to he consigned from there to Japan. This arrangement is made at the request of the Japanese authorities, who state that they prefer produce to cash. Mr Alpe who is in Christchurch, has expressed his willingness to walk in Canterbury to help the funds, if help in that direction is desired.