Criminals and Their Punishment

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 31, 6 October 1911, Page 16

Criminals and Their Punishment

This question has from time to time caused a great deal of discussion and comment, Avith suggestions as to Avhat punishment would most effectively reduce the extremely abnormal prevalence of crime and CA'entually stamp it out. Certain classes of criminals, according to some, perhaps the majority, require to be dealt with much more severely than others. One of these classes of offence is that committed against women and children, namely, the sexual offence. Every one will agree as to the enormity of these offences and to their terrible menace to society, not excluding the rising generation. A local newspaper, discussing this matter, stated that these offences Aye re on the increase, but did not prove the statement by giving the returns of the number of cases before the Supreme Court in May last, Avhen the sexual offences Avore eight out of seventeen cases, and at last month's sitting Avere eight out of twenty, t.AA r o cases of which were from May oAving to the original trials proving abortive. Nothing could be said for a man who, looking at such cases from his own side, only demands of the laAV that 'It shall use Avhatever poAver it possesses to stamp out this most horrible of crimes," and suggests the lash as an extra to imprisonment, Avhen the judges who administer the laAV are loth to order such lashings. It has been asked, and not Avithout reason, why these Avretcbcs should be turned loose again upon society. When people are suffering from diseases of the body such as consumption, cholera, leprosy," etc., they are locked after in a sanatorium or hospital by a physician, Avho, aided by science, attacks the cause of the evil, instead of abusing and ill-treating the sufferer because, having his liberty, he is a menace to the health and general at elf are of society. . _ Why, then, should it be different for a man suffering from a disease of the

The Cure for Sexual Offences.

By A. G. HUJViFREY.

mind (hereditary) ? He is taken and put away for a number of years, and, unaided by science, is, treated as a savage brute, worse even than the savage brute from ivhom he probably inherited his vicious taint, then to 6e turned loose again upon society with the taint more highly, developed-than cA r er. What if our prisons, with their cobbled 3'ards, dreary, ugly walls, shutting out all civilisation, and drearier cells were turned into asylums with extensive grounds laid out with trees, and even flowers —grounds that could be cultivated and all kinds of vegetables and some fruit grown —grounds enclosed with neat Avire or wooden fences, Avhere the so-called 4 'criminal could be put to profitable and pleasant Avork, Avhereby the expense of keeping him AAxmld be reduced, thus making him a useful producing member of society, with, though he be restrained for life, the enjoyment of oertain liberties, such as studying some form of natural history and reading healthy literature, etc., What then? The so-called criminal would be a human being instead of the savage that some would have him made. Suppose public markets were erected for the purpose of receiving and selling the produce of the so-called criminal, thus loAvering the price of certain goods, Avhat then? Would it not be more profitable than treating him as a saA-age and putting him to unprofitable and useless work and so keeping up the unnecessary expense of prisons to the ratepayer?